Life Cycles is a live performance that will depict a mother and daughter engaging in the passed tradition of kolam making. A kolam is an ancient form of drawing in the Hindu religion created using rice, sand, flour – something ephemeral – as these drawings are to be washed away after the occasion that they were created for has ended. Kolams often reference mandala imagery; which are spiritual symbols in Hinduism representing the expanding universe. Life Cycles is an interactive performance, where viewers will be able to collaborate with the artists as they engage in the ritual of kolam making. An artist talk will follow the performance.

sofreh for two: Live Performance by Reza Nik

Location: Iranian Plaza (6075 Yonge St, North York)
Date: August 21, 12pm – 2pm
Outdoors, free to the public

Reza Nik’s sofreh for two references both Iranian food and drink carts and ‘Sofreh’, a loose term translated to a textile on which food is served but that often functions as a shorthand for various preparations, practices, ceremonies and rituals. This improvisational performance is mediated through a roving structure that considers the spatial facets of food and feasting as narrated through diasporic and intergenerational experiences and memories.

Soup Over Bethlehem: Film Screening by Larissa Sansour

Location: 401 Richmond Rooftop (401 Richmond St. West)
Date: September 9, 2022 | 7pm – 8pm
Free Admission – Register via Eventbrite

Soup Over Bethlehem (Film, 9′) depicts an ordinary Palestinian family, Sansour’s own, around a dinner table on a rooftop overlooking the West Bank city of Bethlehem. What starts as a culinary discussion about the national dish ‘mloukhieh’ soon evolves into a personal and engaging conversation about politics – thereby emphasising the symbiosis of food and politics so indicative of the Palestinian experience.

The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain
Conceived by Adrià Julià
Written by Débora Antscherl and Adrià Julià
Performed by Stephen Park

Date: September 16, 7pm
Location: Art Gallery of Ontario – Jackman Hall
Free Admission – Register here

Offering a meditation on the history of production, consumption and expansion of popcorn in modern colonial history, The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain reflects on the historical and socioeconomic intricacies of the global corn industry and its relationship to Mexican culture and the popularization of popcorn in the United States after the Great Depression, especially in regards to popcorn’s connection to cinema.

Adrià Julià will be joined by curator Noa Bronstein for a discussion into his ongoing interest in the parallel and overlapping histories of film production and popcorn consumption. Using an historical perspective with the language of cinema, Julià encourages a critical look at the impact of history and culture on food and images and how these inform our understanding of the world around us.

Join us for a panel discussion featuring the artists from our spring exhibition Materialized on Saturday, April 22nd at 1pm. Artists Joi T. Arcand, Celeste Pedri-Spade, Catherine Blackburn, and Nadya Kwandibens will present brief artist talks, followed by a discussion moderated by curator Ariel Smith (Artistic & Managing Director, Native Women in the Arts).

Join us for an artist talk with Lebanese rapper El Rass at Dark Horse Cafe, located inside 401 Richmond. This event is free with registration; space is limited and seating is first-come, first-served. Immediately following the talk we will proceed to the Critical Distance gallery (Suite 122) for the opening reception of Garden of Broken Shadows, curated by Fatma Hendawy Yehia. 

Critical Distance is thrilled to co-present El Rass in concert with MARSM Canada at Adelaide Hall, as part of the exhibition Garden of Broken Shadows, curated by Fatma Hendawy Yehia.  As part of his first tour in Canada, El Rass, known for his critical lyrics and performances, will engage with the exhibition’s topics around identity, immigration and adaptation through a vernacular yet deeply philosophical language. Tickets on sale through MARSM Canada.

June 29, 6 pm: Visitors will meet at the gallery (Suite 122) to experience the exhibition, Garden of Broken Shadows, before the group proceeds down the hallway to the courtyard for a conversation with artists Lamis Haggag and Marina Fathalla. This in-person event is free with registration.