The third public talk for At the Transit Bar: An International Visiting Curator Series* is by Mari Spirito, the founding Director and Curator of Protocinema—an itinerant cross-cultural arts organization based in New York City with international operations. (The title At the Transit Bar refers to Vera Frenkel’s multi-channel video installation … from the Transit Bar, documenta IX, 1992.)

For her public presentation, Spirito will speak about her curatorial methodology and focus, which establishes the ground for mutual exchange, relationship building, and the expression and capture of shifting social and ideological perception. Essential to Spirito’s practice is the context within which artwork, discourse, and interaction are presented and encountered. For Protocinema, as an itinerant arts organization, the selection and creation of site-specific spaces is a meaningful element that promotes dialogue and fosters more equal exchange between cultures in the global context, highlighting deeper understandings of difference across regions. Spirito will also delve into new financial models for the art world, prompted by the rapidly changing global economy and the next generation of artists and curators. During her research trip to Toronto, Spirito will continue her inquiry into themes of consciousness and grief, love and compassion, as well as the impacts of cultural bridging and class jumping.

Spirito’s visit continues At the Transit Bar, a program bringing ten prominent international curators to Toronto over two years to support curatorial research and to further propel Toronto’s contemporary arts and cultural scenes into a global network of artists, curators, and art institutions. Each visiting curator will give a public talk on their research, conduct studio visits with local artists, and host a curatorial workshop for emerging curators that in part addresses funding in the visual arts. AGYU has partnered with ten Toronto arts organizations to host each curator and present the talks in various locations across the city. We are pleased to partner with The Power Plant in presenting this public talk by Mari Spirito.

This in-person public talk by Mari Spirito is on Thursday, September 26, at 6:30 pm at The Power Plant (231 Queens Quay West).

Mari Spirito is the Director and Curator of Protocinema, a cross-cultural arts organization based in New York with international operations. Protocinema was founded in response to observed disparities between the US and Turkish art communities. In 2022 Protocinema launched, with Laura Raicovich, Protodispatch, a monthly digital publication of artists’ dispatches on the life conditions that necessitate their work. In 2020, she held a revolutionary group exhibition titled A Few in Many Places featuring five artists showcasing their work in Philadelphia, Beirut, Berlin, Montreal, and Istanbul. Spirito’s practice is guided by a vested interest in listening and learning, an asset to her role leading Art Basel’s Conversations program from 2014 to 2018. In 2023–24, she curated The Myth of Normal, a Celebration of Authentic Expression hosted at the Massart Museum, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s founding.

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is devoted exclusively to contemporary art, ideas, and conversations. Since 1987, The Power Plant has been on a mission to share creative and inspiring experiences with audiences through free admission to exhibitions and public programs.

.

Thank you to our Funders:

At the Transit Bar is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts; Ontario Arts Council; and Toronto Arts Council with the support of Outset Contemporary Art Fund, UK and Partners In Art, Toronto. Sensorium: Centre for Digital Art and Technology is providing space for the emerging curator workshops. Our core operations are supported by York University.

The visiting curator series At the Transit Bar is conceived and led by Jenifer Papararo, AGYU director/curator, with support from Kalina Nedelcheva, communications assistant, and Maria Won, gallery administration assistant.

 At the Transit Bar comes at an exciting moment for the gallery, as we transition from the Art Gallery of York University to The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery, opening November 2024 with a new building, visible vault, and a renewed engagement with the numerous communities we are embedded within.