Laura Lewis: The In-Between

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About

Winnipeg-based artist Laura Lewis paints larger-than-life portraits of her queer artist friends in an exhibition that explores psychosexuality, gender, vulnerability, melancholy and identity. Lewis’s subject-collaborators are comfortable in their bodies -- they command our attention, looking upon us with confidence and poise. Through presentation of The In-Between, the gallery space is given over to queer folx in a tangible way, rendering a diversity of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and challenging antiquated, cis-heteronormative notions of figurative painting. Informed by Lewis’s technical understanding of colour theory, these sensuous works oscillate between broad gestural brushstrokes and finely rendered detail which are metaphors for the construction of identity, conveying a sense of figurative fluctuation or “in-betweenness”.

The planned exhibit program furthers Lewis’s spirit of collaboration and Gallery 1C03’s intention to offer a safe space in which to affirm and empower 2SLGBTQ+ artists and build community connections. Featured artists Shaneela Boodoo, Mahlet Cuff, Christina Hajjar, Jessie Jannuska, Julian K. and Malaikah Rang’inya will write brief responses to Lewis’s paintings of them and the artists will participate in a public conversation about their creative work as it relates to representations of queerness in the local arts community.

The exhibition is open weekdays September 12 - November 8, 2024 between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm. We are closed on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30) and Thanksgiving Day (October 14).

Links

• Gallery 1C03 website uwinnipeg.ca

Organizer

Gallery 1C03

Gallery 1C03 is the campus art gallery of The University of Winnipeg. Our mission is to engage diverse communities through the development and presentation of contemporary and historical art exhibitions and related programming initiatives. The Gallery is also responsible for the development, preservation and presentation of the University's art collection. We have hosted more than 150 exhibitions and welcomed over 175,000 visitors.

Gallery 1C03 typically highlights work by professional Indigenous, Manitoba and Canadian artists; however, when funds permit we have also exhibited work by international artists as well.

Our exhibitions reinforce the educational mandate of the University by linking to curricula in many disciplines, and by expanding the perspectives of our student body, faculty, and staff. Thus, we aim to highlight the value of art and culture as part of a well-rounded education, and to communicate it as an important point of interest in the cultivation of a passion for life-long learning. We show work in a variety of media that deals with questions concerning history, politics, technology, gender, sexuality, and race, among many other issues.

But we are not just a campus gallery, we are here for everyone! Admission is always free, so all are welcome to visit for chances to encounter challenging and critical works of art in ways that are accessible and thought provoking.

We present four exhibitions per year and support them with a range of free events including talks, tours, panel discussions, workshops and performances.