Elle_Canada_-_October_2019

84 ELLECANADA.COM

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IT’S A TALE as old as Canada itself: In a country as

vast and geographically diverse as the one we call

home, where, exactly, does our national identity stem

from? It’s a conundrum that extends to our artists,

says Alexandra McIntosh, director of programs and

exhibitions at artist-residency venue Fogo Island Arts

in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Canadian artists are

definitely engaging in the global conversation around

contemporary art, but at the same time, I think there

is a tendency within Canada to regionalize artistic

practices,” she says, adding that many arts programs

and grants encourage this mindset. Of course, it’s nat-

ural for artists to be influenced by their environment,

but McIntosh doesn’t want it to mean that bigger

ideas are sacrificed. “It’s a difficult balance but one

that needs to be addressed,” she says. “If we focus

too inwardly, [art] loses its relevance to the rest of

the world and, therefore, doesn’t offer an openness to

people from outside.” The solution, McIntosh hopes,

is giving more time and support to artists, allowing

them to develop their own perspective. At Fogo Island

Arts, artists are invited to come and do just that:

freely experiment in a new setting and create work

outside their comfort zones. “It’s really about sharing

perspectives and different ways of making your place

in the world.” PK

ALEXANDRA

MCINTOSH

Artist-in-residence Kate Newby in

Fogo Island Arts’ Tower Studio