Vernissage 16 January 2020 – 5 pm
Presented in association with Foreman Art Gallery of Bishop’s University, Fabulous Images. When Fiction Takes Root examines the hermeneutical scope of science fiction as a narrative genre in the context of emancipatory discourses that foster ethnocultural diversity. The exhibition features works by Canadian and international artists, novels, posters, popular films, video games and collectibles, all of which are at the juncture of sci-fi and identity politics. Touching on a vast array of representation, from the utopian refuge to the darkest dystopias by way of uchronian narratives and social speculations, Fabulous Images examines how fiction reveals the possibilities of alternative existences.
This exhibition inaugurates a new cycle of partnership between Sporobole and the Foreman Art Gallery of Bishop’s University. On a yearly basis, the two institutions work together to co-produce an exhibition showcased in both venues.
Commissaires : Gentiane Bélanger & Alexandra Tourigny-Fleury
////// At Foreman Art Gallery : Sonny Assu, Danis Goulet, The Iyapo Repository, Skawennati
////// At Sporobole : Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind
In the Future, They Ate From the Finest Porcelain, 2015
On the occasion of the exhibition Fabulous Images. When Fiction Takes Root, Sporobole presents a film installation by Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind. Taking the form of a fictional video essay, In the Future, They Ate From the Finest Porcelain resides in the cross-section between sci-fi, archaeology and politics. Combining live motion and CGI, the film explores the role of myth for history, fact and national identity.
A narrative resistance group makes underground deposits of elaborate porcelain – suggested to belong to an entirely fictional civilization. Their aim is to influence history and support future claims to their vanishing lands. Once unearthed, this tableware will prove the existence of this counterfeit people. By implementing a myth of its own, their work becomes a historical intervention – de facto creating a nation.
