The Vancouver Art Gallery is pleased to present: NEXT: Provisional Structures: Carmen Papalia with Co-Conspirators, a new project by Carmen Papalia and his co-conspirators that centres disability cultures within the Gallery.

For Papalia, the process of making spaces accessible to a broader cross-section of the public is inherently creative and works created by the artist are often a means to test, model and share his ideas about accessibility. At the centre of the exhibition is an ambitious architectural installation created by the artist in collaboration with local architect Michael Lis. The piece is comprised of a large acoustic dome that visitors can enter, encircled by tall, wooden towers. The structure appears to be temporarily and briskly constructed, giving tangible form to Papalia’s notion of a model for accessibility that can rise spontaneously in response to the given needs of a group.

In the artist’s words, “Provisional Structures is at once an installation, an institutional intervention and a call to action that serves as a platform for disabled artists, curators and cultural workers by requiring the institutions that exhibit it to dedicate time, space and resources to the development of the systems necessary to hold disability culture and artistry in its wholeness.”

In keeping with the principles of Papalia’s practice, the artist has also invited a group of co-conspirators to support and generously share ideas that resonate and relate to disability justice and social cohesion. Works by participating artists including Sharona Franklin and Heather Kai Smith complement and poetically extend some of the themes and ideas within Papalia’s practice. Rebel Fayola Rose and the collaborative duo, The Curiosity Paradox, both access advocates and artists will be participating in the exhibition through a series of public programs and performances. Details on the activities and dates will be available in the coming weeks.

Public engagement and programming are key components of the exhibition and workshops, talks and discussions will be held during the exhibition throughout its duration. Additional resources are also available on the Gallery’s app.

“In working with Carmen Papalia and Co-Conspirators, the Vancouver Art Gallery welcomes audiences to consider the possibilities of art as a non-visual experience,” said Anthony Kiendl, CEO & Director of Vancouver Art Gallery. “This exhibition is an example of contemporary art as a language that exceeds the visual – it is clearly about challenging ways of thinking and ideas. At the same time, the project introduces other voices and narratives from the contemporary disability movement. This creates not only an important but vital and relevant environment for the public to experience. We are very excited to be a hub for people to gather over the coming weeks of the exhibition.”