Benjamin Hackman is a poet, composer, and percussionist living on Toronto Island. His poetry has appeared in periodicals across the country including Canadian Literature, Carte Blanche, and The Literary Review of Canada.

Creatively, what interests him most is the intersection between words and music, and the ways in which songs serve as emotional containers for lyrical content. This preoccupation is intimately explored within his multi-genred ensemble, The Holy Gasp. Their first record, The Last Generation of Love, was released in 2015 by Arachnidiscs Recordings, and funded by the Toronto Arts Council. It was regarded as “a future cult-classic debut” by The Toronto Star; as “undoubtedly one of the best Canadian albums of the year” by Grayowl Point; and as “one of the best albums to come out of Toronto in 2015” by Toronto Music Reviews.

Presently, Benjamin is Composer-in-Residence at the Church of St. Andrew by-the-lake, where he has just finished work on an original film score to the 1925 silent comedy, The Freshman, which was performed live by The Holy Gasp at the Christie Pits Film Festival on June 25th, and is scheduled for an encore performance at Parkway Forest Park on August 26th. A new record by The Holy Gasp is scheduled for release in late autumn.

Headshot photo by Karol Orzechowski

Performance shot photo by Roy Cohen

As Canada’s 150th anniversary approaches, we reflect on how we have made this country our home. In a place with such diversity, every Canadian brings a unique perspective on what home means to them.

The collaborative photography exhibition “Finding Home,” presented last month at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, sought to explore the different ways through which the concept of home is formed. Through several public workshops, “home” became a term that shifted depending on the person who was defining it at that moment.

The exhibition was lead and curated by professional photographer Maha Munaf and was presented by The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival (the largest photography event in the world). This year, the festival aimed to focus on Canada while exploring diverse subjects, motivated by artistic innovation and critical discourse locally, nationally and internationally.

As part of the exhibition, the group took part in the city-wide initiative called My City My Six. This participatory public art project asks Torontonians of all ages and backgrounds to share something essential about themselves in six words. Funded by the City of Toronto, My City My Six will culminate in a public exhibition in the fall of 2017 to Celebrate Canada’s 150th.

Through it all, “Finding Home” showcased the amazing outcome of collaboration between organizations, initiatives, and individuals, and reminded us of the incredibly unique stories each one of us has to offer.  

School Of Groove

Created by professional dancers Kelly Gammie and Queenie Seguban is School of Groove – a dance training and mentorship program dedicated to nurturing strong and confident young female dancers.

School of Groove acts as a bridge – connecting dancers to like minded peers, mentors and the larger dance community. Their mission lies in giving emerging talent a holistic approach to the learning experience and the tools they need in order to refine their practice and find success on their personal dance journey.

Kelly Gammie

Kelly Gammie is a seasoned performer, passionate instructor and a lover of the choreographic process. She currently performs with and co-choreographs for the all-female, hip hop crew DEUCEnDIP (most notably featured on five episodes of Much Music’s NML Dance Battlez) and with Toronto based dance group ABS Crew. She is also the founder of the Invictus Dance Project, a collective that brings together dancers of various backgrounds to create unique contemporary performances.

Dance has been central to her personal development and evolving self. Such lessons greatly inform her creative process and are embodied in her teaching philosophies. She aims to inspire her students to perform and create with confidence in one’s artistic voice. She currently teaches in Toronto (Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, Bayview School of Ballet) and has had the honour of guest teaching and choreographing for dancers in various parts of the country. Additionally, she has worked with social outreach, arts-based programs such as Just Bgraphic and Outside Looking In.

Queenie Seguban

As far back as she can remember,  Queenie Seguban was always singing and dancing when she heard good music. She was born in the Philippines but grew up in Canada since the age of 11.  Fortunately, music and dance are universal languages that transcend barriers. Since then, dance became a means of expression, escape and belonging. Dance had become such a huge part of her life that what was once only a ‘hobby’ had finally become her purpose and drive.

She aims to share what she has learned in her own dance journey to the next generation of young female dancers – to help them discover themselves through dance and to equip them with the necessary skills and mindset to become successful in their own dance journeys.

BIO

I am an Argentine artist and educator based in Toronto with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from OCAD University.

My work circles around the mundane through the creation of spaces, images and actions that propose uncanny participatory experiences. I meticulously research ordinary domestic materials such as food, litter and kitchen cloths in order to reflect on both intimate and social-political issues around migration, belonging, gender and power. Throughout my work, I employ techniques stemming from art installation, performance art, drawing and printmaking as well as historically female creative practices such as cooking, sewing and embroidering.

I have exhibited in venues including Sur Gallery, Walnut Contemporary, Trinity Square Video, Xpace Cultural Centre, Blank Canvas and Harbourfront Centre. Since my arrival to Canada I have avidly fostered creative collaborations to work in the intersections of my art and social practice. This path has led me to partner with inspiring organizations such as Sketch Working Arts, Neighbourhood Arts Network, North York Arts, Scarborough Arts, Blank Canvas, Pendulum Project, Younger Than Beyoncé, Feminist Art Gallery and the Indigenous Visual Culture Office at OCAD University. Furthermore, I have founded and coordinated several award-winning collaborative art projects working within diverse communities in Toronto, Halifax, Buenos Aires, Rawson, Quito and Belize.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Commonplace
A popular proverb commonly used in Spanish speaking countries states that “dirty cloths are washed at home”, or that “you can wash your dirty linen with…” a particular person or group of people. A similar but rather constricting motto is rendered in English as “you don’t air your dirty laundry.” Allegories about washing or airing our dirty cloths suggest the longing to share messy, unsuccessful, intimate and at times traumatic domestic stories.

Inspired by diverging interpretations of this popular saying, my work focuses on an exhaustive exploration of used cloths donated by more than 200 women of my family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. Both intimate and universal, rags are used across classes and cultures, becoming unique palimpsests that are embedded with substantial stories from our lives. The donated cloths are then delicately assembled and incorporated to my work in the creation of a large-scale immersive textile installation that the audience in invited to enter.

The work’s mundane, worn and pungent elements complicate romantic representations of the female identity creating an experience that is at the same time welcoming, mesmerizing and abject. Commonplace re-frames and reenacts the ordinary cloths into affective materials, actions, and spaces that embody female narratives of alliances and disconnections with cleaning and sustenance. Overall, this piece expands on my research around residues and femininity, urging us to reflect on the leftover pieces of unclean stories that rightfully shape us.

Kicking off the springtime holiday season was Nowruz, the New Year celebrated in at least 19 countries and a holiday that is widely observed throughout Toronto. To celebrate, Airsa Art & Thought Association, a young North York-based arts organization, brought a diverse group of artists and patrons together reiterating the importance of sharing and celebrating our cultures with the community.

The event, which took place this past March at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, was a multicultural art exhibition called Nowruzgan. The exhibition featured the incredible work of 13 local newcomer artists, both visual and performance-based, each bringing their own interpretations of spring, renewal, and rebirth. Patrons were enthralled by the variety of works and left with plenty of new insights about Nowruz. After a week-long showcase, Nowruzgan successfully shared this important holiday with over 100 individuals.

“I curated this exhibition to bring communities together,” Said Aitak Sorahitalab, Artistic Director and Project Manager of Arisa Art & Thought Association. “Art has the power to create social dialogues and helps nurture relationships between diverse groups of society. Nowruzgan allowed attendees to envision a world in which we deserve to live – one with no war, no conflict, more acceptance and more appreciation.”

Airsa Art & Thought Association has grown immensely since its inception just two short years ago. With each new program, the organization continues to reach its goal of familiarizing people with the arts and supporting newcomers and newcomer artists. Through partnerships, cultural events, training opportunities, and community art initiatives, we can’t wait to see what else Airsa Art has in store!

Nowruzgan was run in partnership with Local Arts Service Organization, North York Arts, community arts organization Art Starts, and was supported by a Toronto Arts Council Platform A grant.

For more information about the Airsa Art & Thought Association visit http://airsa.org/

Photo taken by Pavel K.

Biographical Statement:

Paola Gomez is a trained human rights lawyer, community organizer, public speaker, artist facilitator, writer and dreamer. A member of PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile and an advocate, Paola is involved in causes such as ending violence against women and forced migration. Her works integrate arts, community engagement and anti-oppressive frameworks. 

Paola is the co-founder and director of Sick Muse Art Projects. In this role, she has developed an innovative way of integrating conversations about identity, inclusion and community engagement into community art programs. 

Paola writes poetry, essays and short stories. As a community leader, researcher and emerging curator, she has contributed to the access and visibility of other Latin American artists in the Toronto arts scene. Paola is part of the TAC 2017 Cultural Leaders Lab and is a well known well known community arts facilitator who develops a variety of community art programs aiming to support newcomers, refugee kids and women where topics such as identity and inclusion are at the centre of the arts engagement. 

Artist Statement: 
I always had big dreams; I always looked at the world through my very particular lenses; I was different and felt like I never fit in. I always questioned why a child would need to live in a state of fear and anxiety. I wondered why being a girl was so hard. I asked myself why there was so much violence around me. I certainly never played with princess dolls or tried to be one. I was quiet, and most of the time, I was fearful or sad.

During my teen years and while reaching adulthood, I realized that it was time to speak up. I knew that my role was to be an instigator of change. I promised myself I was going to be a voice for those who did not have one, and if I could not fulfill that mission, at least I was going to make sure to have my own voice heard.  

Canada has taught me about generosity. It’s also taught me about the importance of being socially and civically responsible. As a member of this society, I have the obligation to check my own privileges and I have the responsibility of being an ally—an ally in amplifying the voices of those who have experienced violence and oppression.

By being declared a refugee, Canada has offered to protect my life and my family. I am forever thankful. I am aware of the privilege of protection that was given to me and that many of my brothers and sisters did not and will not have access to it.

I will continue to build community through art and I will always be a friendly neighbour willing to say “welcome” to newcomers.

We still need many more allies. We still need more people to believe that social justice is for all and that change is necessary. This is a process that is done one reader, one heart at a time. I hope you can join me…. in never being silent when witnessing injustice.

Legacy Collective, a North York-based senior engagement initiative, found inspiration in Arpilleras of Chile and other Latin American textiles, and the results were extraordinary. The artwork, showcased in March at The North York Community House, told the important personal stories 20 Latin American Women.

Partnered with North York Arts and Neighbourhood Arts Network, Legacy Collective celebrates creativity and wisdom through peer-to- peer learning, storytelling, and art-making. The members, which are made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds and languages, participate in activities that seek to break down barriers of social isolation and depression by using the arts as a tool to foster a network of community support.

Over the past several months, the participants worked alongside artists Paola Gomez and Dana Prieto to tell their stories and explore themes of identity using textiles. According to Gomez, “[We] were particularly interested in creating space for senior women to share their wisdom and to feel pride for their latinx identity as part of the diaspora living in Toronto”.

As an extension of the project, the collective is also participating in the city-wide initiative My City My Six. This participatory public art project asks Torontonians of all ages and backgrounds to share something essential about themselves in six words. Funded by The City of Toronto, My City My Six will culminate in a public exhibition in the fall of 2017 to Celebrate Canada’s 150th.

After such a successful program, we’re looking forward to more Legacy Collective initiatives. With the generosity of the Government of Ontario, members of the collective will continue to participate in workshops lead by emerging and newcomer artists across Toronto.

Photo credit to Alex Usquiano ( www.alexusquiano.com)

BIOGRAPHY

I have decided to create a world where everything is about music and people two things I love

Benjamin de Graaf has executed over a 300+ successful events ranging from weddings, corporate leadership series, fundraisers and community events through his DJ business. He is an aspiring DJ, husband, father, sports fanatic and creator of a music and leadership program that uses the arts to make learning fun for kids called The Love

Music Initiative – with a focus on DJing, drumming, dance and spoken word.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Music has always been an art form that I have grown to love and am very passionate about. Seeing how music touched people at events I produced is where my desire to DJ grew. Growing up I couldn’t even play a recorder but took DJ lessons and the rest is history. Within 8 years I have gone from practicing in my den nightly to my biggest show last December was 800 people!

“What’s my sound?
When I mix I am looking to create a night musically with bounce, musical surprises and leave people tapping their feet on the way out- every night is fresh I don’t use pre-set playlists. DJ’ing to me is like a painter with a fresh canvas. The songs I select are like my paintbrush and the canvas is the dance floor!”

My passion for music also led me to create an alternative education based and TDSB approved program called The Love Music Initiative. It’s a program that we use to empower kids, youth and adults by using urban music, hip hop/pop culture to make learning fun for kids. Our end game is to help kids have a greater sense of self identity, self regulation, self expression and self awareness. We use music as a tool to tackle common issues that youth face such as school disenfranchisement and help them to get better connected to self and awakening their mind to the possibilities that they have in their lives.

We perform workshops focused in small class settings and also big assemblies.

In interacting with youth we have found that music, sports and pop culture are things that grab their attention so by using these platforms it gives us an in to have deeper conversations with youth about issues of race, social injustice and everyday issues that youth face

Benjamin can be reached at optraining@hotmail.com for more info or workshop availability.

Biography

Razak Pirani is an emerging tabla player and artist in Toronto who has studied the North Indian classical percussion instrument under master Ritesh Das for the last eight years. In 2011, Razak joined the Toronto Tabla Ensemble as an apprentice and over the years has become one of the Ensemble’s principal performers. He is now responsible for directing Ensemble rehearsals before concerts and mentoring apprentices. Razak has taught the tabla for the last four years training over 40 students at beginner to intermediate levels and helping develop curricula and formal examinations for the Toronto Tabla Ensemble academy. Having completed his B.Sc. at the University of Toronto, Razak is now actively pursuing the arts as a tabla performer and teacher with the Ensemble and through other independent projects.

Over the next year, Razak will continue his leadership role with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble through their concerts, recordings, and educational activities. He will feature as a performer in the collaborative concert between the Ensemble and Japanese Taiko group Nagata Shachu on April 15 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts presented in partnership with North York Arts. He will also perform in the Ensemble’s collaboration with modern dance group, Kaeja d’Dance, and in their album release concert, both to be presented at the Harbourfront Centre in 2017. Razak will be involved not only as a musician, but in the composition and production of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble’s upcoming album, Bhumika, scheduled for release in 2017.

Razak has pursued projects as a tabla soloist, accompanist, and composer through collaborative works presented at venues including Harbourfront Centre and Aga Khan Museum. This year, Razak is working on a collaboration with Persian Traditional musicians Ostaad Javad Bathaie and Mr. Ehsan Ghaffari, masters of their respective instruments Santur and Tar. They are planning to present a full concert as a trio in spring 2017. This year Razak also collaborated with choral artist, Hussein Janmohamed, and his recently established Awaaz Ensemble, contributing to the composition of a choral piece incorporating elements of the North Indian rhythmic system.

Artist Statement

The tabla is an incredible instrument steeped in thousands of years of history and culture. By studying and performing the tabla, I have learned a lot about my heritage and about myself as a person. It is important to me that this tradition be passed on to the next generation of Canadians and I am honoured to be able to contribute to this process through my role with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble. I have been active in writing grants for the Ensemble’s concerts and recordings, helping with fundraising drives to support the Ensemble’s Centre, and developing youth workshops and retreats to foster artistic and community development.