Champi: Intergenerational Oiling and Braiding

Join artists Deepikah RB and Zeni Shariff for an intergenerational gathering centred on care, rest, and exchange. In response to the current Doris McCarthy Gallery exhibition, Rajni Perera: Futures, this program will explore South Asian futurities by sharing stories about the diasporic experience, migration, and change, while inviting participants to engage in the practice of champi.

Champi, or gently massaging oil on the scalp, is an act of care that can be given or received at any age. It can be a soothing massage for a child, a way to listen to stories from your grandmother, or a means to connect with partners.

This program offers a pause to remember, an invitation to learn from each other’s experiences, and the opportunity to cultivate new relationships through acts of mutual care, nurturing the sensory need for touch, care, and connection. Chai and snacks will be served. 

This gathering is aimed at South Asian diasporic communities or anyone who appreciates a good champi. You are welcome to participate in any way that feels right: share a story, oil or braid a friend’s hair, or simply listen. Please bring a hairbrush if you can; oil and ties (almond, olive, and coconut) will be provided. Come with openness, tenderness, and positivity, and be ready to build a small community in transition.

Spaces limited; registration required. Please note any accommodation needs when registering, and gallery staff will follow up with you as necessary.

This is a seated event. The Ralph Campbell Lounge is wheelchair accessible. Light refreshments will be served.

This program has been developed by Deepikah RB, in her role as Futures Educator-in-Residence. Deepikah RB is an award-winning Indian interdisciplinary artist practicing in T’karonto (Toronto), Canada. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from OCAD University (2024) and is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Studies at York University. Her practice interweaves nature, motherhood, and hope, prompting audiences to reconsider anthropocentric narratives amid ecological crises.

Zeni Shariff, born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a diasporic Canadian author whose children’s books celebrate care, connection, and imagination. Through her writing and community initiatives with Wings of Hope and OSSC, she nurtures love and belonging. From 2002 to 2020, her family led the Toronto Chapter of the Laubach Literacy Council.