Past Exhibitions

Empty Orchestra

October 16 - November 13, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday October 16th, 5:00 - 9:00 pm

Curated by: Maiko Tanaka & Heather Keung
With works by Candice Breitz, Wong Gongxin, Christian Jankowski, Karen Tam, Iichiro Tanaka.

Wang Gongxin: Kara Oke (video still), 2000. Courtesy of the artist

Empty Orchestra explores karaoke (the word from which the exhibition title is translated) and its relationship to contemporary art and cultural diasporas. Karaoke originated in the ‘70s in Japan, and quickly entered many other cultural contexts. The exhibition presents works by Canadian and international artists who embrace, challenge, and query notions of karaoke as a medium of individual expression and collective identity.

Examining the phenomenon of karaoke as a commodified interface between technology and culture, the artists in the exhibition address its effects on social activity, diasporic communities, and popular culture in a global context. Empty Orchestra asks, among other questions, whether karaoke asserts a prescribed form of cultural expression, or, in its performative imperfections, allows possibilities for resistance.

Events:

Closing Reception: Thursday November 13th, 7:00 - 11:00 pm

Karaoke After-Party: Thursday November 13th, 9:00 pm.
Location: Arbor Room, Hart House. Featuring the work of Weekend Leisure, Vancouver-based karaoke video collective.

Artist Talk with Karen Tam: Monday October 20th, 7:00 pm.
Location: Hart House, Room # TBA, University of Toronto

Empty Orchestra LIVE: a special program in conjunction with the exhibition
Friday November 14th, 8:30 pm at the The Rivoli, 334 Queen St West

A screening of commissioned karaoke videos by Stephanie Comilang, Ann Marie Fleming, Alison Kobayashi, Karilynn Ming Ho, and Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, made in collaboration with local Karaoke superstars.
See www.reelasian.com for details

Empty Orchestra is presented in collaboration with the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and Gendai Gallery. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

 

 

 

REVIEWS

Leah Sandals & Maiko Tanaka: "Singing Together in Harmony". The National Post, October 23, 2008

 

Peter Goddard: "Humiliating Music Makes Amusing Art". The Toronto Star, October 18, 2008