February 26 to April 25, 2026
Labour
Curator: Ingrid Jones
With the participation of Natalie Asumeng, La Tanya S. Autry, Tony Cokes, Chantal Gibson, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and Martine Syms
Inspired by Claudia Rankine’s scholarship on microaggressions in Citizen: An American Lyric and themes of perceptibility, Labour seeks to unveil the invisible labour of the colonized. The exhibition challenges societal racial biases through the lens of Blackness and Indigeneity, exploring, among other concerns, how unseen labour might be unburdened and shifted onto the dominant. The evocative works of Natalie Asumeng, La Tanya S. Autry, Tony Cokes, Chantal Gibson, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and Martine Syms examine white supremacy’s manifestation in institutional power paradigms and its corrosive effects on Black and Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC). In so doing, this exhibition operationalizes and reveals unseen labour while activating alternative teachings from Black and Indigenous perspectives. Labour asks, what are the motivations for our inclusion in institutional spaces? Who has the right to tell our stories? What is our right to rage in the face of microaggressions and discriminatory acts? And how can we employ much-needed rest as a form of resistance? By reimagining how the colonized perceive, engage with, and ultimately challenge the forces that shape our world, Labour becomes a powerful site of defiance.
Inspired by Claudia Rankine’s scholarship on microaggressions in Citizen: An American Lyric and themes of perceptibility, Labour seeks to unveil the invisible labour of the colonized. The exhibition challenges societal racial biases through the lens of Blackness and Indigeneity, exploring, among other concerns, how unseen labour might be unburdened and shifted onto the dominant. The evocative works of Natalie Asumeng, La Tanya S. Autry, Tony Cokes, Chantal Gibson, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and Martine Syms examine white supremacy’s manifestation in institutional power paradigms and its corrosive effects on Black and Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC). In so doing, this exhibition operationalizes and reveals unseen labour while activating alternative teachings from Black and Indigenous perspectives. Labour asks, what are the motivations for our inclusion in institutional spaces? Who has the right to tell our stories? What is our right to rage in the face of microaggressions and discriminatory acts? And how can we employ much-needed rest as a form of resistance? By reimagining how the colonized perceive, engage with, and ultimately challenge the forces that shape our world, Labour becomes a powerful site of defiance.
Toronto-based curator and creative director, Ingrid Jones examines the intersections of decolonial curatorial practice, transnational solidarities, and the politics of museum representation. Her research engages themes of marginalization and refusal through installation, media, and collaborative projects. Recent initiatives address liberatory practices of the African diaspora (Liberation in Four Movements, 2024), the unseen labour of BIPOC artists and cultural workers (Labour, 2024-25), and nostalgia for racialized communities framed through white supremacy (Nostalgia Interrupted, 2022).
Read moreJones co-founded Poor But Sexy (2009–2012), an independent art magazine recognized internationally for its collaborative approach, and Mutti (2018–2022), an artist space fostering community-based interdisciplinary project. She has curated exhibitions and programs for the Doris McCarthy Gallery (Toronto), SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin), and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. She has also lectured and created masterclasses on photographic best practices and design for Toronto Metropolitan University and Sheridan Institute, respectively. Her work has been supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Reesa Greenberg Fund, and featured in Vice Berlin and Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, among others.
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May 13 – June 13, 2026
Ignition features new work by students currently enrolled in the Studio Arts, Humanities, or Individualized graduate programs at Concordia University. This exhibition provides an up-and-coming generation of artists with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, interdisciplinary works in the professional context of a gallery with a national and international profile. Students and the gallery team work together to produce an exhibition that places an emphasis on critical, innovative, and experimental work, engaging in the exploration and consideration of diverse media and practices.
Ignition features new work by students currently enrolled in the Studio Arts, Humanities, or Individualized graduate programs at Concordia University. This exhibition provides an up-and-coming generation of artists with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, interdisciplinary works in the professional context of a gallery with a national and international profile. Students and the gallery team work together to produce an exhibition that places an emphasis on critical, innovative, and experimental work, engaging in the exploration and consideration of diverse media and practices.