Episode 14: Tender Touch

In episode 14, Mel Granley curator of Tender Touch spends time with participating artists Gerry Kramer, Simran Dhaliwal, Kaman Lu, and Grae Salisbury talking about their histories, practices, and considerations around tattooing in Victoria. The exhibition Tender Touch, at the Gallery November 2023 to May 2024, explores the city’s growing tattoo community and the art practice as a source of bodily autonomy and trust.

In this podcast, the curators of the recent exhibition Symbiosis, Jaimie Isaac and Mel Granley, speak with a sample selection of participating artists from the show and explore resonant themes between works, and ideas around fungi and forest ecologies. The exhibition Symbiosis examined all things mycelial and boreal, with emphasis on climate action, Indigenous perspectives and knowledge, pop-culture, and multispecies futurities. The curators delve into conversation with artists Diane Borsato, Rande Cook and Sarah Jim, speaking about their works in the exhibition as well as their artistic practices at large.  Relationality is a central tenant within Symbiosis, as the exhibition contemplates the relationship between mycelium, tree systems, and how all things prosper when our forests are in good health. Through this podcast the curators aim to expand upon the relationships forged between themselves and the artists, in keeping with the idea of good relations.  Feature Image: Stars and Spores, Sarah Jim, painting on panel. Installation image from Symbiosis, courtesy of the AGGV.

In this episode Marianne Nicolson, Gerry Ambers and Seneca Ambers share a glimpse into the layers of conversations that unfolded throughout the exhibition, Woven In: Indigenous Women's Activism and Media. This conversation, recorded in May 2023 near the closing of the show, reflects broadly on the intergenerational grassroots leadership and anticolonial organizing led by Indigenous women at the heart of Woven In. (Listen to Episode 10 to hear the conversation that was recorded during the opening celebration for the exhibition.)

In this episode we are joined by Tyrone Elliott, guest artist for the AGGV’s 2022 School Workshops series ― a partnership with the University of Victoria’s Indigenous Education Program. The 2022 workshops were inspired by our brand new Teacher Resource Guide, entitled Honouring, featuring artwork by three inspiring contemporary Indigenous artista, with cedar weaving activities facilitated by guest artist Tyrone Elliott.

In this episode we will hear from Gerry Ambers, Marianne Nicolson and Siku Allooloo, the co-curators of the AGGV's exhibition, Woven In: Indigenous Women's Activism and Media. Joining the co-curators is Tania Willard, one of the contributing artists, Carmen Guerrero, a key activist connected to the show, and Toby Lawrence, one of the curators from Open Space Artist Run Centre, who supported the sister exhibition called Tide Lines: Coastal Resistance of the 60s and 70s. This conversation, recorded during the opening ceremony and celebration for the exhibition, offers a window into the grassroots activism and Indigenous resurgence at the heart of the project.

In this episode we are joined by local film and dance artist Kemi Craig — guest curator for AGGV's Blueprints for the Afrofuture programming series. In this episode Kemi Craig reflects on her collaborations with interdisciplinary Black artists and collectives from across BC (including Charles Campbell, Justine A. Chambers, Joshua Ngenda, Angie Riley, Ruby Smith Díaz, DJ Nova Jade, DJ Ayaverse, DJ Njoki Njoki, and the Hidden Variable Sound Collective), which resulted in art/offerings building on the work of artist Denyse Thomasos, whose paintings speak to the experience of the African diaspora (previously on view at the AGGV from December 2021 – March 2022). 

In this episode we are joined by several staff and collaborators from Tangled Arts + Disability to reflect on a "mini digital accessibility audit" that their team oversaw, looking closely at some of the AGGV’s virtual spaces. Listen as Marina DiMaio, Digital Assets Coordinator at the AGGV and your host for this episode, sits down with Kayla Besse, Public Education Coordinator at Tangled, Sean Lee, Director of Programming at Tangled, Francis Tomkins, Communications Coordinator at Tangled, and Connor-Yuzwenko Martin, an external consultant at Tangled, to reflect on the digital accessibility work that has happened at the AGGV so far. Our hope is that this podcast episode will offer additional insights, ideas and resources for other arts organizations, on similar digital accessibility journeys.

In this episode we are joined by Michelle Jacques and Chase Joynt, co-creators of the Feminist Art Field School — an online course geared towards students, artists, curators and community members interested in gender, feminism and the porous boundaries between art, activism and academic practice (led in collaboration with the Department of Gender Studies at UVic throughout the fall semester of 2021). Check out AGGV's YouTube channel to re-watch all 10 of the public facing lectures from the Feminist Art Field School!

In this episode we are joined by Canadian composer Anna Höstman to discuss the intersections between curating and composing that arose during her time collaborating with Dr. Heng Wu, Curator of Asian Art at the AGGV, on the 2022 Reverberations exhibition — an intergenerational, cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural project where local artists, makers and creators were invited to reflect on works from the Gallery's permanent collection.

In this episode we are joined by some of the early career artists who were invited to respond to objects from the Gallery’s extensive museum collection in the Reverberations exhibition. Listen as Mel Granley, guest curator at the AGGV and your host for this episode, chats with Emily Geen, Estraven Lupino-Smith and James Summer about bringing different voices and interpretations from a range of perspectives, disciplines and generations into our exhibition spaces.