Elemental
A STEPS PROJECT
As part of the 2022 CreateSpace Public Art Residency, Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo created Elemental, a multimedia public art project that speaks to the dualities of the Black lived experience through film prints and projected videos in a public park in Montreal’s Rivière-des-prairies neighbourhood.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Location: Armand-Bombardier Park, Montréal, Québec
Artist: Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo
Year: 2023
Photographer/Videographer: Nicolas Abou and Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo
Services: Artist Capacity Building
13
image panels
1
projected video
2
languages
1
community exhibition in public space
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
What does it mean to inhabit a Black body in this realm? From joy and love to resilience and power, the Black lived experience is characterised by the simplicities of being human, and the complexities of existing in a society where anti-Black racism remains prevalent. Through a multimedia approach, Elemental aims to juxtapose these moments and present a space to contemplate the nuanced dualities of Black identity.
We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams
We are elemental.
The CreateSpace Public Art Residency provided Ra’anaa with access to supports, including artistic mentors, access to skill-building workshops, documentation and more.
“I wanted to do this residency to connect with other BIPOC artists, to network with other people in the community, and to branch my artistic practices beyond N’Swakamok (Sudbury, Ontario).”
– Ra’anaa Yaminah, Lead Artist
“Community engagement has been a huge component of the project. I really wanted to be able to show this to people who can see themselves represented…we can just exist, we can be happy and joyous but we can also recognize that it’s important to contemplate our histories and the narratives which have brought us to where we are today.”
– Ra’anaa Yaminah, Lead Artist
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo
Lead Artist
PROJECT PARTNERS AND FUNDERS
The 2022 CreateSpace Residency is supported by the City of Toronto as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021 – 2022, TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council. We also acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada.
This project is also presented as part of the les courants program by Ada X, produced in collaboration with the Maison de la Culture de Rivière-des-Prairies and MAPP MTL, and received financial support from the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Ville de Montréal as part of the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal.
STEPS believes that public art should reflect the diverse identities and perspectives of the communities that host it. Artists have a critical role to play in shaping cities, and our Artist Capacity Building Programs are designed to amplify the work of Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, female, LGBTTQQIAAP and newcomer artists in public spaces.
Ready to get your project started with STEPS?