Fractures and Futures
Jan 24
Feb 15 2025
exhibition in-person
See Details
Free
Feb 15, 2025
4:00pm 6:00pm
30 Wellington Street West, Unit G114, Toronto
Jan 24Fri 12:00pm 6:00pm
Jan 25Sat 12:00pm 6:00pm
Jan 26Sun Closed
Jan 27Mon Closed
Jan 28Tue Closed
Jan 29Wed Closed
Jan 30Thu 12:00pm 6:00pm
Jan 31Fri 12:00pm 6:00pm
Feb 01Sat 12:00pm 6:00pm
Feb 02Sun Closed

‘Fractures and Futures’ is an exhibition of work by Catherine Chan that delves into human entanglements with the more-than-human and the responsibility inherent in these relationships. At once, her medium and subject, rocks and the materials born of them—the substance of geology—represent a layering of experiences and memories traversing epochs of the Earth’s history with more fleeting moments of human experience.

With a background in fine arts as well as biogeography and soil science, recontextualizing and mixing materials of deep time with those made within human timescales offers a method to consider ways of seeing and being that offer an approach and philosophical framework to conceive of the immensity of deep time.

Ultimately concerned with how to live within this moment in Earth’s trajectory, the artworks in this exhibition consider how breaking becomes generative—opening up cracks and shedding light on histories that have been buried or eroded away. By working with fractures, repair, and care, these artworks aim to reveal embedded histories, visualize hope, and comprehend our interwoven relationships with the biotic and abiotic.

Spanning the immediacy of minutes, hours, and days to the vastness of eras, epochs, and eons, the compression of time into the present moment is used as a mode of unearthing the deep past to cast forward into a deep future.

Participants

Catherine Chan

Accessibility

Who should visitors contact with questions regarding accessibility?
Catherine Chan
Is this venue accessible by wheelchair or similar mobility devices? This includes access to washrooms and all aspects of programming/events.
Yes
Can people get to the venue using accessible transit?
Yes
A piece of grey rock with a rough, uneven surface is balanced atop two wooden supports shaped like pyramids. The wooden bases are smooth and light-colored, contrasting with the textured rock.
“Four Billion Years and Counting” (detail of Lockport dolomite)
An art gallery featuring a display of various stones and minerals on white shelves against a plain wall. To the left, there is a large artwork depicting a close-up of smooth, rounded pebbles in shades of grey and beige.
Installation View of “Four Billion Years and Counting” and “My Geology”
A close-up of a hand reaching for a smooth, rounded stone among several others, showcasing various shades of purple and grey with distinct golden lines running through them. The hand appears to have a silver ring and a natural nail finish, emphasizing the tactile interaction with the stones.
"My Geology" (detail)
A close-up of a hand reaching for a smooth, rounded stone among several others, showcasing various shades of purple and grey with distinct golden lines running through them. The hand appears to have a silver ring and a natural nail finish, emphasizing the tactile interaction with the stones.
“Philopatry II” (detail)
A vertical strip showcasing a variety of textured geologic materials and a metallic gold edge.
“Prototype for a Perfect Future II” (detail)
A rough-textured rock tied with a thick rope hangs from the ceiling, with the rope anchored to a ceiling fixture.
“Wishing Well”