jessica thalmann
Running with Concepts

Sky Fairchild-Waller and I will be presenting on a series of our collaborative works at Blackwood Gallery’s upcoming hybrid conference, Running with Concepts.

_____

MAY 5 & 6

A TWO DAY HYBRID* EVENT

LED BY FOUR DISTINGUISHED GUESTS:

Michael Fernandes (artist, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design) Peggy Gale (independent curator, Toronto), Sheila Heti (writer, Toronto)and Mark Lanctôt (curator, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal). Moderated by Suzanne Carte (independent curator, New York/Toronto).

*Part-workshop, part-conference, part-crit session, part-masterclass, part pechakucha (but longer), part ignite (but longer still).

How do ideas take form? How does one embark on the process of extracting, editing and distilling an idea into a presentable format? One half of this intensive two day event (May 5–6) will be led by four distinguished guests who will model the process by which they each move from the conceptual to the final stages of a project. They will present the successes and failures of both in-progress and finished work in a series of engaging presentations.

The conference will take place on Saturday May 5 & Sunday May 6 (10am to 5pm) at the Blackwood Gallery, Kaneff Centre (UTM). You must register in advance to attend.

_______

Our Presentation: Sexwork(s): Permutations of Explicit Satire and Catharsis

In 2009, we began by creating a sound and image/text-based installation that engaged with the trials of pursuing graduate study in the arts. Prompted by dire socioeconomic conditions inhibiting access to knowledge-based economies, the work emphasized how the pursuit of education can necessitate the acquisition of capital in explicit and degrading ways. Our presentation will examine the dynamics of collaboration, following the inception, execution, evolution and permutation of an idea and its aesthetic and conceptual problems. Using mass mediums as a vehicle for satire and catharsis, the ongoing series entitled Prostitution, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and Prostitution 2.0 explores the ways in which our environment, socioeconomic conditions, personal lives, and current obsessions affect conceptual development and change.
artbomb

One of my photographs from the Woman in A Mouse Mask series was selected by Andrea Carson, art critic from View On Canandian Art to be featured for an online aucation of emerging contemporary working artists! ArtBomb Daily will put up one piece for auction each weekday, which subscribers will learn about via an email alert. The bidding is opened at 6 a.m. and runs until 11 p.m. Keeps you eyes peeled for my work which will be featured in the coming weeks. Art makes for great holiday gifts!

To subscribe to ARTBOMB please email artbombdaily@gmail.com with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line even just to see the work that’s available. 

new work
in memory

in memory

I will be in an upcoming exhibition curated by the Labspace Studio crew entitled In Memory. Noelle-Wharton Ayer and I are doing a collaboration over time and space. It will feature some of my new comic-based stuff. Info is below!

Over the period of six weeks, pairs of artists are asked to take on the challenge of working together to create a collaborative art installation that uses “remembering” as part of the creative process, and memory (or memories) as material.  Artists are encouraged to examine the relationships between memory, documentation and truth, and to explore ways of re-imagining or reinterpreting the past.

In Memory will be held at 717 Queen Street East in an old funeral parlour.

Opening event:
Aug 19 | 9pm – 1am

Gallery hours:
Aug 20-21 | 11-5pm

*******

*Curated by Annie Onyi Cheung, John Loerchner & Laura Mendes.

*Artists:
Adam Stenhouse & Vanessa ArnoldAnnie Onyi Cheung & Risa KusumotoAnnie Tse & Van L. ChingBishara Mohamed & Marino ImperioCeline Marks & Lindsay SmallChris Willes & Julia MaleDeborah Peterson & Huss ElassalDenise Ing & Kathryn WardGram Shmalz & Brian SasaskiJessica Thalmann & Noelle Wharton-AyerKyra Green & Jasmyn FyffeLaura Mendes & John LoerchnerMaggie Flynn & Maggy FlynnNurielle Stern & Nancy Jo CullenVasa Gatiance & Alex Shaw
http://labspacestudio.com/post/in-memory/

sparks

Finally i am updating with details about my residency at sparkbox studios in picton, on with some lovely pictures and perfunctory text. 

The House!

This is Kyle and Chrissy’s home in Picton. A lovely home with my own room on the second floor. i cooked, and baked mint chocolate chip cookies. yum.

This is Vanessa Sage, and awesome super cute PhD candidate at MacMaster who was also in residence with me. Awesome new friend.

The Armoury (studios)

The sparkbox studios currently reside here only a short 5 minute walk from the house. they are pretty spacious and lovely. if only toronto had something like this that is affordable. 

My Project

So I learned a lot from this experience, mostly that when I am too ambitious, i end up not making any work and not getting much done. See my goals board for clarification.  And coming directly from the closing of the Tim Burton show at TIFF, I was definitely not in production mode. But I spent at least 6-8 hours in the studio everyday figuring out my next moves, making awful drawings/cartoons.

But after a significant amount of failed attempts (and a frustrated attempt to branch out into another project aka: my in the mood for love color sketch) I did end up finding a drawing style that I am relatively happy with. thus ensues brainstorming for the content of the graphic novel/artist book. Images are below. More to come.

All in all, one week is not enough to get anything done. Or I need to manage my time better and focus on one thing. Great first residency though.

sparking up: day 2

here i am in the studio. blogging. being productive. after the first day of production, and making 2 pretty shitty drawings. i am slowly coming to form an idea for this artist book/graphic novel.