September 21 – December 1
tere naal _ with you (2024) is a newly commissioned multi-media installation that pays tribute to the enduring influence of artist Winsom Winsom. In the summer of 1994, Pamila was introduced to Winsom through the groundbreaking program Fresh Arts, a Black artist-led initiative that opened doors for numerous artists. The installation is deliberately designed as a space for relaxation, nurturing, and artistic defiance. Still-life paintings and handcrafted clay shells crafted by the artist are suspended throughout, representing universal themes of spirituality, resilience, and protection. Pamila’s work also highlights the interconnectedness of all beings, embodying the profound and continuous teachings of Winsom, which still resonate widely and deeply. This work is a community-focused project that blends contemporary art with teaching methods that encourage critical thinking. It gets people involved in exchanging their knowledge.
Pamila Matharu is an artist, educator and cultural producer of Panjabi descent (Jalandhar, the village of Bhanolangha in the district of Kapurthala, and pre-partition Lahore). They approach contemporary art from the position of critical pedagogy and use an interdisciplinary and intersectional feminist lens, blurring boundaries between objects, activism, community organizing, and public pedagogies. Their artwork often leads up to a broad range of art forms, including installation, social practice, and experimental media.
Commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and made possible with the generous support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Anjli Patel and Parambir Keila, and the Women Leading Initiative.
Bio
Pamila Matharu (they/them) is a settler of Panjabi, Indian descent (Jalandhar and Bhanolangha – village of Kapurthala district, pre-partition Lahore), born in Birmingham, England, and arrived in Canada in 1976, based in Tkarón:to/Toronto – Treaty 13 territory. Approaching contemporary art from the position of critical pedagogy and using an interdisciplinary and intersectional feminist lens through counter-archiving, their work culminates in a broad range of forms including installation art, social practice, and experimental media art. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Leonard + Bina Ellen Gallery at Concordia University, (Montréal), Artexte (Montréal), Optica (Montréal), Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, ON), Or Gallery (Vancouver), One Archives at USC Libraries (Los Angeles), MOCA Toronto, Art Gallery of Burlington (Burlington, ON), Durham Art Gallery (Grey Bruce, ON), Cooper Cole at ART TO (Toronto), A Space Gallery (Toronto), Art Gallery of York University (Toronto), and Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto). Matharu’s first group exhibit abroad, The World That Belongs to Us is upcoming at The New Art Gallery Walsall, in the UK. They hold a BA in Visual Arts, and a Fine Arts B.Ed. from York University.
Location
- Accessibility
32 Lisgar St and Park
Accessible entrance
Washrooms
Elevator
AODA compliant building
Parking: Limited Street, Underground Parking (Paid)
There is ample paid parking nearby, including a Green P lot in the building, a lot accessible from the alley between Dovercourt and Lisgar off Sudbury, and street parking on both Lisgar Street and Abell Street.
- Getting There
32 Lisgar St and Park
By subway: Line 1 – From St. Andrew Station, take the 504 King streetcar west to Abell Street, walk 2 minutes. Line 2 – From Dufferin Station: take the 29 Bus south to Queen Street West, walk 7 minutes
By streetcar: Take the 501 Queen streetcar and get off at Abell Street, just east of Gladstone. Or, take the 504 King streetcar. Get off at Sudbury Street, and walk north/west along Sudbury to Lisgar Street.
Donors & Supporters
