As part of programming associated with our most recent solo exhibition by Leonard Suryajaya, False Idol X North Kin, we will be hosting a one day free tote bag sewing workshop in our galleries on Saturday, August 6th from 10 am – 1 pm. Facilitated by Jacquelyn Hébert, participants will sew tote bags using the wallpaper material featured in Suryajaya’s exhibition onto fabric backings with leather straps.
Participants are asked to have some beginner sewing knowledge and to bring a basic sewing kit if they have one. Participants should note that they may not complete their tote in the allotted time for the workshop, meaning they may have to finish it at home. All materials for the workshop will be provided.
Jacquelyn Hébert created a selection of handmade tote bags and pouches featured in the exhibition, using an inverse image of the collage that Suryajaya printed on fabric. Each bag was diligently crafted, creating a limited edition, locally made product that celebrates Winnipeg.
Suryajaya built upon the importance of relationships in his extensive body of work by offering free studio portrait sessions to members of the public when he visited Winnipeg for the first time in February 2022. The result of these portrait sessions has been amalgamated into an interwoven collage that becomes part of his characteristic visually rich installation in False Idol X North Kin. The installation models itself after airport newsstands and gift shops for travellers on their way to or leaving home. The sculptural elements of the exhibition extend the immersive set designs of his photographs to make that even more vivid. Suryajaya sees these gift stands as an invitation to audiences to ‘find a sense of familiarity in the photographs of the ‘other, the ‘foreigners.’
If you are interested, please sign up by emailing bronwyn@plugin.org to reserve your seat. Seats are limited please reserve by August 3rd at 6 PM.
