An exhibition in Gallery I, August 3 – September 16, 2022

Vernissage/Meet the Artist: Saturday August 20, 2pm-4pm. Please see registration information below.

From August 3 to September 16, Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to present JIHANE MOSSALIM: ABOUT TIME, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Montreal-based artist Jihane Mossalim. The exhibition can be seen in-person during our regular Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays 11am-5pm, and Sundays 11am-4pm.

In this new body of work, Jihane Mossalim explores past, present, and future, and the illusion of time. The paintings are inspired by old family pictures and strangers’ discarded photographs. “Photographs of people have always fascinated me”, she says. “As a child, I often spent hours rummaging through old albums and shoe-boxes full of family photos.” The paintings offer a glimpse into a warped timeline where fragments of past eras blend in with the present, and where the present blends in with the future and the past. The resulting works appear foreign and familiar at the same time, evoking an eerie intimacy.

The artist has also associated elements of augmented reality (AR) with some of the works, which will be accessible for in-person viewers via an app on a smartphone in the Gallery. The augmented reality components are intended to provide the viewer with a deeper understanding of the person being depicted in the portrait or add an element of surprise, going beyond the physicality of the painting. In Portrait of an Artist we can see and hear the artist giving us a tour of his workplace. In L1, V1 and Portrait of a Scientist, the subject comes alive, ghost-like with an added music component. In First Birthday and Lady in Red, the artist has taken old footage from 8mm film and added it to the augmented reality component.

Born in Montreal, Jihane Mossalim received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with specialization in Art Education at Concordia University. Her work explores memory, at both the individual and group level. Family traditions, childhood, and institutions all serve as settings where her characters mingle and interact. Her works have been exhibited in Canada, the United States, and Portugal. She has also created works for international horror and fantasy publications. In 2018, she received the Glencross Family Award in Art Education from Concordia University. In addition to her studio practice in Montreal, she also serves as the Fine Arts Director of the Convergence Initiative, a non-profit organization that helps promote neuroscience, the arts, and the collaboration between these two fields.

Vernissage/Meet the Artist: Saturday August 20, 2pm-4pm. Meet Jihane Mossalim at our in-person vernissage on Saturday August 20, 2pm-4pm. Please note: for everyone’s comfort and enjoyment, the Gallery is voluntarily limiting the capacity for our in-person events. We will have a maximum of 30 people, including Gallery staff, at any one time at this event. Please email [email protected] to register for either the first hour (2pm-3pm) or the second hour (3pm-4pm) of the vernissage. We will reply to confirm your registration. We look forward to seeing you!

Contact the Gallery: Call 613-256-8033 or email [email protected] for queries about the works below. For availability and pricing information, visit our Virtual Gallery under “New Arrivals: Gallery I“.