C/O @hamiltonartistsinc
Karice Mitchell's take care project with Hamilton Artists Inc. promotes self-care as a way of individual and collective healing
Displayed on the side of the black brick wall of Hamilton Artist Inc. is a billboard with the words take care printed on top of an image from a Black erotic publication. Through the photographic installation, artist Karice Mitchell hopes to re-appropriate and reclaim Black erotic imagery while also reminding Black folks, particularly Black women, to practice self-care.
Available until May 29, take care is the latest Cannon Project Wall installation at Hamilton Artists Inc.. The project accepts new proposal every year to showcase on the billboard outside of the organization’s building. Mitchell’s work has been up since July of last year.
Mitchell is a photo-based artist who works with found imagery mostly from Black erotic magazines published in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and manipulating them digitally. At its core, her work seeks to engage radically with Black women’s bodies and sexuality without influences from the white gaze and patriarchy. Mitchell obtained her master’s in fine arts last year and is currently lecturing in photography at the University of British Columbia.
The inspiration for take care came about during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as issues around mental health and self-care became a rising concern. She was also inspired by a quote on self-care by Audrey Lorde, an African American writer and feminist.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare,” stated Lorde.
In this way, the installation and the act of self-care seek to counteract the historical and present mistreatment, discrimination and oppression Black folks and Black women experience. It symbolizes resistance and resilience in the face of societal pressures and injustices.
“This work seeks to unapologetically represent blackness as a site of resistance. The words take care gesture to the importance of carving space for Black women to take care of themselves and how self-care can be a radical act,” said Mitchell.
"This work seeks to unapologetically represent blackness as a site of resistance. The words take care gesture to the importance of carving space for Black women to take care of themselves and how self-care can be a radical act."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
The work’s location in a public and easily accessible space also alludes to the concept of healing as a collective.
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion,” stated Gloria Jean Watkins, also known by her pseudonym bell hooks.
Mitchell wanted to represent the same ideas of a community self-indulgence in hooks’ quote and further drive home its point by having it displayed on a hard-to-miss outdoor billboard.
In the past several months, the display has garnered a positive response from the community. Going into the project, there were concerns regarding how it may be perceived as it deals with topics of bodies, nakedness and sexuality. However, she was pleasantly surprised about the support she received on the project.
“The work is really important for me. It was really important for me to show Black body in this public display — like the display of skin — to kind of monumentalize it in a particular way,” said Mitchell.
"The work is really important for me. It was really important for me to show Black body in this public display — like the display of skin — to kind of monumentalize it in a particular way."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
Reminders of self-care are great, but how do we practice self-care? Acts of self-care is individualized and they can look different for different folks. However, the take care artist suggests a few ideas. In her personal life, Mitchell engages in self-care by checking in with loved ones and friends.
“I think [checking-in with people] is really important if you have the capacity to do so, especially with the pandemic, when it can feel so isolating. Now more than ever, community and communion are so important and integral to our own development and care,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell also emphasizes the importance of enjoying small moments in life. Whether you like going on walks, meditating or stretching, taking time to indulge in inner reflection is critical.
“I encourage, notably Black women, Black folks and Black friends, to take care of themselves. It’s a radical act and an act of self-preservation that I think is crucial to our existence and well-being,” said Mitchell.
"I encourage, notably Black women, Black folks and Black friends, to take care of themselves. It’s a radical act and an act of self-preservation that I think is crucial to our existence and well-being."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
Project take care forces its audience to reconceptualize self-care as a political display of resistance, partially as a way of healing from the past and in current times of uncertainty and political polarization.
Multidisciplinary artist speaks about the importance of conversation and our histories
C/O Bhavika Sharma
This article marks the beginning of the Artist Talks series. The pandemic has resulted in the closure of many galleries and limited the opportunities for artists to showcase their work. However, Hamilton artists have been far from idle this past year, continuing to create and exploring new experiences.
Bhavika Sharma is an emerging multidisciplinary artist and is currently the artist in residence at Hamilton Artists Inc.
They recently completed their undergraduate degree in architecture and visual arts at the University of Toronto. Sharma points to their time as an undergraduate student as a pivotal point for their art practice, as they gained more experience through studio courses and were also able to experiment with different mediums.
“When I was younger, like in high school I did [advanced placement] art and I did a lot of oil painting and stuff. But I feel like as I went to university, I think also it really was a lot of the professors I met who encouraged me to work in these mediums. Learning how to use video editing software and stuff that interested me and incorporating sewing and fabric, it really opened up a lot of opportunities. It was like, “Oh, yeah, this is what art can be. It can be like a whole range of things. And it can be just a drawing or a painting,”” said Sharma.
"Learning how to use video editing software and stuff that interested me and incorporating sewing and fabric, it really opened up a lot of opportunities."
Bhavika Sharma
Regardless of what medium they are working with, whether it be textiles or video installations, there are two key elements at the core of all their work: conversation and space. Sharma hopes their art encourages and holds space for conversation, with particular concerns surrounding the spaces we live in.
“[It’s about] getting people to think about [these spaces] differently or thinking about how we consume these spaces. And maybe we can change our ways of thinking about these places . . . I think just for people to think more about the way we learn about places or interact with the spaces that surround us,” explained Sharma.
Sharma begins all of their projects by doing thorough and thoughtful research about the history of space they’re exploring in their art. These histories are a crucial component to both key elements of their work. These histories — particularly the non-dominant histories Sharma works to shed light on — are important aspects of the spaces they’re exploring and important topics of conversations.
“I also want people to understand personal narratives deserve a space within these conversations. Shared experiences, non-dominant histories, they are something that we need to actively look for and actively try to find. We shouldn't just take what is there as the [only] history,” added Sharma.
"I also want people to understand personal narratives deserve a space within these conversations. Shared experiences, non-dominant histories, they are something that we need to actively look for and actively try to find. We shouldn't just take what is there as the [only] history."
Bhavika Sharma
In January 2020, Sharma had an installation piece at Christie Pits Park in Toronto, which included soft sofa-like sculptures. Sharma wanted to explore the narratives that converged in the park and after compiling their research about the more traditional historical narratives. Sharma invited community members to join them in conversation about the space.
“I hosted an event and I had people come over and we sat on these soft sculptures. I brought people tea and people just talked and shared. I read my research to start the space, but then I opened it up and we talked. People just talked about like “Oh, I used to play ping pong here with my boyfriend.” Just people saying small things and memories that they have associated with the space and building on to the history of a space,” explained Sharma.
The pandemic has forced Sharma to rethink their art. Their current work at the Inc. has given them the opportunity to explore new ways to bring their work into the virtual environment.
Currently, Sharma is working on a project surrounding the Grand River, which is close to Hamilton and their hometown of Brantford, focusing on its connection to Indigenous communities and histories.
The pandemic has forced Sharma to rethink their art. Their current work at the Inc. has given them the opportunity to explore new ways to bring their work into the virtual environment.
Looking to the future, Sharma noted that they are still an emerging artist and plan to continue exploring and experimenting with different mediums.
Sharma also offered some encouraging words for students interested in pursuing an art practice of their own.
“I would say just start making, I feel like it's the hardest thing to do. I think that for me, at least, I plan a lot and then it takes me a lot to make it but making can be thinking. You can think about your work while you make it. So just really just starting it and making it and also taking things that you're interested in outside of maybe art and bring that into it. Like if you have a nice interest, incorporate it into your artwork. Why not? People will want to learn about it or want to hear about it. If you like going on Wikipedia wormholes or like research wormholes like me, incorporate it into your art,” said Sharma.
A long table draped with cloth and vases filled with fresh flowers may have transformed Hamilton Artists Inc.’s gallery space into a typical dining room, but the scattered blank cards and copies of the Hamilton Tenants Solidarity Network newsletter foreshadowed much more than a meal will be shared.
The room was quiet as a few artists and community members stirred around the table. Little Theo sat on the ground preoccupied with a puzzle, seemingly unaware of the projection of multidisciplinary artist Lisa Lipton’s experiential feature film, The Impossible Blue Rose, behind him.
As special guests from the Stoney Creek Towers trickled into the room, small talk turned into big conversations around the topics of displacement in Hamilton, tenant rights, the East Hamilton rent strike and the city’s development plans.
The voices culminated to discussions around gentrification in the city, a perfect fit in terms of time and place, as traffic reached its peak along James Street North outside of the gallery. By now the artists, community members and tenants were serving themselves tabbouleh, falafel and shawarma with rice.
[spacer height="20px"]Abedar Kamgari, the programming director at Hamilton Artists Inc., welcomed everyone and led introductions. She asked the guests to look around and identify whose present and whose absent and perhaps needs to be brought to the table.
Kamgari highlighted the importance of hosting the Shared Conversations: Community Dinner event at an artist-run centre and the responsibility Hamilton Artists Inc. has to the community. The dinner is part of a series of synchronized events happening at the same time across artists-run centres around the country.
The conversation seamlessly transitioned to the economic injustices happening in Hamilton that are being driven by gentrification.
Guests spoke about their experiences at the Stoney Creek Towers and across the city, from unaffordable rent hikes, lack of heating during the winter, several month waits on repairs and alarming rates of bug and pest infestations, new and legacy tenants are being impacted by the sidelining of Hamiltonians’ home rights in favour of gentrification.
The guests were also humble in their approach, some identifying their privilege and roles in gentrification. One couple moved to Hamilton after their rented Toronto home was bought out by a tech millionaire. Another recalled the story of her neighbour who moved to the Stoney Creek Towers out of fear of being homeless.
A professor of English and writing studies at Western University made Hamilton her new home after being impacted by gentrification in North-end Halifax and London. The guests shared a consistent pattern of recognizing the complex relationship of being negatively impacted by gentrification and contributing to it.
The multi-layered conversation also focused on deciphering the roles of artists and art spaces in gentrification in Hamilton. The guests spoke about finding a balance between utilizing artists’ practice to revitalize the downtown core and ensuring that art remains accessible and affordable.
While this may paint artists as drivers of gentrification, a key part of the issue is the appropriation and misuse of art spaces by community members, developers and the city. For example, gallery spaces along James Street North have acquired an elitist persona, often used as a selling points by realtors.
One guest remarked that many artists and art spaces are unknowingly the foot soldiers of gentrification. Groups are utilizing art to invest and further their own profit without permission from the artists.
[spacer height="20px"]Sales representatives and the city of Hamilton market James Street North as a cultural hub for investors, boasting the short walk to the GO station and accessibility to the Greater Toronto Area, but efforts towards providing artists with resources, funding programming and investing in affordable housing are being called into question.
At this point in the conversation, everyone’s plates are cleared. The guests thoughtfully calculated how much they could eat, leaving no remnants behind. Coffee and tea pots are passed around the table as talks of solutions take over.
Artists can learn from the striking tenants of Stoney Creek Towers and seek out advice from their experiences working towards the goal of justice by challenging, lobbying and putting pressure on the community to change for the better. Motivation to overcome the negative effects of gentrification can be fostered by looking at the exemplary successes of dedicated individuals.
While there is no one simple solution towards overcoming the intersecting issues contributing to gentrification, artists and the community still have a responsibility to address them. Artists have to work with their neighbours, listen to their perspectives and continue having these conversations.
The Impossible Blue Rose continued to play in the background till the end of the dinner, a consistent reminder that art will always be there, but how it’s used to change the city’s landscapes and the experiences of its people is in the hands of the community.
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