Mitchell Art Gallery (MAG) invites students, staff, and faculty to celebrate the opening of from where the grain itself can speak on Thursday, January 15. The exhibition features work by artists Lars Haukaness, William Kurelek, Morgan Possberg, Åsa Sonjasdotter, Slinko, and is curated by Carolyn Jervis and Theo Donovan.

from where the grain itself can speak features historical and contemporary artwork that gives voice to the plant, human and interspecies relationships that persist through and despite agricultural methods. The work of local and international artists featured here personalize the complex histories, politics and ideologies embedded in industrial wheat farming. Their stories demonstrate the failure of monocultures of the mind to eradicate alternatives they make more difficult to thrive, as if pesticide-resistant weeds or the relentless reproduction of gophers in a field.

We live in a moment of increased food insecurity alongside an uptick in authoritarianism and resistance to acting on a climate emergency that threatens international and industrialized food systems. These artworks invite us to listen to the stories the grain itself tells us about possible alternative futures.

The evening will begin with opening remarks at 6:15 p.m., followed by a reception in Allard Hall Atrium. This event is free and all are welcome – no RSVP is required.

from where the grain itself can speak runs from January 16 to March 28, at the Mitchell Art Gallery in Allard Hall. Head to the MAG’s website for full details.

Image: Åsa Sonjasdotter, Cultivating Abundance [still], 2022. Digital video (colour, sound). Courtesy of the Artist and Filmform.

From Mitchell Art Gallery