The Unrelenting, Elizabeth Sweeney, 2014
THE BLACK TRIANGLE ARTS COLLECTIVE (BTAC)
We are an emerging disabled-led curatorial collective comprised of founding members artist/curators Syrus Marcus Ware (Toronto) and Elizabeth Sweeney (Ottawa) - and more recently Tarik Elmoutawakil (Brighton, UK) who joined the collective over a year ago.
We engage guests to join the collective on a project–to-project basis, working collaboratively to research, create and present exhibitions, spark dialogue and develop curatorial practice from intersectional and disability-informed perspectives. Our work does not strive to duplicate artist/curator relationships, but instead intentionally disrupts these power dynamics through processes that are interdependent, empowering, and built on divergent strengths and weaknesses. We are inspired by radical disability justice theory, critical prisoners justice theory and activism and the important work of black feminist scholars, including Kimberle Crenshaw and the Combahee River Collective. These scholars articulate the need for a consideration of the intersectional experiences of those living on the margins, in particular black and Indigenous Deaf and disabled people and disabled and Deaf people of colour. We intentionally work under the label of the black triangle - a symbol used by the Nazi party to label, shame, segregate, control and exterminate a diverse group of people who typically survived on the margins of society, and whose bodies, minds, abilities, sexualities, political views, status, gender, or thoughts were deemed non-conforming, and undesirable.
Current Project
EXISTENCE is RESISTANCE
Existence is Resistance is focused on bringing together Black Deaf, Mad and disabled artists from the UK and Canada, to build connections between artists, and to create space for restoration and healing.
Up until the recent COVID-19 related restrictions on travel and gatherings, the project was designed to be a Black-led gathering on Toronto Island this summer - a mini residency for artists and mentors and elders all to get together and share our practices. In light of recent restrictions, and in commitment to our collective safety, we are hosting virtual gatherings to share space, our work and ways in which we can move forward together.
We are funded through the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.
Throughout 2020 Existence is Resistance will include time for artists to come together online, virtual artist talks, visits from mentors and elders and sharing circles. We have a simple goal- for us to spend time together- for international BIPOC artists to know about each other's practices and to learn from each other collectively.
Existence is Resistance intends to be an embodied, restorative and joyous space.
Participating artists:
Canada
UK