Memory is deeply embedded into our physicality as well as our psychological understanding of our identity. Through memory, cultural and collective meanings of past, present and future are made accessible. Whether in the form of souvenirs, snapshots, or other memorabilia we are capable of producing our own records of cultural memory.
Place and time figure prominently within the discourse surrounding memory. Physical spaces become temporal, creating and connecting relationships and ideas. In turn, we establish our own sense of reality. In the process of selecting specific events and projecting meaning onto them, we situate our experiences as individuals into the ongoing and shifting dialogues within a collective culture.
engram* assembles a selection of works from the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s permanent collection that investigates intersections of place and memory. These artists incorporate themes of identity and memory, attempting to define, question and reexamine concepts of constructed narratives and the relationships of individuals within them. As this exhibition demonstrates, the conception of memory is never static or final. This selection of works reveals memory’s contradictory nature; serving as a unique and irreplaceable version of history. Each work complicates and enriches our understanding of the ways in which we are influenced by the very environments and narratives we construct for ourselves and others.
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In fulfilment of Art History 440: Curatorial Strategies.
A partnership between the MacKenzie Art Gallery and the Department of Visual Arts in the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Regina
