Two unconventional exhibitions open this evening at the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU). One features photographs documenting the Cuban Revolution and the other features artists in the act of making art.
Revolutionary Sundays presents the story of the Cuban Revolution as seen through the lens of one of its revolutionary photographers, Gilberto Ante (1925-1991). He was a sugar cane worker turned photographer who collaborated with Castro’s 26th of July Movement and later became the communist regime’s official photographer.
The exhibition features Ante’s official work depicting socialist leaders and workers as well as his portraits of daily Cuban life. It is the first exhibition in North America drawn from Ante’s archive, courtesy of La Central, Bogotá, Colombia.
 |
| Above: A young Fidel Castro in a photo by Gilberto Ante from the La Central archive in Bogotá, Colombia |
Meanwhile, in the AGYU’s back gallery, a group of multimedia artists stage a series of one-off situations to inaugurate The Centre for Incidental Activisms. This experimental project involving Toronto artists Deanna Bowen, Eugenio Salas and Public Studio: Eshrat Erfanian, Elle Flanders and Tamira Sawatzky, attempts to show the production of art as a form of activism, to make artistic inquiry visible.
The opening takes place at the AGYU, 116 Accolade East Building, from 6 to 9pm.
To get to Keele campus from downtown, catch the AGYU’s Performance Bus from Ontario College of Art & Design (100 McCaul St.) at 6pm sharp and return at 9:30pm.
For more details about these exhibitions, visit the AGYU website.