“I think these are the reasons this form of making is so interesting to me. It’s a connection to a rich canon of cultural production and a conversation with history. […] I’m never exactly sure where the work will take me, at least conceptually. I am more concerned with the process(es) and ultimately the rhythm of the work.”
Canadian Art
“The Archive on Ice is a solar-powered digital micro-archive. A miniature database of Ice Follies’ history. The website archiveonice.ca was coded on a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, which is then hosted by a remote server, and powered by PV solar panels. Our digital networks, data centres and technological devices contribute a massive 4% of greenhouse gas emissions. Using solar-power to build a digital archive celebrates a reciprocal relationship with the land, the sun, the lake, and the digital technology. The Archive on Ice is only available to the user as long as the sun shines.” -Imogen Clendinning and Ice Follies
“The Two-Spirit Archive is a significant resource for Two-Spirit, trans, and queer Indigenous peoples—it not only provides insight into the lives of those who have, and continue to, fight for rights, but it also shows us that we’ve always been here, and we always will be.”
“Rather than a singular, verifiable truth, we understand the production of knowledge as occurring through a series of encounters. For this issue, we extended an open invitation to seven contributors to respond to the themes of art, archives and the environment.”
“This issue marks a transition in BlackFlash’s 40-year publishing history. Our fall 2023 issue is the last commissioned by our former managing editor Maxine Proctor in collaboration with our editorial committee. It is also (as transitions go) the first produced in collaboration with our new managing editor, Jasmin Fookes.”
“In these paintings, negative space is full of interpretive potential. Visual vacancies produce meaning and confirm that there is great substance in nothingness.”
“Both John and myself had been orbiting around questions of Whiteness and White identity through our own independent research, and we came together to produce an exhibition that looks directly at the topic of White racial identity. […] The following conversation is one of the only occasions where we’ve been able to debrief about our experiences, reflecting on our own curatorial collaboration and the public reaction to the exhibition.”
“Glawson’s disregard is serious, intentional, lightly handled, and astutely queer.”
Originally written in response to Angeline Simon’s exhibition at the Helen Christou Gallery. A longer version can be found on the University of Lethbridge website.
BlackFlash Expanded is developing a series that looks to the role collectives have played in shaping the artistic ethos—both past, present, and future—of the prairies.
BlackFlash Expanded is seeking submissions from early career artists and writers across the Canadian Prairies to write critically in response to contemporary art exhibitions and programming.