What really, is domestic space? How and why is it important? Why does the topic of domestic space—houses and homes and gardens and their domestic interiors and objects—inspire artists and writers? You’re invited to join Kathy Mezei on Thursday, June 2 at 7:30pm for a tour through the Surrey Art Gallery’s three Dwelling exhibitions: Yam Lau: Room, Sitely Premises, and Domestic Lives. Entitled Representing Domesticities, her presentation will address the ways domestic space and “the history of household life” are represented in visual art, and some of the challenges, contradictions, and gratifications these representations invoke for the artist and the viewer.
Mezei will talk about specific artworks in the exhibitions in relation to the extensive writing and research she has done on the topic of domestic space. Admission to this event is free.
Mezei is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Humanities at Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC. She has published books and many articles on translation studies, domestic space, Canadian and Québécois literature, narrative theory, modern British women writers. Most recent is The Domestic Space Reader, a collection of essays on the history and different aspects of domestic space, forthcoming from University of Toronto Press. She was a co-founding editor of the feminist journal, Tessera and is part of a research group on domestic space in Vancouver called The Home Invaders.
There will be time for questions and conversation. The event concludes by 9pm. Refreshments are provided. This event is presented by the Surrey Art Gallery Association in partnership with the Surrey Art Gallery, and with support from the Arts Council of Surrey.
Surrey Art Gallery is located at 13750 88 Ave. Call 604-501-5566 or check www.surrey.ca/arts