OUTSKIRTS
On display at
the Harbourfront Centre
September 27 - December 28, 2014
Alex
Brownell, Habiba El-Sayed, Margaret Lim, Jenanne Longman, Yasmine Louis, Aidan
Mayner, Loree Ovens, Filipa Pimentel
Curated by
Melanie Egan
When
thinking of “The Suburbs” one doesn’t immediately think of creativity or
cultural hubs – particularly post WWII suburbs. The usual opinion of the
suburbs, at least by urban folk, is not at all flattering. There is a clear
demarcation between the urbanites who are where it’s happening and the
suburbanites who are left to flounder in a cultural wasteland.
Yet a lot
can happen in the suburbs that falls outside the commonly held notion of “endless
sprawl, a punishing commute, and McMansions.”1
After all
the suburbs are far removed from the “centre” and exist on the outskirts away
from mainstream influences. The fringe has always been identified with
creativity, nonconformists and the unruly.
This group
of artists is made up of those who grew up in the ‘burbs, some who still
inhabit them, one who drives through from time to time and another who has
looked to them for inspiration.
–
Melanie
Egan, Head, Craft & Design, Harbourfront Centre
