Hyperaccumulating at my infusion every 7 weeks (detail)
86 x 52 inches, drawing on watercolour paper
2023 

Toxic Bodies
Sarah Mihara Creagen
May 6 - June 3, 2023
Opening Reception May 6, 3-5PM

FCG is delighted to announce Toxic Bodies, a solo exhibition of new work by artist Sarah Mihara Creagen.
 
Sarah's new body of work explores plants used in bioremediation processes (working with living organisms to heal or restore contaminated environments). She considers this bioremediation activity through personal experiences of her mixed-race Japanese Canadian background, queerness, chronic illness and disability while living with Crohn’s Disease. 
 
The artist gratefully acknowledges support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. 
 

Sarah Mihara Creagen is a Queer, mixed-race Japanese Canadian artist currently based in Toronto, exploring intersections of botany, queerness, and chronic illness. She received her MFA in 2018 from Hunter College in New York City, and was a 2018/2019 Queer|Art Mentorship Fellow. She has had solo exhibitions at Katharine Mulherin’s NO FOUNDATION gallery (Toronto), SPRING/BREAK Art Show and Hercules Studios Gallery in New York City, as well as Articule (Montreal) and The Khyber (Halifax). Her work has been featured in The NY Times “What to See in New York Art Galleries Right Now,” Hyperallergic, and Visual Arts News.
 
Currently, Sarah is collaborating with Zoe Hayes (a queer gardener, librarian and herbalist) and the City of Hamilton to create an active public bioremediation garden through 2023/2024 on an unused city lot in Hamilton, ON.
 
 
Land Acknowledgment 
Forest City Gallery will be presenting Sarah Mihara Creagen's work on the unceded and unsurrendered territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Huron-Wendat and Attawandaron peoples. 
 
Here, everyone has obligations, rights, and terms of co-existing and living together according to the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish With One Spoon wampum agreement.
 
The artist is currently based in Tkarón:to, the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe and the Huron-Wendat. Tkarón:to is part of Treaty 13 and The Dish With One Spoon covenant. 

Visit our website for our full programming schedule.

Mask Bank

In anticipation for our next exhibition, Forest City Gallery is excited to launch Mask Bank: our free community KN95 distribution programme for our community; visitors, members and non-members alike. KN95 masks are available upon arrival to the gallery to use during your visit. You are also invited to take a pack of masks with you for your daily use. In accessing the Mask Bank, we ask that you take what you need, and no questions will be asked upon pickup. Please ask FCG staff or volunteers to access the Mask Bank during our regular hours of operation or at any of our events. We hope this programme serves the arts community, which has been uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This illustration appears courtesy of Vancouver-based artist Dana Kearley, whose work centers on care, slowness, and healing, taking inspiration from ’80s, and '90s pop culture. Drawing from their own precarious health, Kearley often illustrates beings using mobility devices or living with disabilities or in this case, wearing PPE. Follow Dana on social media @danakearley 

We would like to thank Bona Fide Masks for freely providing Forest City Gallery with authentic Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for our community. See our form (link) for further information on the Mask Bank and to request and schedule specialized assistance during your mask pickup at the gallery. 

FCG social media: "s'entraider"

In their recent artists’ talk for FCG, Véronique Chagnon Côté and Élise Lafontaine discussed their investment in the word “s’entraider,” meaning “to help each other.” They used it in reference to their own practices, specifically in how they collaborate, work and find community with others.

Not long after their talk, some of FCG’s founders came to tour our Elias Street space. Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner also co-founded The Embassy Cultural House (1983-1990) with musician Eric Stach. In 2020, the ECH was revitalized as a virtual artists’ community. This year, ECH celebrates its 40th Birthday and FCG celebrates its 50th. Suffice to say, artist-run organizations rely on mutual aid and collaboration, both within their own walls but also within and across their communities.

During their visit, Ron pointed out that our new space is right beside two wye-junctions between the CN and the CR railroad: wyes are used to allow trains the ability to travel in either direction, or to pass from one line to the other line. Am very grateful to Ron and Jamelie for this topographical intel, and to Véronique and Élise for providing a valuable word for this important year: s'entraider.

Originally posted on our Instagram (visit).