Displacement and confinement, the spatial experiences that typified the Middle Passage (trans-Atlantic slave trade), inspire the gridded paintings of Denyse Thomasos. The artist was born in Trinidad, raised in Mississauga, and lives in New York. After the 9-11 bombing she travelled to photograph jails and burial sites in Asian countries. Those photographs are the source images of Tracking, a spectacular floor-to-ceiling composition painted directly on the gallery walls. Thomasos’ restless geometry maps diasporic flows onto the static planes of the white cube. The eye-popping effects and optical illusions will be painted out at the end of the exhibition.
Catalogue forthcoming with essays by M. NourbeSe Philip, Franklin Sirmans, Gaetane Verna, co-published by MSVU Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Bishop’s University.
Track Record Panel Discussion
On Sunday, September 12, at 3:00pm, catalogue writers M. Nourbese Philip (Canadian poet and activist) and Franklin Sirmans (US curator and editor) join Denyse Thomasos to discuss the positioning of her work in North American culture. Ride the chartered bus free of charge. It departs from 5163 Duke Street at 2:30 pm and returns to MSVU at 5:00 pm.
