June 24, 2023 – August 5, 2023 at Critical Distance Center for Curators, Toronto, Canada
Curated by Fatma Hendawy Yehia
Works by Lamis Haggag, Katherine Melançon, Ahmed Naji, Anahita Norouzi, and El Rass
More information on CDCC website page
Exhibition photos by Toni Hafkenscheid

” Garden of Broken Shadows is grounded through conversation with author Ahmed Naji, who explains that the migration of Egyptians — from the Gulf area to North America, for example — is a collective act of seeking a better social status or class: a hope that usually dissolves as immigrants face the so-called integration process. Through his seamless Arab rap style, critical lyrics, and provocative music performances, El-Rass connects the vernacular with the philosophical to reflect the suffering of many displaced bodies from the MENA region.

” Anahita Norouzi mutates irises in their form and nature: as they stand in a fragile yet solid state of suspension, we are confronted with the colonial values constantly projected on migrant bodies. Katherine Melançon juxtaposes the precision of digital scanning with the fluidity of plants, which resembles the resilience of migrant bodies, creating an alternative environment where our connections to nature, technology, and time are inextricable from one another. “

” Mixing reality with fiction, Lamis Haggag captures the essence of the sorrow lived by immigrants through a story of a jasmine plant that transformed into a monotropa.”

Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, Sophia Borowska, weaver and Pascale Tétrault, electronics
Vera Vicente, Studio Acacia, Raph Demers, Fablab du PEC