By Jesse King

Through this showcase, titled Ethereal Forms, the chosen works evoke a sense of lightness and transcendence that suggests realms beyond the physical, bringing together artists whose practices navigate memory, identity, landscape, and the unseen.

Through an Indigenous lens, King examines new worlds and life through different forms of energy of selected objects, paintings and imagery.

The selected works invite the viewer into a space created by the conversation and juxtapositions each piece has with one another. Permitting moments that are not bound by time, and thus continue, forever changing forms through each new interpretation and perspective. The works evoke a hint at the endless forms existing through the many portals waiting to be discovered, inviting the viewer to go beyond the central plane and enter a world in which different realities coexist.

Ethereal forms evoke a sense of serenity, chaos, solitude, and confusion, all of which are shaped by our interpretations. These concepts exist within the shared space between the artists and the viewer.

Jesse King, born Ojibwe from Wasauksing First Nation (Eagle Clan), is based in Toronto. King’s work and curatorial interests frequently explore the many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, and the importance of cultural representation.

King’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in Berlin, Germany, and Tampere, Finland. Their work has been in several independent publications, including fashion magazines such as Wonderland Magazine. King was the Exhibitions and Program Coordinator at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival for three years anchoring themselves in celebrating all forms of art through collaboration with national and international artists and galleries. King now works with the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) as the Curatorial Assistant for Indigenous and Youth Programming. King sat on the Board of Directors for Trinity Square Video and is a new board member of The Indigenous Curatorial Collective.