Past Residents

Country
Year
Residency Program
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Canada

Past Resident
2024: Canada Council for the Arts

Artist

Xiaojing Yan

Xiaojing Yan’s art reflects her cultural journey, culminating in a distinct personal vocabulary. Her unique perspective bridges past and present, exploring themes of identity, nature, and transcendence. Drawing on ancient Chinese traditions, rituals, and materials, Yan uses natural elements to evoke mystical and philosophical reflections on life, death, and humanity’s connection to the natural world. Her work is rich with symbolism that remains as relevant today as it was historically, engaging with issues such as environmental sustainability.

Xiaojing Yan has exhibited work at Suzhou Museum, China; Royal Ontario Museum, Canada; and Sharjah Art Museum, United Arab Emirates, among others.

I'm fascinated by how technological advancements give humans the illusion of power over nature. I explore this through collaborations between human and natural elements, designing controlled environments that give way to organic processes. For my lingzhi sculptures, I put woodchips and lingzhi spore mixtures into molds, controlling humidity, temperature, and light. Once the mycelium binds the woodchips, I remove the mold and place the mixture in a greenhouse to grow. This process creates transformative sculptures, covered in delicate brown spores. My female bust series extends this concept, highlighting the lingzhi mushroom's properties and its role in environmental sustainability and contemporary art.
Xiaojing Yan, Lingzhi Girl #10, 2017, lingzhi mushroom, mycelium and woodchips, 18 × 16 × 18 in. (45.72 × 40.64 × 45.72 cm)
Spirit Cloud is a hanging work made of over 33,000 freshwater pearls suspended by clear filaments, forming a three-dimensional pointillist painting. Inspired by Chinese garden stones and auspicious clouds, the curvilinear form symbolizes the fusion of water, air, sky, and earth. In Chinese mythology, gods and immortals ride on clouds, which also serve as signs of weather changes. The pearls mimic the structure of a cloud, creating the illusion of a solid form and capturing a moment of its shifting nature, evoking continuous energy and movement. This work also highlights the impact of environmental change on natural elements.
Xiaojing Yan, Spirit Cloud, 2017, Medium: fresh water pearls, filament and aluminum, 118 × 128 × 528 in. (299.72 × 325.12 × 1341.12 cm)
I'm fascinated by how technological advancements give humans the illusion of power over nature. My lingzhi sculptures explore collaborations between human and natural elements, starting with woodchips and lingzhi spore mixtures in a mold. Controlled humidity, temperature, and light allow the mycelium to grow and bind the woodchips, which are then placed in a greenhouse to develop into transformative sculptures covered in delicate brown spores. This hybrid science/art experiment highlights the properties of the lingzhi mushroom, such as adaptation and self-healing, while addressing themes of environmental sustainability. My work evokes traditional Chinese medicine, mythology, and religion.
Xiaojing Yan, Far from where you divined, 2017, mycelium, cultivated lingzhi mushrooms, wood chips and wood, dimensions variable
Inspired by volcanic eruptions and cosmic explosions, I suspend thousands of lava stone beads on golden thread to capture the universe's beauty and power. These natural phenomena symbolize creation and destruction, with lava beads representing past eruptions and explosions, and golden thread embodying the energy that holds everything together. My installation evokes the mystery and wonder of the cosmos, illustrating how volcanic activity and astronomical events create new possibilities. It reminds viewers of the interconnectedness of all things, highlighting how our actions ripple through the world, shaping our environment and future.
Xiaojing Yan, Nebula, 2019, lava stone beads and golden thread, 236 × 157 × 157 in. (599.44 × 398.78 × 398.78 cm)
In this project, I use tens of thousands of artificial flower stamens to create a satellite image of a storm, representing the effects of climate change. The stamen, a flower's male reproductive part, is essential for plant growth, and here, artificial stamens symbolize human intervention in nature. This artwork highlights how climate change impacts pollinators and plant populations, similar to the butterfly effect. The storm cloud imagery and an olfactory component, emitting the scent of rain, remind viewers of climate change's power and potential consequences, blending synthetic materials with natural elements to reflect humanity's attempts to control and preserve nature.
Xiaojing Yan, Stamen, 2023, wax and cotton thread, 108 × 144 in. (274.32 × 365.76 cm)

Residents from Canada

Antonietta Grassi

Canada
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Studio #208

Stanley Wany

Ase (pronounced “ah-sheh”; also spelled ashe) Yoruba words often have multiple meanings: Ase is generally defined as “the power to make things happen” and also refers to the spiritual life force that flows through things, much like the Chinese concept of chi. Deepening the exploration of my relationship with my ancestors, Ase, a drawing that measures almost two meters high by three meters long. For this piece, charcoal, a medium with archaic roots, is used to evoke powerful waves crowned by troubled sky. Towards the bottom of the drawings, the waves melt into abstraction, dripping onto the white surface of the paper. The title Ase, referring to Yoruba culture, embodies my ongoing relationship with my ancestors, those who perished in the sea as well as those with whom known ties have been cut by the transatlantic slavetrade. When creating this work, I also reflected on what it meant to be Black in the Americas and how my identity had been defined by the dominant society. I turned to the writings of Stuart Hall, Franz Fanon as well as of Edouard Glissant, whose concept of “creolisation” serves as a focal point in my practice going forward.
Canada
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Studio #222

Kara Springer

A hanging wall work consisting of deep purple prints of high resolutions scans of clay hanging over a poplar wood rod mounted on the wall.
Canada, Barbados
Canada Council for the Arts
Studio #305
Canada

Past Resident
2024: Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council

Artist

Timothy Manalo

Timothy Manalo approaches his work with a focus on representations of the body and place. Primarily working in sculpture, he explores the aesthetics of communal gatherings and the interactions between people, everyday objects, and the natural environment, creating new narratives and meanings. He views his work as an ongoing investigation into the visual languages that are built, transformed, and used to anchor people’s experiences with the physical world, impacting memory, identity, home, and movement.

Timothy Manalo has exhibited work at Canadian Sculpture Centre, Toronto; Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota; and Tufts University Art Galleries, Massachusetts, among others.

Events & Exhibitions

Artists at Work: Timothy Manalo in conversation with Iris Luo
September 24, 2024, 6:30–7:30pm
A multi-colored woven mat laid on a wood paneled floor with white plaster casts of fast-food items.
Timothy Manalo, Medriñaque and Ancestral Diet, 2018-19, polypropylene twine, gold foil fringe and sugar-plaster mix casts, 100 × 130 × 3 in. (254 × 330.2 × 7.62 cm)
Four orange-colored hand-held fans cast in papaya soap mounted on the wall, and in dark blue open frames.
Timothy Manalo, Phunkahwallah, 2021, cast papaya soap, wood and paint, 42 × 32 × 21/2 in. (106.68 × 81.28 × 6.35 cm)
A blue upholstered picnic table in an outdoor space with green grass and tress behind it. Three white ceramic plates are laid in a row on the ground in front of it.
Timothy Manalo, I've Seen The Elephant, 2021, marine vinyl, insulation foam, wood and ceramic, 53 × 84 × 100 in. (134.62 × 213.36 × 254 cm)
A brown colored sculpted hand with a square base posed in a slightly opened gesture with the index finger pointing up.
Timothy Manalo, Heavy Lifting Niño, 2022, wax and brown rice, 14 × 14 × 23 in. (35.56 × 35.56 × 58.42 cm)
A sculpture of an elephant made with a brown clay covered with patches of sand sits on base with three levels of drawers. The drawers are opened and peeking out are postcards with sandy landscape photos on them, and yellow booklets that are laid flat.
Timothy Manalo, Land Be Mine, 2023, locally foraged clay, sand, sandstone, postcards, stickers, magnifying lenses, wood, felt and found metal stand, 47 × 47 × 50 in. (119.38 × 119.38 × 127 cm)

Residents from Canada

Antonietta Grassi

Canada
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Studio #208

Stanley Wany

Ase (pronounced “ah-sheh”; also spelled ashe) Yoruba words often have multiple meanings: Ase is generally defined as “the power to make things happen” and also refers to the spiritual life force that flows through things, much like the Chinese concept of chi. Deepening the exploration of my relationship with my ancestors, Ase, a drawing that measures almost two meters high by three meters long. For this piece, charcoal, a medium with archaic roots, is used to evoke powerful waves crowned by troubled sky. Towards the bottom of the drawings, the waves melt into abstraction, dripping onto the white surface of the paper. The title Ase, referring to Yoruba culture, embodies my ongoing relationship with my ancestors, those who perished in the sea as well as those with whom known ties have been cut by the transatlantic slavetrade. When creating this work, I also reflected on what it meant to be Black in the Americas and how my identity had been defined by the dominant society. I turned to the writings of Stuart Hall, Franz Fanon as well as of Edouard Glissant, whose concept of “creolisation” serves as a focal point in my practice going forward.
Canada
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Studio #222

Kara Springer

A hanging wall work consisting of deep purple prints of high resolutions scans of clay hanging over a poplar wood rod mounted on the wall.
Canada, Barbados
Canada Council for the Arts
Studio #305
Germany

Past Resident
2024: Telos Foundation, Holtmann Collection

Artist

Charlie Stein

Charlie Stein’s work explores dominant cultural aesthetics and challenges traditional modes of perception in our digitized, visually overstimulated world. Through extensive research, she translates her insights into drawings, installations, sculptures, and paintings that address social structures, digital media, and communication. Her paintings reflect on contemporary aesthetics, creating a visual language that deconstructs and recontextualizes digital imagery. With degrees in fine art, sociology, and literature, Stein studied under Christian Jankowski and Rainer Ganahl. She is currently a visiting professor at HfbK Hamburg.

Charlie Stein has exhibited work at Manifesta 11, Zürich; Songjiang Art Museum, Shanghai; and SİNOPALE 6, Turkey, among others.

Charlie Stein, Recombining Realities, exhibition view, 2024, oil on canvas, dimensions variable
Charlie Stein, Random Entities Paired Up (True Love), 2024, oil on canvas, 235/8 × 283/8 × 1 in. (60 × 72 × 2.5 cm)
Oil painting depicting a latex suit
Charlie Stein, Body With a View, 2024, oil on canvas, 393/8 × 311/2 × 1 in. (100 × 80.01 × 2.49 cm)
Oil painting depicting a latex suit
Charlie Stein, Portrait (Shoulder), 2024, oil on canvas, 987/16 × 551/8 × 1 in. (250.01 × 140 × 2.49 cm)
Still Life with a glossy cat figurine and vampire teeth
Charlie Stein, Still Life, 2024, oil on canvas, 1911/16 × 153/4 in. (50.01 × 40 cm)

Residents from Germany

Bob Kil

United Kingdom, Germany
Senate Department for Culture and Europe, Berlin
Studio #205

Navot Miller

Germany, United States
Artis, Norbert Janssen Stiftung
2024

Anaïs Goupy

Germany
KdFS Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen
Studio #214