Deadline: 3 March 2014, 5:00pm

There’s little doubt that “do what you love” (DWYL) is now the unofficial work mantra for our time. The problem is that it leads not to salvation, but to the devaluation of actual work, including the very work it pretends to elevate — and more importantly, the dehumanization of the vast majority of laborers.  

– Miya Tokumitsu, Issue 13, Jacobin Magazine.

In partnership with gallerywest in Toronto, SAVAC is pleased to announce an open call for its 8th annual juried members’ exhibition, Work It.. For this exhibition, SAVAC invites proposals for critical and innovative artworks that explore issues surrounding the topic of art and labour.

Potential themes include, but are not limited to: precarity, gendered labour, art production in the time of austerity, working to survive vs. ‘doing what you Love (DWYL)’.

SAVAC, an artist-run centre based in Toronto plays a unique role in promoting contemporary visual art by South Asian identified artists within Canada. The annual juried members’ exhibition is a platform to showcase the broad range and scope of critically engaged artwork being produced by artists from SAVAC’s membership, and invites new members to join and submit work for the annual exhibition.

Become a SAVAC member for $30/year, here.

Submissions can cover all formats including painting, drawing, print-making, photography, sculpture, performance, film, video, sound and new media installations. Submissions will be juried SAVAC’s Artistic Director, Sharlene Bamboat, gallerywest owner and program director, Evan Tyler, special guest jurors Min Sook Lee (filmmaker) and Amber Landgraff (curator/artist).

The exhibition will take place at gallerywest (1172 Queen Street West) in Toronto from 1 – 29 June, 2014.

Guidelines

Works must be produced during or after January 2012. Submissions from emerging artists, and students are welcome. Artist fees will be paid.

Submissions must include the following:

– Name of artist
– Full contact information (address, phone, email, website)
– Title of work
– Dimensions of work
– Date of production (No earlier than January 2012)
– Brief synopsis of the work (300 words max)
– Brief biography of the artist (200 words max)
– Artist CV 6-10 high-resolution images (300 dpi, at least 5 inches wide)

Video submissions can be sent via email with a URL link to the artist/director’s YouTube / vimeo account (please provide passwords if necessary). Digital submissions should be sent to submissions@savac.net and must follow the format: ANNUALMEMBERSHOW2014_ARTISTLASTNAME. Submissions can be sent via post to:

SAVAC – “Work It.” Exhibition 
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 450
Toronto, ON Canada M5V 3A8 

All deliveries from international participants must be marked: “NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”. Please do not claim any monetary value over $50 on your package for insurance or otherwise or you will be charged customs, duties and taxes. All submissions must be sent prepaid. SAVAC will not accept collect or C.O.D. shipments and will not accept shipments incurring expenses for duties, taxes or customs brokerage.

Deadline: 3 March 2014, 5:00pm 

Questions?
Contact Sharlene Bamboat, Artistic Director
sharlene@savac.net or 416-542-1661