Lot
24
A Border Passage
Inkjet print, 2019
60.3 x 75.6 cm
1/5
Estimate
$2 200
Yours to Discover (2019–ongoing) looks at found photographs of Naqvi’s family visiting popular tourist destinations in Ontario as a means of understanding and re-examining commonly accepted ideals of Canadian culture. The images in the forefront are of Naqvi’s family, taken in the late 1980s when they were considering immigration to Canada.
Naqvi examines three sites and the way they have been staged to educate the public on Canadian ideals and values. Niagara Falls portrays the superior force of Canadian natural phenomena; the CN Tower represents technological and architectural advancement; and Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village offers miniature examples of “ideal” models of Canadian communities.
Biographical note
Zinnia Naqvi is an interdisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto/Toronto. She examines issues of colonialism, cultural translation, language, and gender through the use of photography, video, the written word, and archival material. Recent projects have included archival and re-staged images, experimental documentary films, video installations, graphic design, and elaborate still-lifes. Her artworks often invite the viewer to question her position and working methods.
Naqvi’s work has been shown across Canada and internationally. She is a recipient of the 2019 New Generation Photography Award organized by the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada and was awarded an honourable mention at the 2017 Karachi Biennale in Pakistan. She is a member of EMILIA-AMALIA Working Group, an intergenerational feminist collective. She received a BFA in photography studies from X University and an MFA in studio arts from Concordia University. Recent solo exhibitions were presented at Dazibao and Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain in Montreal. Her work is in private and public collections, including the Scotiabank Fine Art Collection.