Stages of becoming/ En contante transformation

HEALING | LUSHNESS | RESTORATION In recovery—Emerging isn’t a linear process, and recov- ery includes as many steps forward as back. Right now, the world faces another hurdle we’ve all become familiar with over the last few years: COVID-19. The pandemic has acted as a sieve, making the world stand still like nothing else has before, separating our fears from our passions, and letting nuances, realizations and new priorities arise. We got in touch with ourselves and our limitations on this Earth. Through an ongoing process of patience, duration and restrictions, stronger spiritualites emerged, accom- panied by a collective call to take care of ourselves and each other. Darkening of the Light (I Ching Hexagram 36)— with stillness and inward movement comes great prog- ress and power. How will we emerge from these trying times? The pandem- ic brought to light many of our society’s flawed and bro- ken systems and, above all, our need for connection, unity and restoration. Our self-care and wellness industries are booming, but how can we restore our exhausted imaginations and taxed nervous systems overwhelmed by statistics, data and crises? How can we face the huge systemic inequalities most of us are well aware of, but that have now been exposed? Emerging from the pandemic is an opportunity to rethink our worlds, realities and fu- tures. First and foremost, there’s restoration. Stages of Becoming is a sensory restoration practice that invites viewers to recalibrate through lush and tactile in- teractive pieces that engage all five senses. In a group exhibition curated by Sabrina Jolicœur and coordinated by Caroline Douville, nine artists will fill and transform Projet Casa’s space with soundscapes, video projects, sculpture and poetry, all with the common goal of encour- aging self-connection. Secondsight’s piece Guiding Lights (2022) is a visual and aural meditation meant to purify the body through movement. Jézabel Plamondon’s sculpture mantel pieces Collection no. 4 (fleurs) (2020–en cours) highlight the ani- mated nature of collected objects with handwritten notes, while A. Khurshid’s nearby love letters cover and blend into the walls. Boris Granche and Cindy Hill individually examine resources, ecology and the weight of materiality. Tania Doumbe Fines’ Mahalea (2021) is a visual prayer and “existential amble to the shores of the self,’’ while Sabrina Jolicœur’s paintings made with Sumi ink are an intrinsical- ly meditative practice. Alicia Mersy’s video collage TOUGH LOVE (2022) acts as an instruction manual for staying “bal- anced and calm in an alienating world.” Sara Graorac’s sculptures or “ethnobotanical paths” provide a lush gar- den that “liquifies the folklore” of her Balkan home, as viewers are invited to receive nurturing from the artist herself with a home-cooked meal on closing night, in col- laboration with Ana Castillo, Nick Rony, Aurora Prelević and Linx Fong Selby. Stages of Becoming is a treat in the middle of winter, a soothing balm for burnout, a ray of hope that projects past this age of recovery into a reconfigured, more com- passionate future. We invite you to come in, enjoy your- self, relax and revitalize, and take something with you along the way. Linx Fong Selby