PITCH Magazine Launch & Analog Artist Talk: the cut, the tear, and the remix: contemporary collage and Black futures

Image: SAFI SAFI by FEZA 2020

the cut, the tear & the remix: contemporary collage and Black futures bring together the work of eight contemporary artists deeply engaged in the excavation of a future informed by their individual ancestral connections to the African and Caribbean diaspora and their varied interpretations of collage.

In anticipation of the virtual exhibition curated by stylo starr in collaboration with the McMaster Museum of Art, join us as we celebrate the editorial feature of the remix within Issue 2 of PITCH Magazine, a Hamilton-based publication dedicated to Black art.

Both analog and digital artwork will be exhibited in the magazine issue. This launch event will feature 4 of the 8 exhibiting artists within the remix, discussing their analogue, cut & paste based works within the exhibition.

Featured Panelists: Emkay Adjei-Manu, FEZA, Sonya Mwambu, and Ghislain Timm, Stylo Starr (Curator)

Moderated by: Adom Acheampong, Program Manager, Nia Centre for the Arts

Register Now.

About Emkay Adjei-Manu

Emkay Adjei-Manu is an emerging second-generation, Ghanaian-Canadian artist whose practice includes experimental writing, documentary/analog photography, and collage. Examining themes of embodiment, remembrance, memory, sensuality and spirit, they are drawn to the practice of collage for its expansiveness and ability to examine diverse ruminations on personal experiences. Beyond the tactility of traditional “cut and paste,” Emkay’s work also functions as an individual and collective breathing practice, exploring the known and unknown stories that live within bodies. Emkay has worked in arts-based research and workshop facilitation with various non-profit organizations and is completing an undergraduate degree in Social Work at Ryerson University with intentions of pursuing a Master of Fine Art. 

Instagram: @eartth2mk

About FEZA

FEZA is a visual artist born in Kinshasa, DR Congo and raised in Edmonton, Canada whose work includes photography, film and visual collages. Whether it is through art or community organizing, Feza’s work is a meditation on the daily experiences of Africans within the Canadian context, exploring experiences of migration, memory and kinship.  She draws inspiration from her Congolese heritage, incorporating archival material such as photographs, video and audio sources. In 2018, she was awarded the Ali Mustafa Memorial Collective Photojournalism award for a long form photo documentary on the experiences of African Caribbean and Black newcomer pregnant women, and the barriers they face navigating the health and social services system. Feza’s work has been shown at the Montreal Museum of Fine arts and at various community events, and she is currently based in Ottawa, Ontario.

molimostudio.com | @_fe.za_

About Ghislain Timm

Ghislan Timm (Jess-lin/Jiz-lan) (she/they) is an experimental filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto (Toronto). They are currently studying Integrated Media at OCAD University and studied Film Production at York University.  Their work is influenced by Afro-Caribbean folklore and culture, Afro-futurism, soundscape, and cinema, and often appropriates archival film and imagery to shape non-linear narratives from fragments of memories. Ghislan has presented works at the Ada Slaight Gallery at OCAD University, at Fugue: Canadian First Person Alternative Films Festival in Shanghai, China and she participated as a resident artist in the Black Women Film! Canada Leadership Program in Toronto in 2019.

ghislantimm.format.com | @orphicinema

About Sonya Mwambu

Sonya Mwambu is an experimental filmmaker and editor based in Toronto. She graduated from York University’s film production program where she developed her craft in shooting and experimenting with analog film, exploring concepts of race, language and a connection to her cultural identity. Born in Kampala, and raised in Canada, her films are often centred around the intersections of her identities. She has presented films at the Toronto History Museum and most recently with Cinema Politica based in Montreal. 

Instagram: @sonya.mwambu 

Meet The Curator

stylo starr is a visual alchemist based in Hamilton, Ontario. She has a BFA from Brock University and studied design at Mohawk College. A founding member of COBRA (the Coalition of Black and Racialized Artists) Hamilton, she has worked with varied organizations including Centre[3] for Artistic and Social Practice, Hamilton Arts Council, and McMaster University (curating the 2020 BFA graduation exhibition) and has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and Art Gallery of Burlington among others. Known primarily for her multi-layered collage work, which has been featured on large public installations, international publications and apparel, Starr’s visual investigations surround predominantly BIPOCs and their relationship to the basic principles and elements of design, while reaffirming their agency as revered subjects of art history.

www.stylostarr.com | @mouthfullofstars

About Curator-In-Residence Program

Presented in partnership with the McMaster Museum of Art, the Curator-in-Residence is a pilot learning opportunity for an emerging Black curator to work with and within both an institutional and community setting. Working and learning alongside MMA Senior Curator Pamela Edmonds, as well as other curators and advisors, the emerging curator will gain skills, insight, and resources to further her independent curatorial practice, while producing a public exhibition with support from Nia Centre. Learn more here.