Cover art for the UK edition of When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen. Published by Bloodaxe Books.

I answered some questions by the thoughtful Ethan Murphy for Public Parking.

Veronika Pausova, Jacuzzi, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Simon Subal Gallery, New York.

If I have a body
May 31 – September 2, 2019

Remai Modern, Saskatoon
102 Spadina Crescent East

If I have a body presents new and recent work by six Canadian artists: Shuvinai Ashoona, Steven Beckly, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Laurie Kang, Veronika Pausova and Dominique Rey. The title, drawn from a poem by Belcourt, considers the body as a proposition, an unstable form shaped by imagination, desire, vulnerability and exchange. The artists are brought together in dynamic pairings, creating dialogue between their works.

The artists in this exhibition share an interest in the body as a vehicle for synthesis and transformation. Rather than a singular, stable entity, the body is unresolved and contingent, a fragmented collection of feelings, expectations, and circumstances.

Organized by Rose Bouthillier, Curator (Exhibitions); Sandra Fraser, Curator (Collections); and Troy Gronsdahl, Associate Curator (Live Programs).

https://remaimodern.org/program/exhibitions/exhibition/if-i-have-a-body

The Photobook Lab: On Longevity
25 May 2019, 3 – 4 pm

Scrap Metal
11 Dublin St Unit E (Alleyway access beside 7 Dublin St)

Toronto Photobook Library’s Zackery Hobler invites artists Steven Beckly, Seth Fluker, Cristian Ordóñez, Bianca Salvo, and Josée Schryer to articulate what makes a lasting photobook. Each artist will offer a unique perspective drawing from their own practice as bookmakers. Reception to follow, hosted by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.

Supported by Dara and Marvin Singer.

https://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/event/the-photobook-lab-on-longevity/
http://www.scrapmetalgallery.com/archive/scotiabank-contact-photography-festival-the-photobook-lab/

Summer Camp
May 10 – July 1, 2019

Opening reception: Friday May 10, 6 – 9 pm
Remarks at 7:30 pm

SPAO Centre
77 Pamilla Street, Ottawa

On May 10, 2019, from 6 pm to 9 pm, join us at the SPAO Centre – School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa for the opening reception of the 2019 CANADIANA exhibition Summer Camp. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada, the exhibition features lens-based artworks produced over the last five decades by LGBTQ2+ artists from across the country. The exhibition is co-curated by SPAO Gallery Manager Michael Davidge and Creative Director Jonathan Hobin in consultation with a wide range of Canadian curators and artists.

Hobin states, “The incredible input we got from across Canada guided us as we put together this amazing showcase of established artists like Kent Monkman and Evergon as well as emerging artists like Dayna Danger and B.G-Osborne.” Highlighting camp as both a sensibility and a site in the Canadian landscape, the exhibition also features works by Steven Beckly, David Buchan, Colin Campbell, Shawna Dempsey & Lorri Millan, Michelle Mohabeer and Paul Wong. A text by art writer and curator Daniella Sanader accompanies the exhibition.

http://spao.ca/gallery

Cover and portfolio in the latest issue of BlackFlash with an introduction by editor Maxine Proctor.

Steven Beckly:
Love S.O.S.

Centre3, Hamilton
173 James St. North

February 23 – April 6, 2019
Opening reception: Friday March 8, 7 – 10 pm

Curated by Sally Frater

Centre3 is pleased to present Love S.O.S., a new installation by Toronto-based artist and photographer Steven Beckly. Over the past 8 years, Beckly has produced hundreds of images. Cultivating moments of closeness and intimacy, he approaches photography as both a personal and a social practice, an act that connects rather than distances, feels rather than explains.

In Love S.O.S., Beckly’s images are assembled in a slideshow of almost 400 photographs. A multiplicity of encounters, they form a spectrum of interactions shaped by the artist’s desire for connection with his surrounding world. Accompanying Beckly’s slideshow is an evocative soundtrack of love songs, featuring tracks by Leonard Cohen, Daft Punk and Tina Turner, among others. Selected for their varied perspectives on love, these voices reflect on matters of the heart against Beckly’s shifting imagery. In one corner of the gallery, visitors are invited to leave their suggestions for love songs, adding to the project’s growing playlist. Continuous and mutable, Beckly’s project frames intimacy as an endless and interrelated process of transformation. Set against a contemporary world undergoing dramatic change, Love S.O.S. operates as an emergency call to reconsider the poetic and political dimensions of intimacy.

Presented with generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

http://centre3.com/exhibition/love-s-o-s/

Installation view, Love S.O.S., Centre3, Hamilton (Photo: Andrew Butkevicius)

Reframing Doris McCarthy: A Symposium on the Life and Work of Doris McCarthy

Doris McCarthy Gallery
University of Toronto, Scarborough

Sat, November 17, 2018
9 am – 6 pm

Join us for a free, one-day, public symposium exploring fresh perspectives on the life and work of Doris McCarthy.

Keynote by: Erin Silver

Presentations by: Steven Beckly, Jan L. Coates, Dustin Garnet, Nancy Holmes, Meaghan Hyckie, Harold Klunder and Catherine Carmichael, Eva Kolcze, Ralph Kolewe, Lou Sheppard, Wendy Wacko, and Lynne Wynick

The Doris McCarthy Gallery presents Reframing Doris McCarthy, a free, one-day, public symposium exploring fresh perspectives on the life and work of the artist. The symposium will feature artist talks, poetry readings, academic papers, performances, a book launch, group choreography, participatory choral singing, and moderated discussions. Ranging from long-time friends and colleagues of McCarthy’s, to young artists and producers, the presenters will contribute new interpretations from a broad range of expertise within the fields of contemporary art, music, poetry, filmmaking, and dance that trace the artist’s legacy through spirituality, mythology, and the power of place. This multi-disciplinary symposium will examine McCarthy’s impact on local and artistic communities as a pioneering feminist, innovative artist, and community builder.

https://utsc.utoronto.ca/~dmg/
https://reframing-doris-mccarthy.eventbrite.ca/

NEW NAILS
Friday November 16, 2018 10:30 PM – 4:00 AM
Poster by Eric Kostiuk Williams

NEW NAILS returns with a private queerdo baby rave fundraiser for friends and/or lovers, with music and vibes until 4am

PWYC, but allow us to suggest $15-20 as all the proceeds are going to RAINBOW RAILROAD

“Sponsored by” PASTAGONIA™ with contributions from:

Acid House, Andi Larocca, Al Dente, Black Light, Brendan Jensen, Cannelloni Couplets, Consent, Controlled Substance, Diana Vandermeulen, Dollar Store Deco, Extreme Look, Fan Wu, Farfalle, Jaime Sin, Jeremy Laing, Lazer, Naloxone Kit, Non-Alcoholic Option, Macaronay, Matthew Chiu, Mark-Ché Devonish, Mixed Drink, Mutual Respect, Palo Santo, Penne, Play Area, P☻ny, Robert Anthony O’Halloran, Semolinana, Smoke Machine, Steven Beckly, Techno, Valeroo, Vaughan, Vibrant Matter, Your Body

While being an exceptional venue in many regards, Club 120 is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.

New limited edition for ARTATTACK! an auction in support of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s 40th year.

http://artattack.buddiesinbadtimes.com/artists-limited-edition/