Join acclaimed Canadian artists Shary Boyle and Jillian Tamaki for a special “in conversation” event reflecting on Shary Boyle: How We Are, and the ideas that shape their expansive practices. Known for work that moves fluidly across sculpture, drawing, and installation, Boyle, and celebrated writer and artist Jillian Tamaki will speak about their creative process, the language of drawing, and the themes that animate their work. Sit in on a dynamic dialogue exploring art, storytelling, and the role of creative practice in responding to the state of the world today.

Shary Boyle’s multidisciplinary work considers the social history of ceramic figures, animist mythologies, antiquated technologies and folk-art forms to create a symbolic, feminist and politically charged language uniquely her own. Her practice is activated through collaboration and mentorship, engaging other creative communities and makers with a characteristically inclusive spirit. Boyle represented Canada with her project Music for Silence at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, her sculptures were featured at the 2017 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in South Korea, and she created a commissioned video work for the 2021 Kaunas Biennial in Lithuania. Shary Boyle is the recipient of Canada’s Hnatyshyn Foundation Award, the Gershon Iskowitz Prize, and holds a 2021 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design University. Her most recent solo exhibition Outside the Palace of Me was organized by Toronto’s Gardiner Museum and traveled to The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2022), the Vancouver Art Gallery (2023), the Museum of Art and Design in NYC (2023/24), and the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina (2024).

Jillian Tamaki is a cartoonist and illustrator who grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. She has been a professional artist since 2003, after graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design. Her work spans a wide range of mediums, including comics, picture books, editorial illustration, and teaching at SVA and Parsons in New York City. Alongside her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, she co-created the young adult graphic novels Skim and This One Summer, which received a Governor General’s Award and a Caldecott Honor. She is the author of SuperMutant Magic Academy, a collection of her webcomic about eccentric mutant teenagers, which is currently being adapted into a television series for Adult Swim, as well as Boundless, a collection of short comics for adults. Her most recent book, Roaming, was co-created with Mariko Tamaki and published in Fall 2023.

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