Come explore what counts as “real” in new Artspace Gallery exhibition

Image Arts students debut BIPOC exhibition ‘it’s real because it happened’

By: Kaela Malozewski

November 02, 2021

School of Image Arts students debut first exhibition funded by BIPOC fundraiser IT’S REAL BC IT HAPPENED (external link, opens in new window) at Artspace Gallery (external link, opens in new window) from November 4 to December 4. The in-gallery exhibition and artist residency features work by fourth-year IMA photography student, Deion Squires-Rouse (external link, opens in new window) and photography alum, Ajeuro Abala (external link, opens in new window) , and is curated by Artspace Gallery's summer Researcher in Residence, Christina Oyawale.

Image by Deion Squires-Rouse shows a person wearing a blue tarp around them with a white fabric wrapped around their head. They sit on a white bench and the words “it’s real bc it happened” are written across the image with additional exhibition details.

Poster for current Artspace Gallery exhibition and residency entitled ‘it’s real bc it happened’

Squires-Rouse, a visual artist working primarily with lens-based media, aims to communicate the link between the physical world and emotional consciousness, and is heavily influenced by forays into the diverse scenes of Toronto youth culture, fashion, and his experiences as a young person of colour.

Black and white polaroid images by photographer Deion Squires-Rouse part of the exhibition and current residency ‘it’s real bc it happened’.

Image by Deion Squires-Rouse entitled ‘Research’ for ‘it’s real bc it happened’

Abala, a photographer with a BFA in Photography Studies from Image Arts at The Creative School, contemplates human interaction with the world around us via the implications of our presence within it, or lack there-of.

“As an alumnus, having the opportunity to work on this project in the manner that we did was the first legitimate reminder of the potential that exists to be explored when working in a shared environment amongst like-minded individuals,” says Abala.

Five self-portraits by Abala. The top two feature him in a black tshirt on a beach with very deep blue skies. The bottom left features Abala in a yellow room wearing a yellow shirt and yellow shorts climbing a wall. In the middle, Abala sits on a stool wearing black pants and a white dress shirt and tie. The final image on the right shows Abala standing wearing black between red walls.

Collection of work by Abala for the exhibition

As stated on Artpace’s website, in July 2021 Squires-Rouse, Abala, and Oyawale collaborated in a workspace to create an iterative exhibition that explores ideological frameworks around self-portraiture, perception, and what counts as “real.”

During this time, the trio began conducting research to create a structure in the space that would act as a photographic installation.

“[Researcher in residence] Christina Oyawale became Deion and myself’s anchor, the link between the gallery and its resources but also a crucial co-contributor,” says Abala. “It really did feel like Christina was just as much an artist in this project as Deion and myself. The way they helped us think through the themes and make visual sense of the images and how they worked together cannot be overlooked. Their creation of the webpage which now exists as a further reference to the residency and the larger body of work as a whole, all has to be attributed to the amazing work Christina has been doing and continues to do. Not to mention their involvement in the creation of the project’s title. It’s a real skill to be able to put so much depth and nuance into a simple set of words but this is certainly one of those occasions.”

Artspace Gallery Manager, Joshua Vettivelu (external link, opens in new window) shares that Squires-Rouse and Abala investigated their own practices through photographing each other and themselves, while working with Oyawale to fully explore conversations around the act of transformative justice in the arts. “They created spaces for themselves rather than waited to be accepted into institutional space”, they say. “This exhibition shows the importance of spaces for Black students to freely make work beyond the themes of the diaspora while centering peer-to-peer collaboration that garnered discussions around access in the arts”.

Five different self-portraits of Squires-Rouse. On the top left, he is seen with different large hoop earrings on his ears and face in black and white. To the right, Squires-Rouse sits on the floor wearing a white tank top with a white hat, his ear is painted red. Bottom right is a close-up image of his ear painted red with a hoop earring. The bottom middle shot shows him facing away from the camera, shirtless, with a charm necklace on and a white hat. The final portrait on the bottom left shows him in the mirror, holding his camera up on the right, under amber light.

Collection of self-portraits by Deion Squires-Rouse for the exhibition

Inspired by American singer and songwriter Frank Ocean’s visual album Endless and famed American photographer Irving Penn’s portraits, Ajeuro and Deion began using the structure as a backdrop to photograph themselves and later mount their images on it.

The residency and exhibition was envisioned and supported through the success of Artspace’s 2020 BIPOC Artist Fund Fundraiser. The fundraising initiative ensures structurally excluded artists have financial support and compensation when exhibiting at Artspace Gallery.

View the in-gallery exhibition (external link, opens in new window) from November 4 to December 4, 2021.

The Creative School at Ryerson University

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