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Charles Campbell

Those that pass through, remain, return, 2025

Multi-media installation

Artwork

Those that pass through, remain, return is a three-year public art project honouring Concordia University’s and Montreal’s Black community. Recordings of the sound of breathing from senior members of the community, artists, activists and Concordia faculty and students form the basis of the work. 

On the windows are towering colour saturated Breath Portraits, visualizations of the recorded breath. In the foyer mixed audio from the recordings moves through a range of breathing types, from soft and regular to excited, strained and sonorous. Campbell explains “Countering the ongoing instrumentalization of Black bodies and the usual routes to validation: achievement, excellence, suffering, resilience... Here it is enough just to breathe.”

The list of individuals who contributed their breath to this work are:

Adrienne Johnson, Andrew Jackson, Angélique Willkie, Camina Harrison-Chéry, Cécilia Bracmort, Corvus Campbell, Cynthia Alphonse, Dana Edmonds, Diana Goudrouffe, Diane Gistal, DZI..AN, Elena Stoodley, Faye Corbin, Géraldine Entiope, Guy Mushagalusa Chigoho, Isaiah Joyner, Jacqueline Peters, James Roach, Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, Lydie Dubuisson, Maguy Métellus, Malcom Odd, Marilou Craft, Marlihan Lopez, Martine Fourcand, Marven Clerveau, Mathieu Lacroix, Michaëlle Sergile, nènè myriam konaté,Olivier Vilaire, Sendy-Loo Emmanuel, Sharon Nelson, Shirlette Wint, Teeanna Munro,Velma Préval, Yorik Kaz, Yves Pierre-Louis.

Location

Sir George Williams Campus
Bishop Street Entrance, Henry F. Hall Building
1455 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West

Charles Campbell Artist Charles Campbell

Artist biography

Charles Campbell is a Jamaican born multidisciplinary artist, writer and curator based on lək̓ʷəŋən territory, Victoria BC. Using sculpture, sound, installation and performance, his work pulls at the threads of time. Finding channels into the past and future Campbell reconstructs broken somatic, communal and spiritual connections, creating spaces of solace and meaning for all of us living in the wake of slavery and colonization. Campbell’s artworks have been exhibited widely in the Caribbean, Canada and internationally. He is the recipient of numerous awards and holds an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College and a BFA from Concordia University.

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