February 7 to July 25, 2020
Amar Kanwar
Such a Morning
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is thrilled to present Such a Morning, the first solo exhibition in Canada by India’s foremost contemporary artist, Amar Kanwar. Curated by Scott McLeod, the exhibition consists of a single-channel, feature-length, video installation. The video, which represents the artist’s first foray into poetic narrative filmmaking, was commissioned by Documenta and premiered at Documenta 14 (Athens and Kassel) in 2017.
The exhibition runs until Saturday, July 25, 2020. For this exhibition, the gallery is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday, 11 AM to 5 PM, and by appointment. The video is screened in a continuous loop, with four cycles per day. Each cycle begins at 11:20 AM, 12:45 PM, 2:10 PM and 3:35 PM. Prefix is located at 401 Richmond Street West, Suite 124, Toronto. Admission is free.
Such a Morning (2017) tells the story of a famous mathematician with failing eyesight who, at the peak of his career, withdraws from his life and retreats to the wilderness to live in an abandoned train carriage. Creating a zone of darkness in which to acclimatize before total darkness descends, the professor begins to live in a realm bereft of light. Thus starts an epic sensory journey into a new plane of emotional resonance between himself and his surroundings.
About the artist
Amar Kanwar, born 1964 in New Delhi, is a multi-media artist and filmmaker who has distinguished himself through works that explore the politics of power, violence and justice. His multi‐layered installations, which originate in narratives often drawn from zones of conflict, are characterized by a unique poetic approach to the personal, social and political. Recent solo exhibitions of his work have been held at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid), the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN), Tate Modern (London), Bildmuseet (Umea) and the Assam State Museum in collaboration with Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and North East Network, India. Earlier solo exhibitions include the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), the Whitechapel Gallery (London) and the Renaissance Society (Chicago). His work has also been exhibited at Documenta 11, 12, 13 and 14. Kanwar is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prince Claus Award, the Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change, and the Edvard Munch Award for Contemporary Art, along with an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree, Maine College of Art, and the MacArthur Fellowship in India. He lives and works in New Delhi.
About the curator
Scott McLeod is the founding director of Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in Toronto, where he currently serves as the co-programmer (with Gerald McMaster) of the Urban Field Speakers Series and the editor of Prefix Photo magazine. His recent and upcoming projects include the curating of a solo exhibition by Taysir Batniji and the publishing of an artist’s book by Michael Snow. A member of AICA Canada and IKT International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art, he lives and works in Toronto.
About Prefix
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is a public art gallery with the distinguishing features of publishing an art magazine and presenting an international lecture series. A registered charitable organization, Prefix fosters the appreciation and understanding of contemporary photographic, media and digital arts through exhibitions, publications, public programmes and related activities.
Acknowledgements
The work of Amar Kanwar appears courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery (New York). For their support of the exhibition, Prefix gratefully acknowledges Leslie Nolan, Marine Pariente and the staff of Marian Goodman Gallery (New York); Jessica Bright, Iain Hoadley and the staff of the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); Ali Kazimi, and Kitty Scott. Prefix also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto.
Photo: Amar Kanwar, video still from Such a Morning (2017). Single-channel digital video (colour, sound, 85 mins. looped). Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery (New York)
