Cell Gallery Exhibition: Jan 31 – Feb 10, 2019 Reception: Jan 31, 7pm
Complex Social Structures is an installation representing integrated networks in constructed and natural environments. These networks depend on interconnectivity to function and transmit information.
Society is universally connected through cellular phones. Mobile devices enable perpetual contact from one human to another. We manage activities in a networked fashion as mobile interactions weave seamlessly throughout our day. These devices have become an extension of ourselves and shape daily life on and offline.
In comparison,forests utilize an underground system of interlinking fungal highways to communicate. Tree roots form a cooperative network with below-ground fungi. Mycelium produce threads in the soil, transmitting signals, exchanging news from one tree to another.
Both social structures challenge perceptions that organisms can communicate and collectively help each other.
This mixed media installation incorporates tree roots, steel wire, moss, lights and cellphone covers representing the similarities in these networks.
Two artists come together to present Complex Social Structures.
Julie Vetro is a visual artist and educator. Her work is informed by the natural world, the complexity of sounds, and how they evoke memories and emotions. She works in a variety of media: photography, film, painting, sculpture and installation.
Julie received a BA in Art & Art History from the University of Toronto and Sheridan College where she earned awards for outstanding achievement in painting and sculpture and was featured in annual publications. Julie also received a B.Ed. from Brock University and studied film at Ryerson University. She has facilitated visual arts lessons in the GTA for over nine years and instructed film classes at Appleby College in Oakville and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Julie participated in the Artist in Residence program at the Living Arts Centre. Her work has been exhibited in the Toronto area and in Ontario, and she is a member of Gallery1313, Gallery 44 (Contemporary Photography), and LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers in Toronto).
Margarita Barrientos Macdonaldis an interdisciplinary artist, educator, curator, art consultant and avid gardener. Margarita has lived in Canada for eighteen years and is originally for El Paso, Texas. Moving to Canada has influenced her to investigate the relationship between landscape, migration, memory and social political issues. She brings attention to complex social issues such as identity, human vulnerability and invisibility that touch every person at one time or another.
She received her MFA from York University and her BA from the joint program of the University of Toronto and Sheridan Institute of Technology with distinction and was awarded the Sheridan Board of Governors award for Academic Excellence. Her studies have continued, she received a scholarship to attend the Anderson Ranch in Colorado and has attended several self-directed artist residencies on Toronto Island. Her work has been exhibited in the Toronto area and in Mexico.