The Future Worldings exhibit at Griffin Art Projects brings together a diverse group of international artists to explore the intricate themes of identity, displacement and cultural belonging in an ever-evolving world. Among these artists are South African multidisciplinary artist Wezile Harmans and Canadian-based artist Sun Forest, whose works invite visitors to engage in a deep, reflective dialogue about the future.

For Wezile Harmans, participation in Future of Worldings feels like the culmination of a long, thoughtful process.

“We started during lockdown, talking online, and now it’s happening in reality,” he says.

The environment of our future

Known for his exploration of the relationships between humans and the spaces they inhabit, Harmans contributes pieces from his series – Locating Spaces of Agency: Chapter One, recently exhibited in Cape Town. These works involve cursive writing on rice paper with red acrylic overlays, inspired by conversations he had during the project.

“The cursive writing is taken from those conversations, but when you come closer, you cannot read it. There are things that are very personal, meant to be known only by specific people,” he explains, emphasizing the need to preserve personal and community narratives within his art.

Harmans also brings work from his Do Not Trust the Borders series, which maps unresolved political cases using coordinates and creates landscapes from coffee and tea. His art reflects a deep engagement with the dynamics of formal and informal spaces, particularly in how they affect marginalized communities.

“The TRC [The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission] often forced people to apologize in unfamiliar spaces, which didn’t always allow for true healing,” he adds, contrasting this with the more organic, informal settings where communities find comfort and healing.

On the other side of the exhibit, Sun Forest approaches the themes of Future Worldings from a perspective that combines art with activism, particularly focusing on sustainability and the creation of protective spaces. Forest’s work is rooted in the development of “counter-surveillance cloaking devices tied to finding shelter, care, and rest for the wearer.”

These devices are crafted not only to reclaim agency from ‘hypervisibility,’ but also to provide a sense of physical and emotional recovery. Her installations, which utilize ‘biomaterials’ such as seaweed and milk protein, challenge the industrial processes often associated with sustainability.

“Biomaterials are essentially compostable materials that are fully able to reintegrate back into the earth without industrial intervention,” Forest says, stressing the importance of creating materials that artists can make in their kitchens and later compost.

Forest’s contribution to the exhibit extends beyond the materiality of her work to a broader commentary on how art can envision better futures, a sentiment which aligns with her focus on sustainability, a growing theme in her work over the past few years.

“Through material and visual art practice, we can imagine better worlds for ourselves and for each other,” she adds.

Both Harmans and Forest see Future Worldings as an opportunity to engage in meaningful collaboration with other artists, despite the differences in their individual practices.

“Collaboration comes in different forms,” Harmans notes. “Even if our subjects aren’t the same, there’s a connection we share as artists.”

Forest echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the interconnectedness of their work within the exhibit.

“There are certainly lots of overlaps and interconnections that are happening between all of us, which is really exciting to be part of,” she says.

Future Worldings runs from Sept. 28 to Dec. 15 at Griffin Art Projects.

For more information about the exhibit, visit: www.griffinartprojects.ca/exhibitions/future-worldings