By: Seetal Solanki
Looking inwards as a way to navigate the world in the current climate is not just a reasonable approach for self-protection, but also an opportunity to place a firmer understanding and action under one roof. Many believe that all acts of faith often begin with the self, and we begin here with To See Within.
As the saying goes, “lead by example,” and Ruoru Wang’s current exhibition at 1215 Gallery, Canada, appears to embody this concept. This show invites the viewer to self-reflect through the artist’s eye in a way that may represent alternative modes to be in the world, a way that could feel more aligned to self, community, and cosmically — the holy trinity.
Wang has gathered three artists, José Lara Menéndez, Médéric Corbin, and Riesbri, all of whom explore internal and external reflections of identity, memory, and environment. With a background in architecture and art history, it’s not surprising that Wang seems to view these ideas as ways of restructuring society’s perception of culture as we experience it today. Her previous shows have been deeply connected to seeing the unseen and all the in-between: Voices from the Undefined at the London Design Festival, and Nostalgia and Selfhood at Fitzrovia Gallery, which evoke a similar sensitivity. Introspection can become a form of reorientation in To See Within and has been shaping Wang’s trajectory and body of work to date.
José Lara Menéndez’s paintings root the viewer further into these themes, which present a deeper inquiry of the self through a fictional lens and dreamlike scapes. They draw attention to queer theory, the cosmology, and nonlinear tropes of time, what Jack Halberstam’s writing refers to as “queer failure” and “queer time,” a dialogue that continues to emerge and submerge from Menéndez’s paintings. These alternative ways of living outside of the norm begin to unravel the larger strains of capitalism and colonialism’s impact on society and the planet. The kind of interiority Menéndez encourages us to reflect upon, asking us to shift gears at our own pace, not the system’s.
Photo Courtesy: Shaoyu Ba (The Installation view of “To See Within” at the 1215 Gallery, Canada)
Médéric Corbin is a visual artist who explores semi-figurative bodies through an abstraction of colour, multiplying, duplicating, and repeating imagery to illustrate the messy processes of becoming. Looping around feelings of ecstasy and moving through bouts of anxiety, then back again, Corbin guides you through an intimate dialogue between the work and times of uncertainty, allowing us to reimagine other worlds that are possible.
Expanding on the exhibition, Riesbri addresses displacement, geography, and ecology. A timely context that draws on their Paraguayan and Brazilian indigenous heritage, converging a sense of belonging, identity, and material memory. Current socio-political instabilities are providing Riesbri the chance to share how this is affecting a population dear to them, directly linking to the wider global shifts that are being experienced: forced migration, rising temperatures, and extractive economies. While the narrative may feel heavy, Riesbri brings an unexpected light, playful tone through their visual language, offering a contrast between seeing the light through the dark.
Photo Courtesy: Shaoyu Ba (The Installation view of “To See Within” at the 1215 Gallery, Canada)
Wang’s curatorial methodology is more of a reveal and unfolding than it is a conclusive ideology to live by. The work on display introduces new approaches to life into existence, quietly challenging and deeply personal.
To See Within is a show that invites the viewer to step into themselves and reflect on our relationship with self, first and foremost. Introspection is not an act of withdrawal but one that is a counter-practice that may be necessary to provide the balance and zest in life to be reinstalled with full agency. An act of resistance could serve as a form of renewal. This exhibition is a recognition, not a solution finder; if anything, you will likely be leaving with new questions to ask yourself about how you want to be in the world on your own terms.
