Exclusion Acts
This solo exhibition by Will Kwan brings together a number of new photo, text, and media-based works that take an unflinching look at the systemic and absurd ways that economic ideology shapes social relations and beliefs. The works examine a range of conditions, from the racialization of low wages and precarious labour and the dominance of the private sector in the housing market resulting in unequal access and the accumulation of capital, to the fanatical neoliberal rhetoric used to support the supremacy of the economy. Seen in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the works in the exhibition portray systems and minds trapped in a recursive state – inertia, entrenchment, and business as usual.
Kwan is a Hong Kong-born, Toronto-based Canadian artist. His research-based work investigates the socio-economic conditions that form everyday realities and critically examines the intricate relationship between economy and culture. Often employing proactive and forceful ideological positions, Kwan’s practice dissects the notions and manifestations of power by way of destabilizing institutionalized narratives.