NOTES FOR TOMORROW
June 17 – October 10, 2021
Notes for Tomorrow is an exhibition conceived by Independent Curators International (ICI), featuring artworks selected by curators from around the world to reflect on a new global reality ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cultural moment of transition, each work is a source of inspiration from the recent past and a guiding perspective for the future.
Many of the artworks in the exhibition address spirituality as a grounding mechanism, sharing ways to make sense of the world when so much is in doubt. Some engage with specific mythology, while others reveal political structures that may or may not still be standing. The formation of monuments is questioned, and their removal is all but certain. The exhibition addresses art’s potential in the construction of collective memory in a global era. We learn the importance of sustaining and sharing different forms of knowledge, prompting us to re-imagine our conceptions of the future.
Notes for Tomorrow was curated from selections by alumni of ICI’s Curatorial Intensive, a professional development program founded in 2010 on principles of international exchange, inclusivity, and knowledge-sharing. With the ever-present backdrop of a global pandemic, ICI turned to these curators to question and reassess values and relevance in contemporary culture, and asked each of them to share an artwork they believe is vital to be seen today.
For Notes for Tomorrow, the traveling exhibition format has been recalibrated to encourage international collaboration and versatile modes of presentation. The exhibition will travel digitally to museums, university galleries, and independent art spaces for artworks to be produced at every site, responding to the local context. Each iteration will engage audiences with video, photography, installations, murals, and scores within the gallery space, outside, and online.
Notes for Tomorrow is a traveling exhibition organized and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) and initiated by Frances Wu Giarratano, Becky Nahom, Renaud Proch, and Monica Terrero. The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, VIA Art Fund, and ICI’s Board of Trustees and International Forum.
The presentation at Contemporary Calgary has been organized in collaboration with Chief Curator, Ryan Doherty and Associate Curator, Kanika Anand.
ARTISTS
Madiha Aijaz
Ernesto Bautista
Maeve Brennan
Vajiko Chachkhiani
Luke Luokun Cheng
Nothando Chiwanga
Shezad Dawood
Demian DinéYazhi’
Cao Guimarães
Ilana Harris-Babou
Rei Hayama
Amrita Hepi
INVASORIX
Tamás Kaszás
Ali Kazma
A Liberated Library for education,
inspiration & action
David Lozano
Mona Marzouk
Joiri Minaya
Peter Morin
Omehen
Daniela Ortiz
Kristina Kay Robinson
Luiz Roque
Mark Salvatus
Yan Shi
Ibrahima Thiam
u/n multitude
Wayne Kaumualii Westlake
CURATORS
Charles Campbell
Freya Chou
Giulia Colletti
Veronica Cordeiro
Allison Glenn
Tessa Maria Guazon
PJ Gubatina Policarpio
Ivan Isaev
Ross Jordan
Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick
Josh Tengan
Esteban King Álvarez
João Laia
Luis Carlos Manjarrés Martínez
Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa
Lydia Y. Nichols
Marie Hélène Pereira
Balimunsi Philip
Josseline Pinto
Florencia Portocarrero
Shahana Rajani
Rachel Reese
Marina Reyes Franco
Mari Spirito
Alexandra Stock
Eszter Szakács
Abhijan Toto
Fatoş Üstek
Su Wei
Sharmila Wood
Soothsayer Serenades
NFT Programming Highlights
Contemporary Calgary’s Presentation of Notes for Tomorrow is Proudly Supported By
With Support From
