Out of Many
Jorian Charlton
Curated by Emilie Croning
Wedge Curatorial Projects in collaboration with Gallery TPW is pleased to present Out of Many. The exhibition pairs vintage 35mm slides from Jorian Charlton's family archive from the 1970s and 80s in Jamaica, Toronto, and New York with her own photographic practice that explores new visual references around Black aesthetics and Jamaican-Canadian identity. Out of Many foregrounds the intersections between public and private histories, asking: how do private materials such as family archives interact and transform a public space? Both the exhibition and archive explore the fluidity of the immigration story, new ways of thinking about Caribbean-Canadian culture, and rediscover the family album through a contemporary lens.
While the slides––taken by and given to Charlton by her father––present familiar representations of home, freedom, and agency, in her own work Charlton visualizes new ways of storytelling. Together, these images create a tangible archive of what was, what is, and what will become––one, out of many.
Untitled (Angaer)
March - June, 2021
Exhibited on the billboard at Artscape Youngplace in partnership with Critical Distance Centre for Curators, Untitled (Angaer) is presented as part of Jorian Charlton's exhibition Out of Many.
The individuals in Jorian Charlton's photographs become stand-ins for everyday Black folks, whose beauty and culture often lack recognition and representation as they are. Taking cues from fashion photography, Charlton's way of working emphasizes her sitter's role in being photographed. Here, Charlton carefully captures the movement in her muse's hair, distilling a sense of freedom and agency. She is unbound by the static nature of the frame.
--Emilie Croning, curator
All events are free admission. Out of Many is presented by Wedge Curatorial Projects, in collaboration with Gallery TPW, and with the generous support of TD Ready Commitment.
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Jorian Charlton, Untitled (Georgia), 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
Programming
Exhibition Launch
Saturday, February 6
In lieu of an in-gallery launch curtailed by the current COVID-19 restrictions, we are excited to launch out-of-many.ca, a virtual exploration of Jorian Charlton’s work included in the exhibition along with writing by curator Emilie Croning. Starting February 6th, please visit out-of-many.ca to explore the exhibition.
Antwaun Sargent and Yaniya Lee: In Conversation
Tuesday, February 9, 5–7pm
Online Zoom webinar
In this conversation, curator and art critic Antwaun Sargent and writer and editor Yaniya Lee, discuss Black aesthetics, public and private histories, and the transformative power of the family album.
Click here to view a recording of the event.
Vintage Black Canada Instagram Takeover
February 15–21
Online
Instagram @wedgetoronto and @vintageblackcanada
Throughout the week, Aaron Francis of Vintage Black Canada curates Jorian Charlton’s family archive via Instagram posts, stories, and live stories and reflects on creating spaces for archived family histories. Special appearances on live stories will be made by Jorian Charlton, Emilie Croning, and additional local artists.
Youth Reading Group: VIBE Arts
Wednesday, March 17, 1–3pm
Artist Jorian Charlton, curator Emilie Croning, and curatorial assistant Syndé Barnes-Wright lead a youth reading group from VIBE Arts through themes in the exhibition anchored in bell hooks’ “In Our Glory: Photography and Black Life”.
Jorian Charlton is a portrait photographer based in Toronto. Her work focuses on Jamaican- Canadian culture through her personal experiences, highlighting beauty and style when it comes to contemporary modes of Black representation. She explores reflections of identity and diasporic relationships to homeland, while her poetic approach to these themes characterizes her method of visual storytelling.
Emilie Croning is a Toronto-based emerging curator, artist, and scholar. Her work explores notions around identity and representation through visual language, working at the intersections of feminist theories, post-colonialism, and art history. She received her BFA in Art History & Studio Art from Concordia University (Montreal) and an MA in Art History with a Curatorial Studies in Visual Culture Diploma from York University (Toronto).
Sydné Barnes-Wright is a curious conscious whose creativity is formed through the exploration of storytelling with the fusion of garment making, photography and material culture.She is a graduate of George Brown College with a Diploma in Fashion Design and Techniques and is currently attending OCADU for Material Arts + Design.
Wedge Curatorial Projects is a non-profit organization with a focus on Black identity in contemporary art. Wedge organizes exhibitions and lectures that explore diasporic narratives, identity and issues of representation. For further information contact Wedge Director, Kenneth Montague, kenneth @ wedgecuratorialprojects.org or MariaKanellopoulos, maria @ wedgecuratorialprojects.org. Visit Wedge's website for more details. #joriancharltonoutofmany