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Reflecting Pool Chantal New

Thu. November 12th 2020 - Sun. January 3rd 2021 Please see thefiftyfifty.net for up to date hours. Due to Covid 19 there will be no opening reception.
Swimming pools are a space in history that have highlighted racial discrimination and social disadvantage. They have remained a luxury for the white and wealthy and have long been a symbol of the American dream, suburban haven, and a marker of status. In a way, they reflect the entirety of our social systems. Only those who fit a specific social group are able to create lives centred around pleasure and excess.
Today we see how race, class, sexuality, ability, and gender limit people in their access to resources. Systemic racism and discriminatory underfunding have prevented marginalized groups from owning spaces of rest and leisure, such as waterfront land or pools. Proximity to water reveals privilege. In this work, I reflect on my own life that has been shaped by a closeness to bodies of water, man-made and natural. The swimming pool represents this notion and how the nuances of identity determine how easily one accesses resources.

Chantal New is a multimedia artist predominantly working in drawing and installation.
Her work explores the significance of memory and the intersections between cultural and environmental geographies. She currently lives and works on the unceded lands of the Lekwungen, Songhees, and W̱ SÁNEĆ nations, in Victoria, BC.

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Covid - 19 Guidelines
· Only one visitor or household allowed in the gallery at a time. Physical distancing in effect.
· Visitors are asked to wait outside until the gallery sitter opens the door for them.
Thank you for your considerations.

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the fifty fifty arts collective is comprised of individuals living and working on unceded and occupied First Nations Territories, specifically the lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, as well as the W̱SÁNEĆ, Sc'ianew and T'Souke First Nations.
The programming space itself is situated on Songhees and Esquimalt Territory but engages with individuals and communities across Turtle Island.
As a collective we endeavor to deepen our own understandings of how we are implicated in the history and in the present ongoing project of settler colonialism. As members of the fifty fifty arts collective we continually responsibilize ourselves to the complex kind of space that is the fifty fifty which hosts and facilitates the dissemination of the ideas and work of others.

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Accessibility Information:
The entrance to the fifty fifty arts collective is wheelchair accessible, however, the door is not automatic and we have no washrooms on site. A more comprehensive statement regarding our accessibility is in progress, specific questions or requests regarding accessibility can be sent to [email protected]