Aporia

Aporia is an immersive exhibition led by professor Juan Ortiz-Apuy and presented by the seventeen students enrolled in the Sculpture 410 class at Concordia University.

The students and staff are grateful to the Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA), Concordia on Student Life (CCSL) and the Concordia University Alumni Association (CUAA) for the project funding awarded to this exhibition.

Special thanks to Mike Simoes for his donation to the project.

All exhibition photos by Louis Barbier.

Exhibition Essay

Aporia, an expression of doubt and uncertainty, whether it be genuine or feigned, is a philosophical concept defined as a logical impasse or contradiction, a notion that we can faithfully bring to light as we immerse ourselves further into the space the exhibition has taken its place in, The Cadbury Lofts, a concealed red-bricked lair on Bordeaux street near the train tracks.

The sun sets and the lofts, with their chalky walls and solid flooring, are imbued by the wondrous worlds created by the artists present, worlds in which we can observe a clear commonality of found, foraged, reclaimed, recycled and hands-on materials, an emphasis on the elemental surroundings at our immediate disposal which we tend to overlook. Fruits and quilts, steel tubes and dead house plants, dirt and plastic, bio terrariums and synthetic fibers, willow branches and race car exhaust pipes, these materials are webbed and weaved together in accordance to every artist’s private lens, a deeply personal and captivating show of aporia itself; the conflict of the natural world, memories, creation, magic, life, death, identity and essence– shaped by the organic materials present – along with the artificial intelligence, manufactured objects as well as the assembled man-made components, the immortality that is, in turn, inherently present in each work, a contradiction of our need to exist forevermore with the knowledge that only we can accomplish this mighty feat by scattering remnants of our own existences behind, through the form of creation, memorabilia, intention and synergy.

Among the artworks on display, there is a general overarching feeling of intention devoted to the pieces erected, whether it be political, confidential, or philosophical, the labour of love (a term expressed to me by one of the students) is palpably present in the objects at play, accompanied by a ubiquitous sense of encouragement to interact with each and every one. Some more bilateral than others, every sculpture or installation invokes a playful curiosity, the combination of stimuli entailing a need to linger nearby. Themes of thrusting your hand through the mundanity of your surroundings to reach another realm, another depth or even to seize the mundanity itself in order to reconstruct it, the sculptures themselves require a level of physicality; having to duck beneath, cautiously walk through, watch yourself in and squint at to fully grasp the experience at hand. The exuberance in the room can be felt, a sentiment brought on by the desire to carefully unravel the exhibition’s testimony, to decipher what messages are being brought to your attention, even amongst the warm bodies and laughter.

Throughout the night, we are treated to three hypnotizing and enchanting performances by three different artists; all ritualistic and seemingly intuitive, limbs gesticulate and voices pierce through the hall. It is with poetic grace that each performer brings forth their meaning, and the audience, in turn, remains quiet and alert all throughout, cautious to not disturb the deliberate and conscious choices being made before their very eyes. The artists, pleased with the applause of the crowd, humbly bow with hands behind their backs and bashful smiles stretched across their faces.

Overall, Aporia gives evidence to a noticeable attention to the world, humanity, as well as the structures that surround and protect us, showcasing the quintessential essence of what it is to care and honoring the culmination of togetherness; a macrocosm that is possible when individuals create from within their own frame of mind, heart and soul, from their well of knowledge and emotion to build a tangible, concrete ripple effect.

The Asporia, the body of the artist in conjunction with the body of art, lies within its clear hopefulness for the future.

Text by Camille Zmigrodzki.