On Saturday, April 27, the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) Art Council is hosting an opening event to celebrate the launch of their most recent contemporary art exhibition entitled, Close to Home.
Organized by OTMH Art Council Curator Shannon Anderson, this year-long project brings together artists from a range of cultural backgrounds, with works that speak to each artist’s connection to their country of origin and to ideas surrounding home, migration, and what it means to belong.
Art exhibition features work by:
- Tonia Di Risio
- Soheila Esfahani
- Rafael Goldchain
- Xiong Gu
- Sanaz Mazinani
- Sumaira Tazeen
- Denyse Thomasos
- Jeff Thomas
One of the exhibiting artists, Rafael Goldchain feels that having the opportunity to show work in a hospital environment is deeply meaningful.
“I would like to think that it can transport visitors, patients, and staff to a worlds of experience outside their immediate circumstances, which can be stressful.” said Goldchain.
“Art in a hospital finds audiences not usually found in art galleries, audiences that have a different need for the art, a more intense and focused need for relief from stressful or mundane circumstances,” continued Rafael.
Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital's 1.6 million square feet of space provides opportunities to display moving, inspiring and supportive works of art. Set up in 2015, the OTMH Art Council builds on the hospital’s existing art collection and works with artists, collectors and benefactors to create a space of healing and relies on donors, artists and community support to bring arts into the healthcare setting.
Joseph Rumi, OTMH Art Council Board Chair has been instrumental in the setup of the Art Council.
“I believe that everyone deserves access to art and bringing these high quality works to patients and their families is what the Art Council was developed for. We rely on the generosity of donors and artists to create a healing environment and support patient and visitor wellbeing,” stated Rumi.