April 1st- April 6th, 2014

Closing Reception: Saturday, April 5th 6-9 p.m. Room 265 100 McCaul

Guest Lecture: Morgan Mavis, Tuesday April 1st, 1-3 p.m. Room 187 at 100 McCaul

The exhibition Proximity to Animals investigates the varying degrees of proximity between humans and animals. Installed in OCAD Universitys Glass Box Gallery the exhibition features works by four contemporary artists: Nader Hasan Toronto, Rob MacInnis N.Y., Amy Swartz Toronto, and Janice Wright Cheney New Brunswick and is curated by Criticism and Curatorial Practice student Caitlin Gill.

Proximity to Animals critically engages with the framework of the natural history museum and the zoo, in order to better understand our complex relationship with animals as humans. Investigating these institutions and the theoretical construction of meaning imposed onto the animal bodies within them, Proximity to Animals poses questions about the illusion of nature reinforced by these cultural spaces. The exhibition serves as a platform to explore the dynamic bond people have to the natural world and elaborates on John Bergers paradox of the physically close, yet conceptually distant animal.

Please Note: This exhibition may be offensive to some viewers. However, no live animals were harmed in the production of the exhibited artworks. All bodies presented have been found/gathered already dead/decaying, and have been handled and worked on in an ethical and conscientious manner.