It’s the day after the opening, a quiet Monday morning, and from a perch across the street I watch people passing Vagabond Vitrine. Many pause at the presence of a small nest tucked into the sculpture’s outer corner, but the vitrine is surprisingly innocuous, already at home in the mashup of storefronts. For those who pause longer and peer through the fractured panes of glass, the sculpture’s other contents are soon revealed. In the aftermath of the protests that took over the streets just a few blocks away – leaving windows shattered and police cars burning – Vagabond Vitrine seems a little like something abandoned in the midst of the chaos, despite the fact that this neighbourhood seems relatively untouched. Something is clearly disjointed, but for the moment, anything out of the ordinary is still standard fare.
The artist would like to thank: Rochelle Rubinstein, Georgia Guenther, Mark Peck, Brian Davis, Jennifer Sciarrino, Maggie Flynn, Mark Visperas, Andrew Kilpatrick, Nathanael Gray, David Cathro, Crystal Mowry, Jamie Crane, Paul Fulton, Jim Ruxton, Javier Espinal.
Panya Clark Espinal was awarded the Governor Generalʼs Medal upon graduating from the Ontario College of Art in 1988. Her practice as a multi-media installation artist has scrutinized and engaged the mechanisms that drive the making of meaning in our culture. She has shown across Canada and in several international cities including Tokyo and London. Key solo exhibitions include Oakville Galleries (2001); the Canadian Embassy, Tokyo (1999); the National Gallery of Canada (1995); Art Gallery of Ontario (1994); and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (1994). More recently Clark Espinal co-led a collaborative project for the Harbourfront Centre entitled The Terrarium Project. In addition, she has completed a number of public art commissions including Torontoʼs Bayview Subway Station and is currently working on projects for the City of Mississauga, the Toronto Transit Commission and North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Clark Espinal is represented by Christopher Cutts Gallery in Toronto.
Shannon Anderson is an independent writer, curator and freelance editor based in Oakville, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in publications produced by the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Oakville Galleries, Musee dʼart de Joliette, the Thames Art Gallery, YYZ Artistsʼ Outlet, and various art magazines, including Azure, Art Papers, and Canadian Art.
Design and editing: Tony Hewer | Photography: Isaac Applebaum
Digital publication to the exhibition Panya Clark Espinal: Vagabond Vitrine
Presented by the Koffler Gallery Off-Site at Mon Ton Window Gallery, 402 College Street | June 27 to August 5, 2010
Curator: Mona Filip
© Koffler Centre of the Arts, 2010, in collaboration with the individual contributors. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-920863-90-9.