Image: Wendy Coburn, Fable for Tomorrow, (bisque-fired clay), 2008. Courtesy of the Estate of Wendy Coburn and Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto.
Fable for Tomorrow: A Survey of Works by Wendy Coburn
On February 16, Fable for Tomorrow opens to the public at Onsite Gallery. The exhibition is the first survey of works by former OCAD U faculty member Wendy Coburn and is part of CONTACT Photography Festival, the country’s largest event dedicated to lens-based practices. In lieu of an opening reception there will be a closing celebration at the gallery on May 12, 2022 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Co-curated by Dr. Caroline Seck Langill, Vice-President, Academic and Provost and Faculty of Art Professor Dr. Andrea Fatona, the show presents four decades of Coburn’s creative output.
Her multi-disciplinary work in photography, sculpture and video will be on view until May 14, 2022 alongside video programming selected by Faculty of Art Professor b.h. Yael and Toronto-based artist Rebecca Garrett.
The name of the exhibition is borrowed from the title of one of Coburn’s haunting sculptural works and originates from a chapter in environmentalist Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring. Carson’s text served as a warning to humans of the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment.
Much like Carson, Coburn’s works unpack dynamics of control, especially in relation to human-animal engagement. She also explored themes of gender, queerness, environmentalism and public protest throughout her career as both an artist and educator.
“Wendy Coburn was an acute observer of her surroundings and adeptly used both form and imagery...to nudge us to question what we see and how we perform our humanness in the spaces and stories we have constructed,” the curators note in the exhibition catalogue.
Coburn taught at OCAD U for 18 years. During that time, she founded the Art and Social Change minor and the ground-breaking course, Making Gender: LBGTQ Studio.
“[She] was an erudite thinker and artist who was fiercely committed to taking up the big issues plaguing humanity through small gestures,” Dr. Langill and Dr. Fatona reflect in the exhibition essay.
“Coburn’s contributions to the arts and art pedagogy are undeniably important for future generations of artists,” they continue.
The exhibition is complimented with numerous public events, the first of which is Holding Coburn: Exhibition Activation with Jess Dobkin, beginning on February 19 and running on alternate Saturdays until the end of the exhibition.
More information about the exhibition can be found on Onsite Gallery’s website.
Free public events
Holding Coburn: Exhibition Activation with Jess Dobkin
Alternate Saturdays, 2 to 4 p.m., beginning February 19 | In person
Inspired by Wendy Coburn’s life and practice, Jess Dobkin will create a participatory performance exploring what art works are for, how we engage with and take care of them, and what goes into creating them.
OCAD U BIPOC Faculty: Digital minutes
Friday, March 18, 1 p.m. | Online
This online event will feature OCAD U BIPOC faculty members delivering pre-recorded, fast-paced presentations about their work and research, followed by a live question and answer period.
Panel Discussion on Wendy Coburn’s Commitments as an Artist: Ian Carr-Harris, Barbara Fischer and Liz Magor, moderated by Caroline Seck Langill
Wednesday, March 23, 1 p.m. | Online
Guest panellists will discuss Wendy Coburn’s facility as a maker and her uncanny ability to imbue her works with the principles by which she lived.
Video Curators’ Chat with Rebecca Garrett and b.h. Yael
Friday, April 1, 3 p.m. | In person
Join Rebecca Garrett and b.h. Yael for a conversation discussing the intricacies of Wendy Coburn’s video works.
Content Feelings with jes sachse and Rea Sweets
Date to be confirmed | In person
Inspired by Wendy Coburn's video practice and concern with authorship and its manipulations, join artists jes sachse and Rea Sweets for a time and space of slow content, silent protest, and social media.
Curators’ tour with Andrea Fatona and Caroline Seck Langill
Thursday, April 13, 6 p.m. | In person
Join Andrea Fatona and Caroline Seck Langill for an exhibition tour in which they share their perspectives on Wendy Coburn’s multi- disciplinary practice and themes in the exhibition.
Dyke Night
Friday, May 6, 6 to 8 p.m., Onsite Gallery | In person
Friday, May 6, 8 p.m. till late, Sweaty Betty’s (13 Ossington Ave.) | In person
Discover Wendy Coburn’s exhibition through a queer lens with a tour open to the 2SLGBTQ+ community at Onsite Gallery followed by a community gathering, with DJ Sasha Van Bon Bon and special guests, at Sweaty Betty’s.
Closing Reception
Thursday, May 12, 6 to 9 p.m. | In person
Join us for the public closing of the exhibition, with a land acknowledgment and remarks from the co-curators.
*All events are free and at Onsite Gallery, 199 Richmond St. West (unless otherwise noted).