Visual artists Alexa Hatanaka (born and lives in Toronto, ON, Canada) and Patrick Thompson (born in Chelsea, QC, Canada; lives in Toronto, ON, Canada) work under the collective name PA System. They exhibit their artwork in institutions worldwide, such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, the Canada House in London and the Art Gallery of Ontario. They have created public artwork across Canada and around the world. Leaders of Embassy of Imagination, Hatanaka and Thompson have worked on several visual art projects in the arctic for ten years. They have created well-loved murals in the hamlets of Igloolik, Cape Dorset, Iqaluit, and Hall Beach, as well as in the Northern Quebec towns of Kangiqsujuaq, Kuujjuaq and Inukjuak. They have facilitated youth projects at York University, the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, and the National Gallery.
Works
Embassy of Imagination + PA System at 259 Lake Shore Blvd E
Location: 259 Lake Shore Blvd East
Sinaaqpagiaqtuut/The Long-Cut is a two-part procession that began in Kinngait, NU, and continues in Toronto, travelling from The Bentway to 259 Lake Shore Blvd E, where sculptures, banners, and wearables by Kinngait youth from Peter Pitseolak High School made in collaboration with the Oasis Skateboard Factory School are on display.…
Programs
Sinaaqpagiaqtuut/The Long-Cut
Location: The Bentway
Sinaaqpagiaqtuut/The Long-Cut is a project by Embassy of Imagination, produced by PA System. It is co-commissioned and co-presented by The Bentway and the Toronto Biennial of Art as part of the latter’s inaugural event, running from September 21 – December 1, 2019. Sinaaqpagiaqtuut/ The Long-Cut Artists: Parr Josephee, Cie Taqiasuk,…
Art Educator Exchange
Location: 259 Lake Shore Blvd East
Launching a series of Art Educator Exchanges, this first fall session brings art educators together with art collective PA System who collaborate with youth in Kinngait in the ongoing collective project Embassy of Imagination. Through discussion around the group’s installation in the Biennial, the session traces collaborative learning methodologies as…