Jesse King
© Celestial Bodies, 2023. Photo credit: Jesse King.
Celestial Bodies Exhibition at daphne
July 6 to August 8, 2023
opening event July 6 at 5pm EST
Curatorial Residency - daphne x articule
June 27th to June 30th, 2023 - Curatorial residency at articule
daphne and articule are pleased to announce the selection of curator Jesse King for its first joint curatorial residency! The residency is aimed at supporting the project of a First Nations, Métis or Inuit curator and we will have the pleasure of seeing Jesse's work develop over the month of June 2023.
The exhibition Celestial Bodies will showcase indigenous identities that identify as Two-Spirit, indigiqueer, or reside within the LGBTQIA2S communities—giving a platform and space for the rarely recognized voices. The exhibition's goal will be to question the colonial presence of societal normalities regarding identity and deconstruct and abolish gender roles through the themes of desire, euphoria, despair, and dysphoria.
Celestial Bodies / Corps célestes / Enangog Bemaadzojig, curated by Jesse King with artists, Dayna Danger, Duane Isaac and Roberto Fatal, opens at daphne on Thursday, July 6 at 5- 7 pm / 17 - 19h.
At 7pm / 19h daphne invites you to an in-person daphne beads: perler/parler for a “Beading Bitch” session facilitated by Dayna Danger, from 7-9pm / 19-21h. we invite you to bring your beads and work, as Dayna and Jesse speak about their curatorial and art practices, and the exhibition that has brought them to daphne.
Please join us for an evening of art, beading, and conversation, at daphne #103, 5425 av Casgrain, Tiohtià:ke H2T 1X6.
We will open with the Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen, the Haudenosaunee protocol that begins all our gatherings at 5:30pm / 17h 30.
Artists
Dayna Danger
Duane Isaac
Roberto Fatal
Curator
Jesse King
Dayna Danger (they/them) is a Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, Métis-Saulteaux-Polish, visual artist, hide tanner, drummer, and beadworker. Danger’s art practice is an act of reclaiming space and power over society's projections of sexualities and representation. This transpires in Danger’s art by their intentionally large-scale images that place importance on women-identified, Two-Spirit, transgender, and non-binary people. Their art uses symbolic references to kink communities to critically interrogate visibility and rejection. Danger centers Kin and practicing consent to build artworks that create a suspension of reality wherein complex dynamics of sexuality, gender, and power are exchanged.
Roberto Fatal [they/them/ellos] is a filmmaker and storyteller. They come from Rarámuri, Tewa Pueblo, Ute, and Spanish ancestors and Mexican-American culture. Their Queer, gender fluid, Mestize/Mixed identity informs the sci-fi, films they make. Their work centers on humans who sit at the intersections of time, space, and culture. From this unique vantage point, these characters can bridge divides, see all sides, find new paths forward, and recall multiple histories long forgotten. The mixed people of Fatal’s stories can connect us deeply to an undercurrent of humanity that we often overlook in a world that is increasingly divided. Survival, intersectional identity, perseverance, love, empathy, community, connection, and creation are at the heart of their characters and films. Fatal is a Sundance Film Institute Native Film.
Duane Isaac, a talented artist of Mi'gmaq descent, hails from Listuguj, Quebec. His unique artistic vision combines photography with contemporary fantastical masks, inspired by both Indigenous knowledge and the queer gaze. Using found objects, recycled materials, and basic supplies, Isaac’s work is of an ephemeral nature as the pieces created are temporary, eventually lost in time. Duane's passion for photography led him to study at Dawson College, and his work has since been exhibited in numerous shows across North America. Additionally, his artwork has been featured in national publications, gaining recognition for its powerful blend of cultural and social commentary.
Jesse King is an emerging artist born Ojibwe from Wasauksing First Nation (Eagle Clan), based in Toronto. They recently completed an undergraduate photography degree at OCAD University. Their work frequently explores the many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, the importance of cultural representation and how artwork is so closely tied to the core of culture. Jesse’s work has been exhibited internationally in Berlin, Germany and Tampere, Finland. Their work has been printed in several independent publications, including fashion magazines such as Wonderland Magazine.