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About Exhibitions

Exhibitions encourage public engagement, bridging cultures and building strong communities through the arts.

Alessandra Abballe: All but absent from history
March 9 – June 21, 2023
District Gallery, Lynn Valley Library
Online Artist Talk: Wednesday, April 26, 1-2pm

 

Artist Talk Zoom Link:

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86842595504?pwd=aTV4YVJwdW9Qa1B3a3ZmbDVrLzlZUT09

 

Artist Statement:

All but absent from history is a project that explores the structure of adventure narratives, how women who are often excluded from these stories claim space and agency, and the importance of representation in writing. As a point of departure, Abballe investigates writer Joseph Campbell’s text The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a comparative work in which the author discusses his theories on the archetypal hero and the characteristics of “the journey”. The cyclical structure that Campbell outlines in his book is imbued with notions of patriarchy and leaves little room for interpretation. At its core, this project is attempting to intervene in and renegotiate the terms of “the hero’s journey” as outlined by Campbell through the exploration of marginalised and omitted female narratives, both fictional and biographical. Turning their attention to the writing and narratives of women, the work included in this project attempts to visually map out Abballe’s research through the compilation of various texts and imagery in their studio, referencing their engagement with these histories while also encouraging further investigation.

Biography:

Alessandra Abballe (they/she) is a lens-based artist residing on the unceded traditional territories of the qiqéyt (Qayqayt) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations. They hold a Bachelor of
Fine Arts in Photography Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University and is currently a Fine Arts Instructional Associate in Photography and Digital Media at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Their practice is rooted in their desire to use art as a means of continued learning, inquisition, and disruption, often investigating notions of hegemony through the process of research and making. Informed by photography, their practice includes video, archival and vernacular imagery, needlework, and text.