September 21 – December 1
Truth Bears No Scandal ( الـواضِح مو فـاضِح), (2024) is a video installation that sheds light on songs written by Sudanese poets about their same-sex lovers. In the video, the artist appears, singing three songs in the classic Haqeeba style—a genre of Sudanese music that started in the 1920s (during the colonization of Sudan by Britain) that fuses traditional local vocal music with Western jazz music. Bringing together elements from Sudanese and drag cultures, the work showcases different representations of queer love stories, which are often hidden or not permitted to be named out loud.
Ahmed Umar’s work highlights questions regarding identity, religion, and cultural values. Having moved to Norway from Sudan as a political refugee, Ahmed draws on personal experiences to create narratives that address suppression, alienation, liberation, and reclamation of one’s own history. Through their practice, they have become an important figure in both Norway and Sudan for queer people with Muslim backgrounds.
Commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and made possible with the generous support of the Office for Contemporary Art Norway and the Women Leading Initiative.
Bio
Ahmed Umar (b. Sudan; He/she/they) is a cross-disciplinary artist living and working in Oslo. He received his MFA degree in medium- and material-based art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2016. Through his art, Umar has also been an important front figure for queer persons with Muslim backgrounds in Norway and Sudan. Umar’s art practice highlights questions regarding identity, religion, and cultural values through different modes of artistic expression. He uses personal experiences as tools to convey narratives not only about suppression and alienation, but also about liberation and owning one’s own history. Umar works within a broad range of media – sculpture, textiles, ceramics, jewelry, photography, performance and more– and with materials and techniques that are as multi-faceted as the stories they relate. His works have been exhibited at a number of institutions in Norway, and he was a participant in the 22nd Biennale of Sydney. Umar’s works are in the permanent collections of the National Museum, Drammens Museum and City of Oslo Art Collection and more. In 2023, Umar presented a large-scale solo exhibition, Glowing Phalanges, at Oslo’s Kunstnernes Hus and Bergen Kunsthall. He is also awarded with the Audience Award on the renowned Lorck Schive Kunstpris, at Trondheim Kunstmuseum.
Location
- Accessibility
Collision Gallery
Accessible Entrance
The ramp for accessing Collision is found inside 30 Wellington St, past the revolving doors, on your right. Please note that the ramp is narrow.Wheelchair Accessible
Washrooms available on Concourse Level in PATH Network
Building is AODA-compliant
Parking: If you require parking, Commerce Court has parking available just off of Wellington Street with the entrance being west of Yonge Street.
- Getting There
Collision Gallery
If you’re accessing the gallery from King Street – you will find the entrance on the south east side of the courtyard, just beyond the fountain. Entrance is to the far left, beside Jump Restaurant.
If you’re accessing the gallery from Wellington Street – the building will be on the north side. Follow the signs to Jump Restaurant and enter through the rotating doors, heading up the stairs. The gallery will be on your left side, to the left of the restaurant.
By subway: Exit at King Station which is directly connected to Commerce Court. Follow the signs to Commerce Court South, then go up the stairs just to the right of Pantry. The gallery is on the courtyard level, up two staircases to the left.
By streetcar: Take the 504 King Street streetcar and get off at the Bay St stop, on the north side of the building. Walk south on Bay St and turn left onto Wellington St W, with the building on your left. Follow the signs to Jump Restaurant and enter through the doors, heading up the stairs. The gallery will be on your left side, to the left of the restaurant.
By car: Take the Bay Street exit off the Gardiner Expressway and head north towards Wellington Street. If you require parking, Commerce Court has parking available just off of Wellington Street with the entrance being west of Yonge Street.
Donors & Supporters
