KIM PRUESSE | ART + ACTIVISM
SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2006 – SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2006

OPENING RECEPTION | FRIDAY 13 JANUARY 2006, 8:00PM – 11:00PM
Photo credit: Peter MacCallum

Articipation Collective (Toronto), Action Terroriste Socialement Acceptable (Montral), Dick Averns (Calgary), Gaye Chan (Honolulu) and Nandita Sharma (Toronto), Carole Cond and Karl Beveridge (Toronto), Crossing Communities Art Project (Winnipeg), Jonathan Culp (Toronto), Daniel Jolliffe (Vancouver), Guntar Kravis (Toronto), Craig Leonard (Kingston), Henry Martinuk (Toronto), John Marriott (Toronto), Afshin Matlabi (Montral), Ingrid Mayrhofer (Hamilton) and Nery Espinoza Quevedo (Toronto), Hri Neil (Toronto), Nancy Nicol (Toronto), Sbastien Pesot (Montral), Oliver Ressler (Vienna) and Dario Azzellini (Germany), Scott Sawtell (Newmarket), Eva Quintas (Montral), b.h. Yael (Toronto) Organized by Kym Pruesse

Art+Activism looks at the role and nature of contemporary artistic practices as activist practices. Through example and sample, the exhibition, organized by Toronto writer, curator and activist, Kym Pruesse, provides a specific framework for artists to define their relationship to activism via individual and collective cultural production. With the participation of over twenty artists, groups and collectives, Art + Activism demonstrates the diverse and provocative ways that Art as Activism and Activism as Art finds its way into the everyday life of the street, the media, our institutions, politics, galleries, and the market. The interventions and practices represented by the artists in the exhibition exemplify the fact that culture is a process, not a product; that art reflects and defines the social, economic, political and cultural conditions of its making.

FEATURE SCREENINGS
The following films will be screened in the Z Gallery on Saturdays at 2:00 PM. Between screenings the films will be available for viewing in the YYZLOUNGE.
21 January 2006
Venezuela From Below (2004, 67 min.) North American Premiere
Oliver Ressler (Vienna) with Dario Azzellini

28 January 2006
Women and Girls in the Sex Trade (2005, 23 min.)
Crossing Communities Art Project, Edith Regier, Creative Director and founder (Winnipeg)
Video production mentors: Shawna Dempsey, Lorri Millan, and Erika MacPherson with videos by Alexus, Charlene, i-lay-a, J.D, Roseanne, Sandra and Tonya

4 February 2006
Palestine Trilogy: Documentations in history, land & hope 1. Deir Yassin Remembered (28 min.), 2. Even in the Desert (33 min.), 3. a hot sandfilled wind (13 min.) (2004-2005, 74 min. total)
b.h. Yael (Toronto)
The Palestine Trilogy will receive its premiere screening at Royal Cinema, 608 College Street, 11 January 2006 at 7:00 PM

11 February 2006
Stand Together (2002, 124 min.)
Nancy Nicol (Toronto)

18 February 2006
Propaganda “free” Day
Various projection equipment will be available for first come first serve screenings of activist works and/or performances of under 8 minutes in length. Web-based works will be accommodated if possible.

25 February 2006
Rev. Billy vs. Zimmerman’s Freshmart (2004-2005, 81 min.)
Henry Martinuk (Toronto)

HACKTIVISM: ART + TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS
A series of presentations and workshops on activist practice and technology presented in collaboration with Inter/Access. All workshops will be held at YYZ at 7:00 PM unless otherwise noted

18 January 2006
Open Source and democracy
Find out how open source technologies provide new tools for artists.

1 February 2006
Cell Phone Hack
Workshop leader: Gabe Sawhney
Turn your cellphone into a megaphone and hit the streets! Join Gabe Sawhney from the [murmur] collective for a discussion and presentation on cell phones and activism. Bring your own phone to participate.

15 February 2006
Toy Hack
Workshop leader: Rob Cruickshank
Dissect common mechanical toys for new electronic creations. Rob Cruickshank will discuss and demonstrate how to expose the guts of mechanical and electronic toys to make new creations. If you want to make your own, feel free to bring a toy- dollar store toys, like kids cell phones, are recommended. Or, for $5.00 you will receive all the materials that you will need to take (a)part. Participation is limited and registration is required. IMPORTANT: contact InterAccess at 416.599.7206 to reserve your participation. Register by telephone only.

1 March 2006
Video Game Hack*
Liberate your video games for new purposes.

All presentations will be held at YYZ except for *Video Game Hack, will be held at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts, 9 Ossington Avenue.

PROPAGANDA FREE ZONE*
A wall in the YYZLOUNGE will be dedicated to showing small works, publications and projects produced by artists and activists to get the word out about the diversity of social and cultural activist issues and practices. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come basis. Given the limited size of the wall in relation to the great diversity of progressive practices out there, the size of posters, photographs, pamphlets, buttons, pins, placards and so on must be no larger than 3,700cm2.

As a “free space” no exhibition fees will be paid for contributions to the PROPAGANDA FREE ZONE or for screenings during the PROPAGANDA “FREE” DAY, but all participants will be acknowledged. Participants are responsible for all transportation arrangements and expenses related to the presentation of their work in the PROPAGANDA FREE ZONE or PROPAGANDA “FREE” DAY. Please note that in accordance with YYZ’s Equity Policy, YYZ prohibits discrimination or harassment and protects the right to be free from hate activity based on age, ancestry, citizenship, creed (religion), colour, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity, level of literacy, marital status, place of origin, membership in a union or staff association, political affiliation, race, receipt of public assistance, record of offences, sex, sexual orientation or any other personal characteristic by or within the organization. Works that contradict this policy may be removed from public presentation at YYZ’s discretion.

YYZ gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canadian Auto Workers Union in the presentation of this exhibition.

Featured in YYZINE: VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1