ESTHER SHALEV-GERZ'S ONE-WOMAN EXHIBITION AT KOFFLER GALLERY, TORONTO / APRIL 5 - JUNE 3
Esther Shalev-Gerz
International artist and professor in the MA fine art at Valand Academy University of Gothenburg
Curated by Mona Filip
Opening April 5 / 6-9pm
Artist Talk / Sunday 8 / 2pm
Koffler Gallery, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto, ON, Canada
Internationally recognized for her significant contributions in the field of public art, photography and video installation, Paris-based artist Esther Shalev-Gerz consistently investigates the construction of memory, history, nature, democracy and cultural identity. The Koffler Gallery presents Shalev-Gerz’ first exhibition in Toronto, bringing together four video and photography installations that explore memory and migration.
Developed through active dialogue with diverse communities, these projects foreground participants’ individual and collective experiences. With thoughtful, nuanced approaches to collaboration, Shalev-Gerz’s artworks confront the practice of portraiture, considering how it may address contemporary politics of representation. Examining the impact of time and space on identity constructions, places, and (hi)stories, these works record, critique, and expand the understanding of the social role of artistic practice.
In addition, Shalev-Gerz is currently producing her latest permanent public art work commissioned by the University of British Columbia. The Shadow embeds the ghostly silhouette of a Douglas fir across the ground of the University Plaza.