On April 1, Trinity College opened the Trinity Art Show, an annual event that spans three days in the beautiful Seeley Hall. This year, the show’s main focus was a much more minimalist approach than it has been in the past. The dominant colours all around Seeley Hall were undoubtedly variants of white, gray, and black. The different artworks ranged from conceptual to concrete, and the media were extremely diverse, including video installations as well as paintings and photographs. Some of the artworks were also exceptionally tactile, like Lindsay Wu’s Invisible/Installation, or Jordan Clawsey’s CO2, CH4, CH2, N20, both of which allowed the spectator to physically interact with the art. A live jazz band played at the very front of the hall, adding to the calm atmosphere perpetuated by the muted tones and projections adorning the walls. This isn’t to say that all of the art was monochrome; although many of the photographs and installations remained grayscale, pops of colour could be found in certain corners. The show was relatively small, but its consistency in theme and the obvious talent of the artists were its strengths.
We were fortunate enough to get in touch with the curator, Eleanor Laffling, who is a fourth-year Trinity College student. She is an art history specialist, focusing on modern and contemporary art. A current staff member of the Images Festival (an experimental film and video installation festival), her main curatorial interests lie in the exploration and interpretation of artistic praxis and minimal art forms.
The Strand: How would you describe the show’s theme?
Eleanor Laffling: The show’s theme was based on minimalist visual art forms. I have always been interested in the way minimal art can say so much in such a reductive way. I’m also very interested in artistic practices and the stripping down of art into these elemental forms and praxis.
What inspired this theme?
I wrote a thesis last semester on the lack of minimalist art in Canada. I discovered that the way to change this was by creating a conversation with the art. For me, the Art Show was that visual engagement needed to promote conversation.
How were artists recruited and selected for the show?
The Art Show put out a call for submissions based on our theme and fortunately for us, it was very well received. We finalized the artists by creating a collection that was varied in terms of video, sound, photography and sculpture installations. The way it was displayed was also cohesive to our aesthetic direction.
To the best of your knowledge, how does the art show this year compare to shows in the past?
I think this year’s art show brought a different element to the University of Toronto art community through our engagement with social media, such as our artist profiles and behind-the-scenes photographs featured on our Facebook and Instagram profiles. I wanted to both promote our Art Show and to archive the creative process and hard work that is put in behind the scenes. This was meant as a sort of performance and ongoing art piece itself about the creation of shows and the development of artistic practice.
What was the most rewarding part of putting together this show?
Having the opportunity to work with some great curatorial minds, as well as to showcase some great artistic talent.
The enthusiastic and hardworking team behind this year’s Trinity Art Show created a space that was both creative and engaging. The show profiled the high level of artistic talent here at UofT, while also promoting the value of student artwork as a whole.
