We are delighted to announce our colleague and last year micro-grant recipient Faten Toubasi’s Window Show exhibition “Palestinian Diaries”. An opening reception will be held next Friday Jan, 23 from 6:00 – 8:00pm at A Space Gallery. The show will be up until March 14.
Faten Toubasi is a visual artist and community arts instructor. Toubasi produces artwork that is politically engaged, drawing from current events to bring awareness of the struggles that are ongoing in her homeland of Palestine. She explores the symbols of life, economy, resistance, and concepts of displacement through her art. Toubasi’s current four part project Palestinian Diaries focuses on the suffering of the people of Gaza, and offers narratives not found in mainstream media. The themes she explores are common to all people – freedom, justice, community, and expression.
Toubasi was born in Jerusalem, completed her MFA in Drawing and Painting in Saint Petersburg Russia, and currently lives in Toronto. Working in printmaking, painting, drawing, and embroidery, she is also the recipient of a Platform A, TAC micro-grant with Jumblies Theatre. She has served as a Board member at A Space Gallery, and is an active instructor at Arts Etobicoke. In 2014 she was the keynote speaker and workshop leader at the Rebuilding Alliance event in San Mateo California.
image credit: Demolished, lino print on paper, 2014
Palestinian Diaries
Faten Toubasi
January 23, 2015 – March 14, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, January 23rd from 6-8pm
Faten Toubasi is a visual artist and community arts instructor. Toubasi produces artwork that is politically engaged, drawing from current events to bring awareness of the struggles that are ongoing in her homeland of Palestine. She explores the symbols of life, economy, resistance, and concepts of displacement through her art. Toubasi’s current four part project Palestinian Diaries focuses on the suffering of the people of Gaza, and offers narratives not found in mainstream media. The themes she explores are common to all people – freedom, justice, community, and expression.
The first print in the series is Resistance Through Hunger which engages the hunger strike held in 2012 when Palestinian prisoners demanded basic rights while in detention. Uprooted Olives, the second print in the series illustrates how Palestinians are deprived of their main source of income as land is confiscated for settlements. Thirdly, Demolished addresses the the ways that everyday life under occupation is diminished. Toubasi was in Ramallah during the recent war, and created the final print in the series War on Gaza 2014 which highlights the devastation that will take years to rebuild.
Toubasi was born in Jerusalem, completed her MFA in Drawing and Painting in Saint Petersburg Russia, and currently lives in Toronto. Working in printmaking, painting, drawing, and embroidery, she is also the recipient of a Platform A, TAC micro-grant with Jumblies Theatre. She has served as a Board member at A Space Gallery, and is an active instructor at Arts Etobicoke. In 2014 she was the keynote speaker and workshop leader at the Rebuilding Alliance event in San Mateo California.
Brenders’ work attempts to fuse the various musical experiences that have shaped him as a creative artist. His interest in music that falls within generic and idiomatic cracks has allowed him to develop his own personal style. Brenders has studied with Ab Baars, Anthony Braxton, Lori Freedman, David Mott and Alvin Lucier. He currently is active in performing his music in solo, trio, quartet and large ensemble projects. Beyond his own groups, Brenders performs regularly with The Rent, a group that performs the music of Steve Lacy. Brenders frequently performs in composed and improvised contexts with a wide variety of accomplished musicians and artists. He is an active member of the Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto (AIMToronto) and acts as the Artistic director of the AIMToronto Orchestra. Brenders can also be heard on his solo recording flow and intensities as well as in duo with Anthony Braxton on Barnyard records Toronto (Duets) 2007. The Kyle Brenders large ensemble recording, Ways, is currently available from Porter records. The Kyle Brenders Quartet first release, Offset, was released October 2012 from 18th were he assists the Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney, curates the Salon 21 series at the Gardiner Museum and directs their new interactive website SoundMakers.ca. Brenders has recently started his own series of concerts, the In Between Series, which presents concerts that note records. Brenders is also active as Artistic Associate with Soundstreams incorporates notated ‘new’ music, improvised music and music that synthesizes the two.
Platform A 
