Nouvelle Murale à la Galerie d'art d'ottawa - Ici Radio-Canada (Reportage)

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/le-telejournal-ottawa-gatineau/site/segments/reportage/364031/laurena-fineus-sarah-mecca-abdourahma-filtre?fbclid=IwAR3yQuqo-7TNHOfTmhaJFHtqjtrS-c6dmUhR1fB80dVLQKGt-7pqxBMAM7g

Dans le cadre de son exposition « Filtré », la Galerie d'art d'Ottawa présente sa nouvelle adition : une murale réalisée par Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman et Laurena Finéus. Kevin Sweet s'est rendu sur place pour rencontrer les deux artistes.

Figure-ing it Out: Laurena Finéus’ Depictions of The Complexity of Identity and Haitian History

Link here for full interview : https://www.nosymag.ca/blog/figure-ing-it-out-laurena-fineus-depictions-of-the-complexity-of-identity-and-haitian-history

Excerpt of the interview :

‘‘You have an exhibition coming up this fall.  Are there any details you can share now?

The exhibition is called Déchoukaj and it was supposed to be in April, but because of the second lockdown, they had to push it back to September. It will be taking place at the Ottawa School of Art gallery in downtown Ottawa. Déchoukaj is a Haitian Creole term which means the uprooting of a plant. The term emerged in response to the political upheaval that occurred after the exile of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on January 7th, 1986. It announces the resumption of power by people of a particular state. To me, it’s a radical term. It’s the uprooting of a nation against the state. I wanted to link that radicality to Haitian womanhood, especially to highlight their role in the construction of Haiti, but also to ask what is the status of the Caribbean woman and their identity at large, because it’s largely forgotten. It was a way to go against the Haitian patriarchy and do a déchoukaj of this patriarchy.’’

Thank you for such a great interview Meg !

CHUO, COVID-19 creativity: Ottawa Black artists reflect on their work in the pandemic

Published on February 5th, 2021

Excerpt from interview:

“Solitude has become familiar for people all over the world during the pandemic and for artists in Ottawa, COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns have often brought creative slumps.

Ottawa digital painter, Lorgio Nim, said the pandemic did not bring many changes to his own creative process, but he definitely sensed a change in his peers.

“I’ve seen my peers who are very extroverted in their approach to expressing their art form, who do performative arts or paint live, they have been very affected because we can’t gather in crowds,” Nim said.”

Read: https://canada-info.ca/en/covid-19-creativity-ottawa-black-artists-reflect-on-their-work-in-the-pandemic/

Le Pressoir, Artiste en vedette : Laurena Fineus

Published on January 31st, 2021

Le Pressoir, Artiste en vedette

Excerpt from interview

“S’il y a une chose positive que l’année 2020 nous a apportée, c’est sans doute le mouvement Black Lives Matter qui a permis de faire remonter à la surface les inégalités systémiques qui existent toujours au sein de notre monde, dont le racisme, un fléau qui est encore malheureusement bien présent. Pourquoi est-ce positif? Car, c’est en grande partie grâce à ce constat que l’on a sérieusement commencé à s’attaquer à ce problème qui touche toutes les sphères de notre société, dont les arts. En effet, pendant beaucoup trop longtemps, le milieu artistique du Canada a favorisé la création et la présentation du travail d’artistes blancs au détriment de l’art noir. Un nombre flagrant de galeries, de musées et de centres d’artistes ont longtemps boudé les artistes noir.e.s et ont, par conséquent, présentés des expositions et des programmations les mettant de côté. D’ailleurs, un exercice de recherches réalisé en 2020 par l’artiste torontois Ibrahim Abusitta a révélé que la majorité des galeries d’art commerciales de la région de Toronto ne représentaient pas ou très peu d’artistes noir.e.s. Ce même exercice a ensuite été effectué à Ottawa, pour se rendre aux mêmes conclusions; un bilan qui n’est pas surprenant, mais qui aura heureusement sonné l’alarme auprès des commissaires, des collectionneurs et des propriétaires de galeries d’art. Résultat : les galeries de la région de la capitale nationale, et d’ailleurs au pays, font finalement plus de place aux artistes noir.e.s.”

Read (FR) : https://www.lepressoir.ca/la-presse/2021/1/23/artiste-en-vedette-laurena-finus

Gazette , Uottawa Article: This alumna paints a broader picture of Haitian history and culture

The Gazette Feature - February 5th , 2021

Excerpt from Interview

“Having lived in Canada my whole life, I’ve really only experienced Haiti through my mother and grandmother’s eyes,” she explains. “So, taking the time to learn its history and its historical figures, understanding how Haitian civilization has evolved over time, really helped me orient myself. As a diaspora, we are always floating between two worlds. And for me, as an artist, I always had this duality in mind and this question: Can I really talk about Haiti without having been there? I’m almost scared to talk about it because I haven’t really experienced it. But, at the same time, it’s a part of me.”

Read (English) :https://www.uottawa.ca/gazette/en/news/alumna-paints-broader-picture-haitian-history-and-culture

Read (French):https://www.uottawa.ca/gazette/fr/nouvelles/celebrer-lhistoire-culture-haitiennes-travers-lart-laurena-fineus

A song for uncle Fausto , CBC Article , Oct. 11 2020

Excerpt from interview

"I felt like it was a gift to my family and a tribute to my uncle, because he gave so much for his family. This was a way to honour him because he deserved so much more," Simmons said.

Though the cousins had never teamed up creatively before, Finèus said she was pleased they could create something beautiful together for their uncle, who the family believes contracted COVID-19 while working at the group home, a job he loved.

"Me and my cousin wanted to keep his legacy and philosophy as a person who always gave back to others. [We wanted] a way to reflect that to the rest of the world, this idea of positivity," said Finèus, whose piece reflects the chaos of a large family during one of their typical gatherings, with her uncle in the centre.

Read more on the CBC article below:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/song-uncle-fausto-1.5755427?fbclid=IwAR1IKcZ0McTaUrmlIsCpCNrstIUmnTue8Jl37dIL8VZ-qS7bCFCC7tpxOxM

#Microcosm: The search for love continues even in the face of great odds (Gathered Gallery digital residency - Summer 2020)


The following text is taken from this article on the Gathered Gallery website:

I have had the wonderful chance to work with the Public Art Program team of the City of Ottawa for these last few weeks on my project , ''The search for love continues even in the face of great odds.'' (2020) For better context, the City of Ottawa's Public Art Program has launched Microcosmto bring temporary public art interventions to communities across the city in response to the pandemic but also in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 23 Artists from each ward have been invited to produce a responsive public art project. I personally will be representing the Ward of Orléans in Ottawa, where I have lived for the past decade.

(….)