Group show: Neighbors

Matthew Brooks is an emerging visual artist based in Montréal, Quebec. After pursuing studies in orchestral performance at the University of Manitoba, he will be receiving a B.F.A. from Concordia University in 2015. He is also the founder of Studio Matthew Brooks, a multidisciplinary creative studio based in Montréal.

In January 2016, his work will be included in a group exhibition at Centre des arts actuels Skol. His work has been published internationally in online publications such as Huffington Post Italy, Fotografia Magazine (Italy), Ain’t Bad Magazine (U.S.A.), C-Print Journal (Sweden), and Redbird Editions (Netherlands) among others. He is the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, including support from the Manitoba Arts Council and Concordia University.

Yvette Cenerini is a franco-manitobain visual artist who lives and works in Winnipeg. Before obtaining her BFA at the University of Manitoba, she studied psychology, zoology and education, which gave her a detailed understanding of both animal and human behaviour. The complexities and intimacies of interspecies relationships has been a recurring theme in all of her work, and provided the conceptual foundation for Émouvoir, her first solo exhibition presented at Maison des artistes visuels francophones, in Winnipeg. Her most recent work expands this consideration of empathy to include issues relating to animal extinction and the animal as resource. Cenerini’s work has been included in several group shows across Manitoba. She has received grants from the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council.

Risa Hatayama, originally from Japan, has been living in Canada since 1997. After her studies in Film and Video Production at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary (2000), she decided to move to Montreal. She has since earned a BFA in photography from Concordia University (2005) and a MA in visual and media arts from Université du Québec à Montréal (2014). Her work has been showcased both individually and collectively in Canada, France, the Czech Republic and Japan.

Emily Jan is a Montréal-based sculptor originally hailing from San Francisco, California. Jan has traveled to 32 countries and lived in four (South Africa, Mexico, the US, and Canada). She draws inspiration from the eclectic experiences of a life spent largely on the road as well as from the culture of scientific inquiry that characterized her upbringing.

Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Futur Folklore at the M.A.I. (Montréal), You Maniacs You Blew It Up! at PDA Projects (Ottawa), and falling through the mirror at Latitude 53 (Edmonton) and the FoFA Gallery (Montréal). She is a M.A.I. Mentorship Grant awardee for 2014-2015 and a Clipperton Project residency awardee for 2015. In 2011, she was recognized with an award at the 6th International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art (WTA – Aire).

Upcoming exhibitions include solo exhibitions at Union Gallery, Kingston, and Artcite, Windsor.

Jan holds an MFA from Concordia University (2014), a BA with Honours from Brown University (2000), and a BFA with High Distinction from the California College of the Arts (2009).

D’Arcy Wilson (MFA University of Calgary ’08, BFA Mount Allison University ’05) is an interdisciplinary artist whose works considers the relationship between people and the wilderness, addressing themes of vulnerability, alienation, and isolation. Her projects have lead to collaborations with wildlife, natural history museums, national parks, and choirs. She has had recent solo exhibitions at La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse (Montreal, 2014), Forest City (London, ON, 2014), ArtsPlace (Annapolis Royal, NS, 2014) The Owens Art Gallery (Sackville, NB, 2012), The Khyber Centre for the Arts (Halifax, 2012), and she has had two-person shows at the ODD Gallery (Dawson City, 2012), and Arnica Gallery (Kamloops, BC, 2014). Her performances have been presented in MS:T (Calgary), at the Museum of Natural History (Halifax), Struts Gallery (Sackville, NB), Third Space (Saint John, NB), and others. D’Arcy has participated in residencies throughout Canada and is currently Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Fine Arts Program in Corner Brook, NL.