Paragraph of Possibility

Opening Reception: Saturday Nov. 5th, 4-7pm

I have a dream today!

– Martin Luther King Jr.

And so the three possibilities I have mentioned have always stood before man whenever he has encountered an Other: he could choose war, he could fence himself in behind a wall, or he could start up a dialogue.

– Ryszard Kapuścinski

Access Gallery presents Paragraph of Possibility – a public art project by Vancouver-based artist Tonik Wojtyra.

Paragraph of Possibility takes intellectual shape as a collaborative writing exercise and public art sculpture. Wojtyra has worked to shape the project with the imaginations of the residents of Ross House, participants of a drop-in-art class at the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA), Bombast Furniture, and the staff of Access Gallery. Weaving these strands of communities, Wojtyra's exhibition is a milestone in a potentially never-ending narrative identifying our collective dreams.

Paragraph of Possibility was written primarily working with two disparate communities in Vancouver: the residents of Ross House (a small SRO in the DTES where the artist resides) and the Monday night drop-in-art class at the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA). Conversations around everyday activities such as dinners, classes and art-making were formed collaboratively into a text. The written work asserts the potential of love and dreams over the power of fear and politics; it will be distributed throughout Vancouver as a poster.

The installed exhibition at Access Gallery creates a further space for collaboration and represents the paragraph aesthetically. Wojtyra has produced a series of works in response to the text of the paragraph including a collaborative sculpture with UNYA and a round-table with Bombast's Russell Baker. The table serves to extend the project's dialogue to a wider audience via a series of round-table discussions developed with Access Gallery's Director Shaun Dacey. The forum series aims to discuss the future of our global imaginary, public space, our youth, local community and Art. Oscillating between the intimately local and the publicly global, the round-tables will address roles of artists and the gentrification of the DTES.

Access Gallery gratefully acknowledges support from the City of Vancouver's 125th Anniversary Grants Program and the participation of the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, our members and volunteers. Access is a member of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres.

For more information contact Access Gallery at: access@vaarc.ca