Deanna Bowen: Black Drones in the Hive

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About

For more than twenty years, Deanna Bowen’s practice has evolved from its roots in experimental documentary video into a complex mapping of power as seen in public and private archives. Research and exhibitions are rarely mutually exclusive modes for Bowen, in part because her subjects are capable of revealing new perspectives over time. Whether it is through strategies of re-enactment or dense constellations of archival material, Bowen’s work traces her familial history within a broader narrative of Black survival in Canada and the United States.

On the centenary of the first-ever exhibition of the Group of Seven painters, KWAG will premiere Bowen’s Black Drones in the Hive, an interdisciplinary exhibition that reveals the strategic erasures which enable canons to exist without question or complication. The exhibition draws its title from a disparaging assessment of William Robinson, a local Black journeyman, as written by the Deputy Reeve of Berlin (now Kitchener) in the records of the Waterloo County House of Industry and Refuge (1869-1950)[1]. Combing local archives, KWAG’s Permanent Collection, historical publications, and wartime propaganda, Bowen weaves together narrative threads of labour, migration, dispossession, and militarization.

At the dawn of the 20th century, settlement – as both an encampment and a form of resolve – take on different implications for Black, Indigenous and European Canadians. Black Drones in the Hive has distinct ties to our regional history, most notably the erasure of Black settlements and anti-German sentiments during World War I which culminated in riots, the toppling of a local monument, and eventually spurred the renaming of the city from Berlin to Kitchener. In a year when overdue public conversations addressing the over-policing of Black citizens, the removal of monuments to men with vile politics, and a renewed call to rename our city have spurred us to redefine duty, Bowen’s exhibition illuminates the roots of a reckoning.

Exhibitions at KWAG are open to visitors during COVID-19 with the following safety measures in place:

- admission is limited to 10 guests at a time on a first-come, first-served basis

- please use hand sanitizer upon entry

- face masks are mandatory for all guests and staff

- please maintain physical distance of 2 metres from other guests and navigate exhibition spaces using the directional floor markers provided

Please visit our website for our complete COVID-19 Visitor Policy

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Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery

KWAG is Waterloo Region's leading public art gallery, connecting people and ideas through art, with a focus on the best of contemporary culture. Established in 1956 and incorporated in 1968, KWAG is a non-profit organization open to the public and administered in the public trust. The Gallery emphasizes contemporary art, often premiering works by Canadian and international artists. Exhibitions frequently draw upon selections from over 4000 works from the Permanent Collection to provide a context and forum for dialogue on current exhibitions and contemporary issues. KWAG plays a vital educational role in the community, offering a full spectrum of artistic experience for adults, children and families alike.

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