The Upper Side of the Sky
The Upper Side of the Sky
A solo exhibition by Jawa El Khash, recipient of the 2019 InterAccess Media Arts Prize
January 15 – February 15, 2020
InterAccess is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Damascus-born, Toronto-based multimedia artist Jawa El Khash. Through digital world-building, El Khash considers the interrelation of political and geographic displacement, archiving, and botany. In this exhibition, the artist presents her virtual reality work The Upper Side of the Sky, an immersive environment that resurrects ancient ruins and plant life lost to civil war in Palmyra, Syria. Using Unity, Houdini, and 3Ds Max, El Khash explores the tensions between digital technologies’ capacity to destroy and preserve life. Positioning this VR environment and associated research materials as an archive, El Khash’s digitally reimagined Palmyra is designed to aid cultural-historical memory of this place for future generations.
Jawa El Khash is the recipient of the 2019 InterAccess Media Arts Prize. For over twenty years this award has been granted annually to a graduating Integrated Media student at OCAD University whose work exhibits excellence and innovation in new media practice.
Opening Reception
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
7-9PM
ABOUT JAWA EL KHASH
Jawa El Khash (b. 1995, Damascus) is a multidisciplinary artist that uses virtual reality, holography and painting to investigate nature, architecture, and immigrant refugee cul-ture. By collecting and rendering digital materials, El Khash constructs and reimagines realms for lost cultural relics, oral traditions, and concepts. Recent exhibitions include "The Upper Side of The Sky" at Crutch CAC (2019), Digital Deserts at Kit & Ace (2018), and "Liminal Forms" at the OCAD University Graduate Gallery (2018).
Founded in 1983, InterAccess is a non-profit gallery, educational facility, production studio, and festival dedicated to emerging practices in art and technology. Our programs support art forms that integrate technology, fostering and supporting the full cycle of art and artistic practice through education, production, and exhibition. InterAccess is regarded as a preeminent Canadian arts and technology centre.
Contact
950 Dupont St., Unit 1
Toronto ON M6H 1Z2
416-532-0597
Hours
Gallery: Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 6pm
Open until 8pm every Wednesday
Admission is always free
Studio: 24/7 access for members
Open Studio: Wednesday 6pm – 9pm for everyone
Accessibility Information
We regret that at this time InterAccess does not have barrier-free access; we are currently working to improve the accessibility of all facilities.
There are five steps up to the main entrance, which has double doors. The steps do not have handrails. Once inside all facilities are on the same level. There is a single-user washroom inside the unit.
