Emotional Landscapes juxtaposes works from the Varley Art Gallery’s collection with the contemporary practices of Jessica Karuhanga and Alex R.M. Thompson. Building on the nineteenth century English Romantic tradition, the Group of Seven captured the raw, emotional nature of places like Algonquin Park. Their expressive, melancholic and sublime landscapes are often devoid of human bodies. However, still noticeable in them are marks indicative of human activity. Responding to the established, and at times problematic, narrative of historical Canadian landscape painting, Karuhanga and Thompson propose a political view of nature and landscape, one that acknowledges the consequences of the humans that live and work in it.
Salvadoran artist Irma Villafuerte will lead participants through a movement workshop inspired by the exhibition Emotional Landscapes at The Varley Art Gallery of Markham.
*Registration required, space is limited. No dance experience required.
April 25, 2020
1-2pm
The Varley Art Gallery of Markham
Markham Civic Centre
101 Town Centre Boulevard
Free admission, registration required
*Workshop Cancelled due to COVID-19
Irma Villafuerte is a dance artist and educator based in Tkaronto from Nahuat Territory Kuskatan, post-colonial El Salvador. She serves as an educator at Randolph College for the Performing Arts, Casa Maiz’ Semillas Latinas and Prologue for the performing arts. She’s been part of festivals across the Americas, such as Night Shift 2020 Presented by the Citadel & Compaigne, Fall for Dance North’s Open Studio, The Rhubarb Festival, DanceWeekend Ontario, Aluna Theatre’s Panamerican Routes Festival, Panamania’15, 12th Bienal de la Habana, Vanguardia Dance Projects, International Dance Meeting in Guantanamo, CounterPulse Performing Diaspora in San Francisco. Performing works by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Jaberi Dance Theatre, Kaeja d’Dance, Victoria Mata, Aria Evans, Alejandro Ronceria, and Arsenio Andrade, to name a few.. She is currently a residency artist at Aluna Theatre incubating her choreographic development. She’s choreographed for Trey Anthony’s How Black Mothers Say I love You and recently is developing her solo “nudoDESnudo”. Her passion for social justice is the driving force for creation in Irma’s choreographic and performance work.