MATERIAL FUTURES

SPAO is pleased to present Material Futures, an exhibition featuring the photo-based work of Tony Gebrehiwot, Aaron Jones, Linh VH Nguyen and Sage Szabarnicki Stuart.

Through the subject of portraiture, these four artists use the human form as a site for investigating body-politics, challenging perceptions of beauty, and exploring the potential for future world-building. Using visual elements relating to technology, prosthetics, fashion and assemblage, the works in Material Futures explore contemporary thought surrounding identity, empowerment, and agency in an increasingly mediated future.

Featuring the work of
Tony Gebrehiwot
Aaron Jones
Linh VH Nguyen
Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart

Curated by:
Katie Lydiatt

Exhibition On View:
Saturday, November 9 - Saturday, December 15, 2023
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday, 12PM - 5PM

Reception:
Friday, November 22, 5PM - 9PM
The SPAO Centre, 77 Pamilla St. 

Tony Gebrehiwot

Tony Gebrehiwot is an award winning artist and community leader whose creative lens re-visions photography as an ongoing dialogue of social change between subject and society. Gebrehiwot seeks to communicate without language in an intimate and vulnerable way: through his art, he portrays the vocabulary of race, masculinity, history, perception, and vulnerability. Combining contrasting landscapes, Black bodies, and raw human emotion, Gebrehiwot explores the affective power of Black bodies in confronting the viewer’s humanity and empathy.

Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones creates objects and images to explore the inherent possibilities in world-building and abstraction. Employing found images, video and lens-based media, he works with different forms of collage to build characters and spaces that reflect upon the nuances of his own upbringing and current life, as a way of finding peace.

Linh VH Nguyen

Linh VH Nguyen is a multidisciplinary queer artist exploring interconnectedness and multiplicity. Using a variety of techniques including historical photographic processes and digital manipulation, they mesh different elements together, creating composites and collages. Nguyen aims to explore different ways of accessing and reconstructing memories, whether through the body, personal family archives, or public archives. Linh draws inspiration from their Vietnamese heritage, movement and dance practices, critical theory as well as other artists such as Mieke Bal, Sara Cwynar, Michiko Kon, Lana & Lilly Wachowski

Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart

Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart began experimenting with photography and self portraiture when she was 22 years old living in Montreal. Sage’s work makes reference to the contemporary advertising imagery found in bus stations and billboards, drawing inspiration from its vibrant colors and compositions. Her academic background in film and animation fueled a particular fascination with posters for film and TV.