Curated by Katie Laweson.
In the book, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Rebecca Solnit offers meditations on the seemingly unending process of (dis)orienting ourselves, whether it be to a moment; to the world; to our selves. She writes of a generative potential — to be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to be capable of being in uncertainty, with the opportunity for a transformative experience. This state may be a conscious choice; a chosen surrender; or a psychic state achievable through geography. Could it be that there is something inherent in a geographic mark or specific locality which facilitates a particular kind of experience? What does it mean to reflect upon a period of uncertainty once you have returned home, so to speak?
In thinking through the process of locating oneself through the lens of corporeal feminism and embodied subjectivity, RÝMD in Reykjavík and Y+ contemporary in Scarborough will co-present newly commissioned work by Canadian artist Maddie Alexander. During a recent visit to Iceland, Alexander spent their time embedded in an unfamiliar landscape, walking, writing and attempting to come to terms with prevailing feelings of isolation and disorientation. The resulting video work will be screened at the offsite video space of RÝMD in conjunction with an extended body of work produced at Y+ as a part of the gallery’s new residency/exhibition model. It is accompanied by a publication collaboratively produced by the artist and curator.