The Storyteller

The Art Gallery of Ontario

June 9 - August 29, 2010

Curators : Claire Gilman and Margaret Sundell

 

This June, a timely exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario explores how contemporary artists use storytelling to understand the social and political events of our time. Bold and thought-provoking, The Storyteller features video and photography, drawing, mixed media and installation works by leading international artists — including Cao Fei, Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller with filmmaker Mike Figgis, Omer Fast, Liisa Roberts and Hito Steyerl.

The works engage a number of narrative strategies. Some are fictional reconstructions of actual events. Others are investigations into the relationship between past and present —as in Fast’s Spielberg’s List, a video exploring the experiences of extras in Stephen Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. Some of the featured artists, like Fei, incorporate contemporary versions of fairy tales and folklore, while others offer first-person explorations of current political situations. At its heart, The Storyteller invites us to engage in each narrative so that we can explore, and understand, our own involvement in historical processes and current events.

 

Toronto, June 2010