Pandora's Box

Additional Information

Laylah Ali, Ghada Amer, Shary Boyle, Amy Cutler, Chitra Ganesh, Wangechi Mutu, Annie Pootoogook, Leesa Streifler, Kara Walker, Su-en Wong

Other associated events: Opening reception: Friday, May 16, 7:30 pm, featuring a collaborative performance with Shary Boyle and Christine Fellows Artists' talks: Saturday, May 17, 2:00 pm, by Shary Boyle, Chitra Ganesh and Leesa Streifler Curator's talk, Saturday May 31, 2:00 pm

Pandora's Box offers a new twist on the myth of Pandora. It is no longer about what is hidden inside of the box, never to be revealed, but what is metaphorically reflected in it of the outside. The work of ten international female artists are represented, including Laylah Ali, Ghada Amer, Shary Boyle, Amy Cutler, Chitra Ganesh, Wangechi Mutu, Annie Pootoogook, Leesa Streifler, Kara Walker and Su-en Wong. Inside Pandora's Box viewers will encounter a phantasmagoria of myths, folk tales, stereotypes and ambiguity. These artists challenge disempowering myths and fairy tales to make them a more accurate mirror of female experience in new socio-historical contexts. They share personal fictions, political statements and psychological manifestations. We are invited to reflect on larger human issues such as birth, death, parenthood, relationships, rites of passage and multiple identities through an engagement with other worldly creatures and everyday environments. Pandora's Box is a mix of ink on paper, collage, comics, stitched embroidery and acrylic on canvas, coloured pencil and watercolour, collaborative musical and projection performances, shadow puppet animations and much more.

Pandora's Box (Installation View), 2008.