Conversations in Contemporary Art

Conversations in Contemporary Art is a free event series sponsored by Concordia University's Studio Arts MFA Program. The series provides a unique opportunity to hear artists, designers, critics, writers, educators, and curators share their practice(s) and perspectives.  

2021-22 Programming

Conversations in Contemporary Art | 2021 - 2022
The Conversation Continues! CiCA is happening.
 

The Department of Studio Arts MFA Program is pleased to invite you to a season of talks, demos, studio visits, dialogues and more!

This year, we are collaborating with a number of local centres and cultural organisations including EAHR | Media, Diagonale, MOMENTA x Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, FoFA Gallery, McClure Gallery, to bring together a rich program with varied perspectives. Happily, we are also returning to your Internet ether via  4^TH SPACE, who are our digital-co-hosts: the Conversation Continues, online.
 

What can you expect from our 2021 – 2022 programming?

Beatriz Santiago Muñoz launching our program on 16^th September | Mat Karas passing the mic to Jeanne Quinn | Zainub Verjee critiquing artists’ labour | Jaret Vadera returning with guest Tairone Bastien | Graft Collective, CiCA’s Practitioners in [Remote] Residence 2020, cooking up some mail | Lisa Myers starting off a new year | Nicole Burisch setting up the FoFA Gallery | Maria Hupfield telling stories | Mark Igloliorte discussing practice with peers | Mara Eagle working in progress

Fall 2021 Events

16 September 2021: Beatriz Santiago Muñoz delivers an artist talk in connection with ‘Poetic Disorder’ an exhibition curated by MOMENTA x Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery
This event has now passed

14 October 2021, 6:00pm EST: Mat Karas joins for a demonstration and invites attendees to the XYZ Symposium hosted by the McClure Gallery, including contributions from Jeanne Quinn
< < < Zoom Link Here > > >

21 October 2021, 6:00pm EST: Zainub Verjee, hosted with EAHR | Media, reflects on artists’ labour and her multi-hyphenate practice
< < <  Registration link coming soon >  >  >

4 November 2021, 4:30pm EST: New Faculty member in the Department of Studio Arts, Jaret Vadera returns to the CiCA guest-spot with Tairone Bastien. They will discuss mutual concerns and their respective practices.
< < <  Registration link coming soon >  >  >

18 November 2021, 4:30pm: Join GRAFT Collective, the first CICA in [Remote] Residents, as they share their project work from their 2020-2021 residency. Supplies/ingredients list will be circulated in advance.
< < <  Registration link coming soon >  >  >

Past Lecturers and Guests

2020-21 

Seminar leader: Maya Rae Oppenheimer, Assistant Professor, Department of Studio Arts + Interdisciplinary Studies in Fine Arts
Speakers: Elaine Lopez; Keli Garrett and Noorafshan Mirza; Michèle Pearson Clarke, Michaëlle Sergile and Ashley Raghubir; Hannah Claus and Peter Morin; Juan Ortiz-Apuy and Zinnia Naqvi, Deanna Bowen with Rachelle Dickenson, Maddy Mayo

2019-2020 

Seminar leader: Maya Rae Oppenheimer, Assistant Professor, Department of Studio Arts + Interdisciplinary Studies in Fine Arts
Speakers: Ursula Johnson, On est tu heureux hen., Aaron McIntosh, Crystal (Mikinaak) Migwans, Alastair MacLennan, Javier González Pesce

2018-19

Seminar leader: Sky Goodden, Artist-in-Residence, Department of Studio Arts/MFA
Speakers: Dean Baldwin, Andréanne Abbondanza-Bergeron, Jaret Vadera, Erin Schirreff, Ben Davis, Kazuhiro Soda, Saelan Twerdy, Bridget Moser, Mat Chivers, Amanda Dawn Christie, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Krysztof Wodiczko

2017-18 

Seminar leader: Tammer El-Sheikh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Studio Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies and Art Theory/Criticism
Speakers: Ken Lum, Chloë Lum and Yannick Desranleau, Marnie Weber, Suzy Lake, Bea Parsons, Hugues Charbonneau, Walter Scott, Hajra Waheed, Heather Davis, Roxanne Jackson, Micah Lexier

2016-17

Seminar leader: Tammer El-Sheikh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Studio Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies and Art Theory/Criticism
Speakers: Dineo Seshee Bopape, David Joselit, Walter McConnell, Velibor Božović, Sky Goodden, Spring Hurlbut, Ken Lum, Haig Aivazian, Philippe Pirotte, Althea Thauberger

2015-16

Seminar leader: Tammer El-Sheikh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Studio Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies and Art Theory/Criticism
Speakers: Surabhi Ghosh, Daniel Barrow, Erin Gee, Kamal Aljafari, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Shary Boyle, Rebecca Belmore, Sandra Ramos, Yassin "Narcy" Alsalman, Chantal Pontbriand, Nikhil Chopra

2014-15

Seminar leader: Ingrid Bachmann, Associate Professor, Department of Studio Arts
Speakers: Ed Pien, Tema Stauffer, Del Harrow, Raymonde April, Ivana Ivkovic, James Benning, Diane Morin, Simon Denny, Angela Grauerholz, David Balzer, Nadia Myre

2013-14

Seminar leader: Ingrid Bachmann, Associate Professor, Department of Studio Arts
Speakers: Sissel Tolaas, Chih-Chien Wang, Victoria Stanton, Elisabeth Belliveau, Stephen Schofield, Christopher Kulendran Thomas and Helen Kaplinsky, Asra Aksamija, Bear Witness