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foreward

Francisco-Fernando Granados

Exhibition

December 4 - January 15, 2023

foreward

/ˈfɔːwɜːd/: a short introduction at the beginning of a book, usually by a person other than the author (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary) 

In dialogue with Anchor Point, foreword is imagined as an extended solo exhibition occupying the in-between spaces of the MacLaren for a year. Francisco-Fernando Granados will use abstraction as a means to open up conversations on place, history, and the way forward for cultural practices in the region. The project consists of site-specific wall drawings, a series of preparatory studies to be entered into the gallery’s collection/archive, and a free takeaway publication for the residents of Barrie. 

The wall drawings, imagined as architectural interventions that frame the exhibitions will be installed over the course of the Winter/Summer/Fall. Throughout the year, the MacLaren’s curatorial team will engage in a dialogue with the local community, shaping the course of the next show and informing the intuitions for foreword. This process of dialogue will be reflected in a series of preparatory drawings that will be mailed to the gallery and will enter the MacLaren’s permanent collection. Based on the visual material developed over the course of the year, a free takeaway publication will be created and offered to gallery visitors. 

Francisco-Fernando Granados is a Toronto-based artist and writer. His practice extends from performance and drawing into a range of media that includes site-specific installation, moving image, text, public and participatory projects. He uses abstraction as a conceptual strategy to challenge perceptions regarding the stability of identity categories.  Born in the midst of the Guatemalan Civil War, his experience of coming to Canada as a refugee informs the aesthetics and politics of his practice. His work develops from the intersection of traditional formal training in painting and printmaking, studies in cultural theory, early activism with newcomer youth communities, and working through artist-run culture.

Exhibition

December 4 - January 15, 2023

foreward

/ˈfɔːwɜːd/: a short introduction at the beginning of a book, usually by a person other than the author (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary) 

In dialogue with Anchor Point, foreword is imagined as an extended solo exhibition occupying the in-between spaces of the MacLaren for a year. Francisco-Fernando Granados will use abstraction as a means to open up conversations on place, history, and the way forward for cultural practices in the region. The project consists of site-specific wall drawings, a series of preparatory studies to be entered into the gallery’s collection/archive, and a free takeaway publication for the residents of Barrie. 

The wall drawings, imagined as architectural interventions that frame the exhibitions will be installed over the course of the Winter/Summer/Fall. Throughout the year, the MacLaren’s curatorial team will engage in a dialogue with the local community, shaping the course of the next show and informing the intuitions for foreword. This process of dialogue will be reflected in a series of preparatory drawings that will be mailed to the gallery and will enter the MacLaren’s permanent collection. Based on the visual material developed over the course of the year, a free takeaway publication will be created and offered to gallery visitors. 

Francisco-Fernando Granados is a Toronto-based artist and writer. His practice extends from performance and drawing into a range of media that includes site-specific installation, moving image, text, public and participatory projects. He uses abstraction as a conceptual strategy to challenge perceptions regarding the stability of identity categories.  Born in the midst of the Guatemalan Civil War, his experience of coming to Canada as a refugee informs the aesthetics and politics of his practice. His work develops from the intersection of traditional formal training in painting and printmaking, studies in cultural theory, early activism with newcomer youth communities, and working through artist-run culture.