Curatorial Talk with Erandy Vergara-Vargas

Please join us for a talk with curator and researcher Erandy Vergara-Vargas on Monday, March 6 at 2 - 3 pm, in the Stanford Perrott Lecture Theatre, at the Alberta University of the Arts.

Erandy Vergara-Vargas (MX/CA) curates, teaches and writes on contemporary and media arts. She is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications, MacEwan University. Her main research interests include global art histories, climate responsibility, curatorial studies, equity, internet cultures and widespread bias in algorithms.

She earned a MA at Concordia University and a PhD in Art History at McGill University. Recent shows include: Through Secrets: The Art of Creating Spaces Between the Lines (Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal, December 2022); Eco(Systems) of Hope (MTL Connect, Montreal, October 2022); Eva and Franco Mattes: What Has Been Seen (Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain, November 2019-March 2020); Speculative Cultures: A Virtual Reality Art Exhibition, curated with Tina Sauerländer (Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery, Parsons School of Design, New York, March 2019). She recently joined the ISEA International Board as Chair.

This talk revolves around Erandy Vergara-Vargas's research and curatorial practice on gender, support systems, secrets and algorithms. The presentation will focus on the ways in which art history methods such as feminism and queer phenomenologies catalyze theoretical formulations and exhibitions of contemporary Canadian and international artists. Among other questions, the presentation will explore: How do contemporary artists and thinkers engage with pressing contemporary issues like climate change? What is the inherent difference between what artists produce versus tech developers or scientists and why does this difference matter? How can speculative and action-led projects shape the future?

Open to all!

Photography courtesy Steven Stefaniuk