Assignment Instruction
Along with the artwork, write and submit an 800-1,000-word artist statement that describes your artwork and unpacks its meaning in relation to the topic, making properly cited references to at least three references. At least one of your cited sources needs to be an assigned reading from this course. And at least one cited source needs to be a published book, a peer-reviewed journal article, or an example of art criticism or other writing published in an art journal. All of which can still be accessed online through the OCADU library or other library databases.
In the final weeks, you will bring your artwork to class and present it to other students in a breakout session for a group critique with your professor or TA and fellow students.
The final art project may sound intimidating, but it’s designed to encourage an ‘outsized imagination’. The projects allow you to work with whatever materials you wish to use, keeping safety well in mind.
Your statement should address the the following concerns:
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What contemporary issue from the class does your artwork engage? How does it engage with that issue?
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What is your point of view? And/or, what questions does your work pose?
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Within your explanation of the above two points, reference at least two readings or videos, or points from one of my lectures or our class discussions
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Ensure your references are properly cited
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Include the name of one or more artists or artworks that your work is in dialogue with or that you were inspired by.
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Describe your material choices, and either explain your process for making the work.
Description: My photo series “Toronto Unmasked” explores how land, colonialism, and
decolonization affect Toronto and its inhabitants. This project seeks to uncover Toronto’s
forgotten histories and question the city’s dominant narratives. The photographs will show
Toronto’s monuments, buildings, streets, and parks with texts and images that show colonial and
indigenous influences and the communities’ struggles and successes.
Tower, Queen’s Park, Distillery District, and High Park are among Toronto locations for photos.
History, current slogans, and indigenous languages will be used to choose texts and images.
Writings and images will be placed over photos using editing software to establish a dialogue
between visible and hidden, past and present, and colonizer and colonized.
city and highlights the hidden and erased history of the land and its people. Through the project,
photography as a medium, aims to show the city and its people’s complexity and diversity and to
illuminate the interconnectedness of land, identity, and social justice in the urban context.