the threads we carry, across borders: Par Nair (April 27 - June 16, 2024)

Par Nair. 'her stories were blue 7', 2023. Hand embroidery on pink mundu. 20" x 23". Photo by Em Moor.

April 27 - June 16, 2024
Reception: Saturday, April 27 from 2-4pm - RSVP here (not required, but appreciated!)
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

‘the threads we carry, across borders’ is a solo exhibition of hand-embroidered textiles by Indian-born, Toronto-based artist Par Nair that examines the lived experiences of diaspora and complexities of intergenerational knowledge. Through these works, Par addresses traditional knowledge, cultural histories and family archives, while shedding light on stories and voices of people historically silenced in colonized spaces.

In the series ‘Letters of Haunting’, Par has hand embroidered letters of love and longing to amma (“mother”) on silk sarees. Dyed in bold orange and green, and unfurled to their full, impressive length, the sarees fill the gallery and demand attention. Their melancholic messages are amplified and unmissable. The sarees themselves have been passed through generations, highlighting the significance of textiles in the context of migration.

In ‘her stories were blue’, Par has hand embroidered intergenerational portraits of women on mundu and thorthu (common textiles in Kerala). Smiling and crowded together in familial intimacy, the subjects exude warmth and a sense of belonging. By carefully hand embroidering stories of mothers and daughters, Par aims to create safe spaces of healing.

The exhibition highlights needlework as a canonically underrepresented art practice while asking, how can diasporic bodies find belonging and healing? ‘the thread we carry, across borders’ unravels the intricate tapestry of South Asian diaspora through the lens of Indian textiles.

Par Nair (she/her) is an Indian-born interdisciplinary artist, researcher and educator who lives and makes in the Toronto area. Her practice centres hand embroidery, oil painting, installation, and creative writing to explore lived experiences of diaspora using decolonial methods and a return to ancestral practices. Par has shown her works nationally and internationally with notable showings at Textile Museum of Canada, Nuit Blanche Toronto, Kochi Biennale (Kerala, India), Eastern Edge Gallery (St. John's, Newfoundland), Hamilton Artists Inc and Riverdale Gallery. Her recent work is an attempt to unravel and reimage historical narratives of Indian women. Par currently teaches drawing at OCAD University.

parnair.format.com

Par Nair. 'Letters of Haunting' series installed at Eastern Edge Gallery, 2024. Part of the solo exhibition 'the stories we don't tell'.

Par Nair. 'Letters of Haunting - Green (detail)', 2023. Hand embroidery on mother's saree. 45" x 210".

Par Nair. 'her stories were blue 4', 2023. Hand embroidery on kasavu mundu. 21" x 19". Photo by Em Moor. 

Par Nair. 'her stories were blue 1', 2023. Hand embroidery on kasavu mundu. 21" x 19". Photo by Em Moor.

Joon Hee Kim (August 17 - September 29, 2024)

August 17 - September 29, 2024
Reception: TBA
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Joon Hee Kim's work explores the significant perception of existing as a human being while examining and reconciling the diverse identities and heritage of the world, seeking out the compelling forces of beauty and desire. An award-winning ceramist who was an art director in her native South Korea, Kim came to Canada and took patisserie studies at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa. However, switching careers, and graduating from Sheridan College, led her to become intrigued with ceramics. As the Cecil Lewis Sculpture Scholarship recipient, She completed a Master's in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Arts in the UK. Her compelling ceramic works have been exhibited in the USA, Germany, UK, and have also been in a solo exhibition at the Clay and Glass Gallery. She examines her heritage through the lenses of multiple influences as she travels to both national and international artist residencies. Following the Banff Clay Revival Residency, she was one of six-selected artists for the Canadian Craft Biennial. Then she attended the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park Residence in Japan, the Ceramic Centre Residency in Berlin, and most recently and prevalently the Archie Bray Foundation Residency. She was a recipient of a large variety of many honourable awards and grants, including the Helen Copeland Memorial Award for 6-consecutive years from the Craft Ontario Council, a numerous amount of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council, the Best of Student Exhibition from the Toronto Outdoor Fair later flourished in winning the Best of Ceramics, and Best of Craft and Design the ensuing year, as well as being awarded the prestigious Winifred Shantz National Award for an exceptional emerging ceramic artist. Her latest achievement derives from her work being chosen through numerous selections for the Royal Botanical Garden’s International Sculpture Collection.

www.junniekim.com

Kae Sasaki (2025)

2025 - Dates TBA
Reception: TBA
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Kae Sasaki (she/her) is a visual artist and Japanese-born settler living and working on Treaty One Territory, known as Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Kae grew up in Fukui, an hour away from Kyoto, with a slight detour in El Paso, Texas in her formative years. She graduated from Rikkyo University in Tokyo where she studied German literature as well as education and library science. After moving to Winnipeg she worked full-time in accounting and half-time grading exams and essays on campus while putting herself through School of Art at University of Manitoba, graduating with first class honours in 2012. Kae has taught drawing as a sessional instructor at University of Manitoba faculty of architecture while establishing a full-time studio practice.

Kae is a recipient of Alice Hamilton Painting Prize, Cecil C. Richards Memorial Award for achievement in figurative sculpture, Lynn Sissons Memorial Scholarship, and a public art commission award from University of Manitoba Sculptural Experience competition. Her art practice has been generously supported by grants from Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts, and her work can be found in private, public, and corporate collections in Canada and U.S.A. She has been shortlisted for the Kingston Prize (2015/2017/2019), the Salt Spring National Art Prize (2017) and Jackson's Open Painting Prize (2018/2019) for her painting.

While her primary art medium remains representational painting, Kae started creating unconventional beadwork using reclaimed vintage Japanese beads that are harvested from damaged vintage beaded bags and using traditional Japanese beading technique since 2019. Her beadwork has received funding support from Manitoba Arts Council through Manitoba Arts Council Riding Mountain Artist Residency in 2019 and 2023, and Manitoba Craft Council through Victoria Beach Retreat in 2023.

kaesasaki.com