Diagrams of Power showcases the politics of data visualization

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Opening July 11, Onsite Gallery’s newest exhibition, Diagrams of Power,features art and design works that use data, diagrams, maps and visualizations to challenge dominant narratives and support the resilience of marginalized communities. 

The expansive exhibition features the work of eighteen prominent artists, designers, researchers, cartographers, activists and collectives: Joshua Akers, The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, Josh Begley, Joseph Beuys, Vincent Brown, Bureau d'études, Department of Unusual Certainties, W. E. B. Du Bois, Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, Forensic Architecture, Iconoclasistas, Julie Mehretu, Lize Mogel, Ogimaa Mikana, Margaret Pearce, Laura Poitras, Philippe Rekacewicz and Visualizing Impact.

Curated by Patricio Dávila, Associate Professor in OCAD University’s Faculty of Design, the exhibition makes visible both ‘what’ gets represented, and ‘who’ is doing the representing. “Maps, diagrams and visualizations are both artifacts and processes — they are tools that tell a story,” said Dávila. “They create ways to bring people and objects together in the telling of that story, with the outcomes made available to be viewed and inspected, and also performed so they can be heard and felt. Each creator uses this mode to tell inconvenient stories that upset and resist the status quo.”

Diagrams of Power opens with a free, public reception on Wednesday, July 11 from 6 to 9 p.m., and continues through to the early morning of September 30, 2018, including the evening of Nuit Blanche Toronto (Saturday, September 29, 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Sunday, September 30). 

A complete list of participating creator biographies is available at https://www2.ocadu.ca/event/diagrams-of-power.

About Onsite Gallery
Onsite Gallery (www.ocadu.ca/onsite) is the flagship professional gallery of OCAD University, and an experimental curatorial platform for art, design and new media. The gallery is located at 199 Richmond St. W, Toronto, ON. Telephone: 416-977-6000, ext. 265. Opening hours are: Wednesdays from noon to 8pm; Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 7pm; Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 pm.

Support
Diagrams of Power is produced with the support of OCAD University's Faculty of Design Office, Public Visualization Lab, Multi Touch Digital, Microsoft and Nexus Investments.

Diagram of Power's public workshops and research engagement events are supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Onsite Gallery gratefully acknowledges that the new gallery construction was funded in part by the Government of Canada's Canada Cultural Spaces Fund at Canadian Heritage, the City of Toronto through a Section 37 agreement and Aspen Ridge Homes. Gallery furniture was supplied by Nienkämper. The Onsite Gallery logo was created by Dean Martin Design.

About OCAD University (OCAD U)
OCAD University (www.ocadu.ca) is Canada’s university of the imagination. Founded in 1876, the university is dedicated to art, design and digital media education, practice and research, and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. 

Media inquiries:

Sarah Mulholland
OCAD U Communications
416-977-6000 x1327
smulholland@ocadu.ca