Jim Drobnick and Jennifer Fisher\u2019s latest curatorial project, Archives by Artists<\/em>,explored the heterogeneous \u201carchival turn\u201d in art practices by gathering multiples and artists\u2019 books by twenty-nine national and international contemporary artists engaged with this theme. Sourced from the curators\u2019 own shared collection, the items were presented in a series of ten sleek, black glass-top vitrines, transforming Galerie UQO into a literal archive of archives.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Drobnick and Fisher argue that multiples, particularly due to their sometimes unlimited quantity, mobilize their own potential by giving more individuals access to archival materials, in keeping with the conception of an archive as a locus for research and knowledge production. Visitors to the exhibition were given various opportunities to engage with these diverse works, which undoubtedly compelled many to undertake further investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The content of the exhibition was organized into six categories that included biographical, autobiographical, fictional, and conceptual works; works that focused on art world controversies; interventions that addressed gaps in official archives; and unconventional archives. Even though most works were of an idiosyncratic nature, those identified by Drobnick and Fisher as unconventional truly expanded the parameters of the archive beyond traditional documents and photographs. Vicky Sabourin\u2019s What the Fragrant Lilies are Trying to Cover Up <\/em>(2021), an exceptional example of this, comprises a box containing various items related to Sabourin\u2019s recently deceased family members, including personal effects such as a handkerchief and a shoe insole, as well as custom-made scents that evoke the relatives\u2019 households. Assembled as part of her grieving process, these ephemera, foregrounding touch and smell as fundamental constituents of knowledge, were made available for visitors to experience, along with other selections from the exhibition, at a research station set up within the gallery. By handling these materials, one could gain more intimate insight into the artists\u2019 projects. Although giving direct access to the materials otherwise behind glass was the best strategy for engagement, several more methods were deployed. At a computer station, visitors could sort through various files assembled by Dora Garcia for her project Mad Marginal Archives<\/em> (2011) and perhaps be inspired to extend her research on the relationship between art and madness. Videos related to projects by Nick Cave and Carlos Soto Rom\u00e1n were on monitors in the space, adding sound and moving images to the exhibition experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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