Embodied Traces: In Conversation with Alyssa Alikpala and Maria Simmons

Artists Alyssa Alikpala and Maria Simmons will be in conversation with guest curators, Gizem Candan and Steffi Ng Sin Tung (GAS Collective). Together, they will discuss their work through the lenses of metabolism, rituals and material memories, sharing ways to experience these ephemeral traces within a gallery setting. The discussion will be followed by sharing Simmons’ edible fermentations with bog-centred flavours and a tactile table featuring Alikpala's material samples.

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About the Guest Curators

GAS is a curatorial collective that explores the notion of balance and tension in ecology, exhibition-making and collaboration. The members came together during their MFA studies in the Criticism and Curatorial Practice program at OCAD University, sharing the identity as first-generation Asian immigrants and women of colour working in the art scene. www.instagram.com/thegascollective

Gizem Candan is a curator and visual artist based in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke, with a focus on interdisciplinary practices and living materials. She graduated from OCAD University, where her thesis explored tangible and metaphysical aspects of composting and life inside compost piles. Candan has curated exhibitions at Ignite Gallery and Xpace Cultural Centre. @gizemcandanart

Steffi Ng Sin Tung curates, writes, and takes photos to explore the complexities of the Asian immigration experience. Her curatorial work centers on creating joyful, participatory spaces for cross-cultural exchanges, and they have been featured at the Graduate Gallery, Unit 270, and Xpace Cultural Centre. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she is now based in Toronto/Tkaronto. @steffitung

About the Artists

Alyssa Alikpala is an interdisciplinary artist and designer working across sound, sculpture, installation, and ephemeral forms. Reflecting on cycles and traces left in the built and natural environment, her practice explores the ongoing process of becoming. Through material fragments she addresses the site in flux and how an absence can implicate the body.

Alyssa is currently based in Toronto, Canada and has recently exhibited at Centre Clark (Montreal), Top Top Projects, Joys, Susan Hobbs, Myta Sayo Gallery, Project 107, and Gallery TPW (all Toronto) and participated internationally in residence at La Napoule Art Foundation (France) and Lokal Lab (Philippines). Her work has been included in Images Festival, Contact Festival, and publications such as New Currency and Studio Magazine.

Maria Simmons is a Canadian sculpture and installation artist embracing contamination as an act of collaboration. She collects garbage, buries butter, ferments plants, and nurtures fruit flies. She makes art that eats itself. Simmons holds an MFA from the University of Waterloo and a BFA from McMaster University and is currently undertaking a PhD at Concordia University. Recent exhibitions include the Visual Art Centre of Clarington (Canada), Lydgalleriet (Norway), Tromsø Center for Contemporary Art (Norway), Fiminco Foundation (France), and the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia. She has completed residencies across Canada and Europe including Fogo Island Arts, Est-Nord-Est, Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts, and Mustarinda. Her work has been featured in Le Sabord, CBC Arts, Esse, Peripheral Review, and Public Parking.

Onsite Gallery is generously supported by The Delaney Family.