Oakville Galleries-Summer Exhibition and Outdoor Film Program

Summer Exhibitions Opening Reception

Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens and at Centennial Square | Saturday, 22 June 2024 | 5 PM

Hedda Roman will be in attendance at Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens.

All are welcome. Please join us for remarks and refreshments!

Hedda Roman: Rogue Planet

Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens and at Centennial Square | 22 June – 28 September 2024

Rogue Planet, by Hedda Roman,
explores the complexities of fictional biography, origin, and identity
through AI technologies. Central to this exhibition is Oldboy, an avatar
and Latent Space Traveller, whose poetic dialogues bridge digital
realms with reality.

This
exhibition not only explores themes of appropriation, conquest, and the
friction between the Self and Propaganda, but also questions the very
notion of identity in the age of machine learning. Oldboy’s existence
challenges traditional concepts of origin and identity, reflecting the
transformative impact of digital technologies and artificial
intelligence on our understanding of selfhood. 

Set against the backdrop of the 2024 Sunset Kino theme “Everything is a Lie,” Rogue Planet
invites visitors to reconsider identity in the context of digital
narratives and propaganda and prompts a reflection on how machine
learning and digital technologies shape, distort, and reconstruct our
perceptions of identity and reality. Designed to be an engaging,
thought-provoking experience, the exhibition will intertwine art,
technology, and human experience to explore these pressing contemporary
issues. Rogue Planet also offers a unique perspective on the
narratives that shape our world by encouraging deeper contemplation on
the influence of digitalization on identity as well as the authenticity
of our personal and collective stories.

Hedda Roman
is a Düsseldorf-based artist mesh composed of Hedda Schattanik and
Roman Szczesny. Interweaving cinematographic elements with surreal
animation, literature, drama, sculpture, photography, and drawing, they
create, among others, immersive video installations as well as
computer-generated images. In their artistic practice, Hedda Roman aims
to expand the traditional boundaries of art-making while reflecting on
the perceptions, preconceptions, and contradictions that characterize
our existence in the world. As observers attempt to understand the
underlying logic behind the opulence of each of their works, what
remains is the intensity of each individual moment that challenges human
identity. Solo exhibitions include Sies Höke, Düsseldorf (2023,
2021), Salzburger Kunstverein, (2023), Kunstverein für die Rheinlande
und Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2021), Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf (2019),
Julia Stoschek Collection, Studio 54, Düsseldorf (2019), Insel
Hombroich, Neuss (2018), COMA Gallery, Sydney (2018).

Sunset Kino

Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens | June 22, 2024 – July 11, 2024

Join us on June 22 at 8:30 PM for the first program!

Program by Hedda Roman | Saturday, June 22

Program by Aideen Barry | Thursday, June 25

Faisal Anwar & Tazeen Qayyum | Thursday, July 4

Program by Séamus Kealy – An Evening of Films by Adrian Paci | Thursday, July 11

Sunset Kino
is an outdoor contemporary art film festival—featuring video, film, and
performances by contemporary artists.Founded by Séamus Kealy in Austria
in 2017, this festival will now continue at Oakville Galleries. Hedda
Roman will be programming our debut screening on June 22, which will
feature films by Catherina Cramer, Daphne Fietz, Fynn Rybbeck, and Silke
Schönfeld. Introduced
by the programmers and Séamus Kealy and commencing at sunset, audiences
will experience a curated program of films and videos by Canadian and
international artists.