October 18, 2023 – July 31, 2024
The Yet
Destinie Adélakun, Alicia Reid, Myuri Srikugan & Erika DeFreitas
In the Instructional Centre Vitrines
The Yet was developed in conjunction with Erika DeFreitas’ exhibition at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, it’s because of the shimmer, the verge, and the yet. As the title suggests, various elements of DeFreitas’ work were explored: the shimmer, the magic found in the act of making; the verge, the anticipation found in creation; and the yet, the future and what is to come. DeFreitas is born, raised, and lives in Scarborough and so, reflecting a spirit of community, generosity, and the sharing of space, The Yet is presented here as an introduction of a new generation of artists from this place.
In the months leading up to the exhibition, DeFreitas mentored three emerging Scarborough artists, who were selected through an open call. Destinie Adélakun, Alicia Reid, and Myuri Srikugan met periodically with DeFreitas and each other to develop the works shown here. Working in tandem with DeFreitas as she developed works for her exhibition, the group shared ideas, worked through challenges, and formed a community of supportive Scarborough creatives.
The Yet is a testament to the talents emerging out of our community. Using photography and digital media to reflect on heritage and lineage, the works by these artists offer varying, deeply considered meditations on their roots. Thinking about their respective histories and cultures, they construct archives, narratives, and celebratory works that offer a rich poetic mix of reflections on where they come from and how they navigate their identities in a contemporary context.
This mentorship and exhibition are made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts and Ontario Arts Council.
About the Artists
Destinie Adélakun is an award-winning contemporary Canadian multi-disciplinary artist. Her work extends from photography to film, paintings, and sculpture; which explore themes of pre-colonized African/Indian history, mythology, religion, and spirituality. Her goal as an artist is to empower people of the diaspora by narrating African/Indian folklore and mythology. She celebrates women of the African diaspora and plays with adornment that embodies the creative direction of the work. A self-taught artist, Destinie was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Nagpur, India, and she currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and New York City, USA.
Alicia Reid is a Jamaican-Canadian Prize-winning photographer, journalist and aspiring filmmaker based in Toronto. Born and raised in Scarborough, her work is inspired by Caribbean and Toronto culture, while focusing on people of colour. Alicia aims to humanize and highlight various moments that shed a positive outlook on marginalized communities within the city. Her goal is to shift the narrative on urban regions that are often overlooked and misrepresented. Alicia’s work has been featured on media outlets Toronto Star, Global News and Complex Music. In 2022, She graduated J-school from Toronto Metropolitan University and continues to pursue a career in the creative arts through mentorship programs like ARTWORKSTO and The REMIX Project.
Myuri Srikugan is a Tamil-Canadian digital artist based in Scarborough. Her work focuses primarily on documentary and emotional healing through digital media, video, and photography. Myuri focuses on capturing stories that are often overlooked or untold, both from her own life and those of others who are willing to share their narratives. Collaborating with individuals and communities is an integral part of Myuri’s creative process, and she draws inspiration from her community – both people and place – who guide the outcome of her work. Navigating nuances and conflicts within herself, amongst her loved ones, and within her community is an ongoing process of unpacking her identity through her practice.
Erika DeFreitas’s interdisciplinary practice includes performance, photography, video, installation, textiles, drawing and writing. Placing emphasis on gesture, process, the body, documentation and paranormal phenomena, DeFreitas mines concepts of loss, post-memory, legacy and objecthood. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery; Platform Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts, Winnipeg; Gallery TPW, Toronto; Project Row Houses and the Museum of African American Culture, Houston; Fort Worth Contemporary Arts; and Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita. DeFreitas holds a Master of Visual Studies from the University of Toronto.
