Faculty of Art

Criticism and Curatorial Practice

Jamie Park

Until the Words Reach the Land

til the words reach the land is a group exhibition dealing with language and identity. Through language, artists explore their Asian diaspora, and what it means to live in this multicultural city we call Toronto. As the confusion and tension rise on the issue of anti-Asian racism and terms of inclusion, artists are reconnecting with their mother tongue now more than ever to reground their identity and truly understand their belonging, whether it be with their family, community, or land.

“ With more media coverage and louder Asian voices echoing the same issue on social media, anti-Asian racism is no longer an issue covered up by pretty origami papers. Anti-Asian racism has always been a prominent issue. It is one of the prime pieces of evidence of North America's failed multiculturalism policy. The terms of inclusion advocated for harmony, inclusion and equality. Instead, what came at the centre of multiculturalism was vain tokenism and perpetual othering of the Asian race. The exhibition looks at how the individual's identity develops with the language they express and how they gauge this world through the words that leave their body. Disconnect, isolation, reconnect, and longing are explored through the exhibition as artists reconnect with their mother tongue. Until the words reach the land is our utterance and affirmation that the land we occupy is our home as well, where we developed our complex identities and where we continue to explore ourselves. The words we voice, the thoughts we express will seed in to the land and root us on this land.”