las cosas que se quedan / the things that remain

We are pleased to present Coco Guzman’s graduate student exhibition. Las cosas que se quedan / The things that remain investigates the relationship between the experiences of political haunting, embodied memory and mass tourism on the shores of the Mediterranean in the south of Spain. Through drawing and installation, Coco Guzman takes us on a walk along the beach, where the things that remain tell us stories of bombed civilians, disappeared migrants, concentration camps, persecuted queers, and exploited undocumented workers–but also of never-ending parties, cheap beer, an everlasting sun and, curiously, the invention of the bikini. Conjuring the remnants of Francoist National-Catholic fantasmas, the ghosts of migrants drowned at sea and the exploited living-dead working in zombie resorts, Las cosas que se quedan /The things that remain invites the viewer to consider the shore and its unexpected cohabitants. Living in the midst of gore capitalism and mass tourism in the south of Spain, ghosts and tourists traverse one of the deadliest borderscapes in the world.

The exhibition runs from 20 February – 9 March 2019 at the Bachir/Yerex Presentation Space, on the 4th Floor of 401 Richmond. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturdays from 10am – 5pm.

Opening Reception
20 February 2019 from 5-7pm

Artist Talk
28 February 2019 from 7:00-7:30pm
Featured speaker at our 2019 Annual General Meeting

Closing talk with writer and researcher Nehal El-Hadi
9 March 2019 from 4-5pm

Coco Guzman is a Spanish queer artist who uses drawing to tell stories of haunting in the context of political violence. With a degree in Literature and Art obtained in France, Coco has developed their art career in Canada. Coco’work has been shown across the Americas and Europe and has received the support of Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council. Coco is the cofounder of Colectivo Pez Luna which explores the intersectionalities between drawing, theatre and queerness. Currently pursuing their MFA at OCAD University, Coco was awarded a SSHRC scholarship for their current research.

Nehal El-Hadi is a writer and researcher whose work explores the relationships between the body (racialised, gendered), place (urban, virtual), and technology (internet, health). As a scholar, my hybrid digital/material research methods are informed by my training and experience as a science and environmental journalist. I advocate for the responsible, accountable, and ethical treatment of user-generated content in the fields of journalism, planning, and healthcare. My writing has appeared in academic journals, general scholarship publications, literary magazines, and is forthcoming in several anthologies and edited collections. I am currently a Visiting Scholar at the City Institute at York University and sessional faculty at the Department of Human Geography, University of Toronto Scarborough.

Founded in 1876, OCAD University is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines.