The Varley Art Gallery launches new fall exhibitions

The Varley Art Gallery of Markham invites you to celebrate the launch of two new exhibitions: Meera Sethi: A Brief History of Wear and Tracing Patterns.

The launch, to be held Sunday, Sept. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m., will feature food, a drag performance and a special gallery tour led by Sethi, a trailblazer in the development of a queer diasporic aesthetic.

You’re invited to take part in a hands-on sewing workshop suitable for all ages. Admission is free but visitors are encouraged to support Markham’s Textile Recycling Program by taking clothing donations to the recycling bin in the gallery courtyard.

Spanning 15 years, A Brief History of Wear offers a comprehensive look at Sethi’s creative evolution and how she challenges conventional notions of identity and representation. In doing so, she honours the profound emotional, physical and intellectual labour of racialized people, the gallery explains. The mid-career retrospective brings together for the first time a diverse collection of work by Sethi, including painting, drawing, collage, soft sculpture, performance and illustration.

Tracing Patterns is curated as a companion to A Brief History of Ware and delves into the depiction of textiles in works from the gallery’s permanent collection. The exhibition features a diverse array of portraits highlighting fabrics such as lace, brocade, tweed, silk, cotton and denim. Interactive displays allow you to touch and feel fabric swatches corresponding to those represented in the works on view.

Visit  https://varleyartgallery.ca for more information.