Narrative: how to use your powers in an ethical fashion
Mona Sharma and Afshin Matlabi

Discussion : Saturday, January 14, 4 pm - 5.30 pm

This discussion will focus on Mona Sharma’s ongoingseries The Loss and Reclamation of Faith, currently on exhibition at articule.  Mona Sharma and Afshin Matlabi will look at how the ability to transmit stories affects both artistic practice and daily life. They will examine research by other artists and the various narrative forms present in the work of Mona Sharma.

The discussion will be held in English. French translation will be available upon request.

Mona Sharma
As a Montrealer whose family emigrated from India in the early 80s, the duality of my cultural background has maintained as a crucial inspiration in my practice. In a broad sense my work has evolved into an investigation of ownership in terms of identity. It does not only deal with seizing control over who we are, but it also examines the circumstances in which we relinquish that control. It is about erecting characters and backdrops which reveal, mislead and build towards a golden moment when viewers realize their role in shaping, supporting or suppressing those around them. By presenting specific investigations into both personal and broader historical events, I hope to encourage a more critical understanding of how we form as individuals and how we function as a society. Presently, my work manifests itself in graphic illustration and soft sculpture, two mediums whose accessible exteriors lend themselves well to subversive acts.

Afshin Matlabi is a Montreal-based visual artist who works in drawing, print media, video, and digital imaging.  He has a Master of Fine Arts from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Ryerson Polytechnic University.  He has taken numerous art courses at Emily Carr College of Art and Design and Ontario College of Art and Design, as well as private apprenticeship in arts in Tehran, Iran.  Since 2001, he has taught in the Visual Arts department at Vanier College in Montreal.  Matlabi has exhibited at MAI and Optica (Montreal), YYZ Artist Outlet (Toronto), MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina), Aceartinc. (Winnipeg), and Art Gallery of Calgary.  He is born in Tehran, Iran.

image: Mona Sharma, Air India (detail), 2010