HEAD ROOM

SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 - OCTOBER 26, 2008
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ART (MOCCA), TORONTO

head room, featuring works by Alexis Duclos, Seydou Keïta, Chris Ofili, J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, Annabel Reyes and Ian Watson, the exhibition combines photography, painting and everyday objects in unexpected ways so as to examine the cultural significance of hair. Here, natural and acrylic, ordinary and fantastic, styled and unkempt heads of hair provide a playful yet critical means for cultural reckoning. The works are housed in a pristine, white room - save for its smashed wall, which stands in the midst of the exhibition Dyed Roots: the new emergence of culture. Ultimately, ideas and experiences are exchanged between spaces and among works.

In Dyed Roots: the new emergence of culture, the intermingling of cultures is considered as a natural consequence of immigration and travel. The show's title refers to intrinsic qualities that persist in spite of external influence and efforts made to conceal them. Dyed Roots: the new emergence of culture explores the ways in which a sense of identity can be cultivated and influenced. Artists featured in the exhibition include: Rina Banerjee, Victor Bergen Henegouwen, Emelie Chhangur, Brendan Fernandes and Reeta Saeed. Reconsidering colonial conquests and the construction of cultural products, these artists call into question notions of integrity and authenticity. What is gained and what is lost in the translation of objects, practices and peoples from one context to another?

In keeping with the theme(s) of the exhibition Dyed Roots: the new emergence of culture, the curator, Camilla Singh, will be displaced from her regular office environment and will carry out her daily responsibilities from within an enclosure in the gallery. Her working space will be shared with plants, flowers and birds for the duration of the exhibition.

MOCCA programs and activities were supported by Toronto Culture, the Ontario Arts Council, BMO Financial Group, individual memberships and private donations.

head room was curated by Kenneth Montague.