The Language of Flowers: Karen Azoulay Artist Talk

The Language of Flowers: Artist Talk & Workshop with Karen Azoulay
Wednesday, June 26,[masked]:30 p.m.

Onsite Gallery
199 Richmond St. West

Join Brooklyn-based artist Karen Azoulay for a talk and interactive experience that will explore the symbolism of flowers.

Two-part event:
- Artist talk starts at 6:30 p.m.—no registration required
- Workshop will begin at approximately 7:15 p.m.—currently at capacity, click this link to join the waitlist: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-language-of-flowers-artist-talk-workshop-with-karen-azoulay-tickets-62262831806

This two-part event starts with an artist talk by Karen Azoulay, focused on the influence that flower symbology has played in her practice. Floriography, also known as the language of flowers, is a form of communication that was popular in Victorian times. Botanical species were assigned sentimental meanings that were collected in exhaustive dictionaries, the blooms’ symbolism varying in tone from the sweet (Ivy Geranium conveying the gallant request “Your hand for the next dance?”) to the melodramatic (Vibernum declaring “I die if neglected”) and the downright combative (a dried white rose indicating “death before dishonor”). A thoughtfully curated bouquet could thus deliver a layered poetic memo, which the recipient would be required to decipher.

Following the artist talk is a hands-on zine-making workshop with the artist. Participants will work from a custom deck of cards designed by Karen Azoulay. The random assortment of cards drawn by each participant will create a “flower bouquet” which will guide the composition of a poem. Each poem will be combined to create a zine that participants can take home.

Karen Azoulay is an interdisciplinary artist who works within the intersection of performance and sculpture in order to explore earth-elements and the female form. Solo exhibitions include CUE Art Foundation in New York (curated by Glenn Ligon); Four Gallery in Dublin; Mercer Union in Toronto, Primetime in Brooklyn, Dose Projects in Brooklyn and Drew University in Madison, NJ. Her work has been featured and reviewed in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, C Magazine, ReadyMade and Vogue. Her installations and performances include commissions for institutions such as The Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian Art Magazine, and The Power Plant in Toronto as well as Art in General in New York. Recent exhibitions include Simone DeSousa Gallery in Detroit and Erin Stump Projects in Toronto. Her publication 'Flowers and Their Meanings, a guide for deciphering' was launched at The Perennial, a group show that she curated within The Grecian Shelter in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Onsite Gallery is the flagship professional gallery of OCAD U and an experimental curatorial platform for art, design and new media. Visit our website for upcoming public events. The gallery is located at 199 Richmond St. W, Toronto, ON, M5V 0H4. Telephone:[masked], ext. 265. Opening hours are: Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Free admission.