UNBECOMING

A Group Photography Exhibition

November 28th-30th, 2024
204 3rd Avenue South
Saskatoon, SK, Treaty 6 Territory

Reception:
Saturday, November 30th, 2024
6:00PM - 11:00PM

Artist Panel 7:00 - 7:30 pm

Free Family Reception:
Thursday, November 28th
4:00PM - 7:00PM

Free Gallery Hours:

Thursday November 28th: 12:00PM - 4:00PM

Friday November 29th: 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Curatorial Statement

To exist or identify as a woman comes with complex certainties about how the world will interact with them. As women, we are destined to experience pain, strength, pressure, compromise, fear, apprehension, disdain, patience, rage, compassion, friendship, and loyalty. As we navigate the world, we as women will undergo many trials and tribulations, and will uncover unique ways to endure and overcome them triumphantly. “Unbecoming" challenges and reclaims a phrase historically weaponized against women—used to label actions deemed inappropriate or unladylike by societal standards. In this exhibition, “Unbecoming” simultaneously references the unpacking and unravelling of the generational impact left on women by women.

Central to this exhibition is the evolution of womanhood across generations, the habitual moments that shape and celebrate female experiences, the diverse expressions of femininity, and the personal narratives that reveal intimate, transformative stories of female empowerment. Each artist brings a unique perspective to these themes—some exploring matriarchal lineage, others examining their experiences of womanhood, femininity, and gender expression. This exhibition provides a platform for artists and photographers to share their relationship to these topics, weaving together an all-encompassing narrative of womanhood through ten distinct lenses.

In collaboration with The 525’s Curatorial Director Rowen Dinsmore and their first-ever Guest Curator, photographer Molly Schikosky, The 525 presents "Unbecoming." This group exhibition delves into the diverse experiences and perspectives of womanhood across generations, featuring works by ten female-identifying artists: Leo Lauren Conquergood, Hannah Alex, Xiao Han, Berit Johnson, Emily Johnson, Mona Khan, Molly Schikosky, Darby Sutherland, Tammy Zdunich, and Emma Zuck.

Rowen Dinsmore & Molly Schikosky,

Curatorial Directors for Unbecoming

This group exhibition is supported by grants from the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, made possible by funding from Sask Lotteries in partnership with SaskCulture, and the Aerie Real Foundation, which works to build confidence in women, foster an inclusive community, and protect our planet.

The Artists

Tammy Zdunich

Tammy Zdunich is a photographer and entrepreneur known for her innovative approach to creative projects. With a background in photography and graphic design, she seamlessly blends traditional techniques with modern aesthetics. Tammy has made a name for herself in the art community through her striking photographs, which often explore themes of identity and self-expression.

In addition to her artwork, Tammy is passionate about empowering others through workshops and mentorship programs, encouraging aspiring artists to find their unique voices. Her dedication to fostering creativity has made her a beloved figure in the local photography community.

Outside of her artistic endeavors, Tammy enjoys exploring nature, experimenting with new mediums, and connecting with fellow creatives. With a vision that continuously evolves, she remains committed to pushing boundaries and inspiring others through her work.

Artist Statement:

The images for 'Unbecoming' emerge from a place of freedom and release, reflecting Tammy's desire to transcend limitations in her own life. Through deep internal work, she has shed the constraints imposed by her past, including those from the church and a misunderstanding of spirituality. She has cultivated a renewed relationship with the divine, letting go of people-pleasing and the agreements she once held. This body of work represents a transgression—a dialogue between the photographer and her subjects. For women, many experiences are acts of defiance against societal norms: expressing pleasure, embracing joy, sharing emotions, and claiming their voices. By simply existing, women challenge conventions. All women: BLEED and survive, SPEAK and emerge from the shadows, experience PLEASURE, and carry the weight of WISDOM and intuition.

Xiao Han

Xiao Han is a multidisciplinary artist and curator originally from Wuhan, China. Based in the 6 Territory, the traditional land of Indigenous and Meties, Han's creative practice focuses on photography, lens-based performance, and socially engaged art. Han's research explores diaspora identity, contemporary gender issues, and the relationship between humans, the environment, and the indigenous land. Through visual art and curatorial practice, Han produced numerous projects investigating the Chinese-Canadian restaurant history, the identity of Chinese-Canadian, and the aesthetic of relationship between communities.

Artist Statement:

I am a photograph-based artist-mother who explores topics on diaspora identity, intercultural issues, and relational aesthetics through socially engaged art. In September 2021, one week after I found out about my pregnancy, I went to Bridges Art Movement's (BAM) residency with my project "Mahjong House." It is a performance and community engagement project with a photo booth set up taking place at the BAM gallery, aimed to bridge the visual art, communities, and cultures in one space. This project has seen BAM transform into a Mahjong game photography set as I hosted Mahjong games connecting Chinese Mahjong players with diverse communities as they socially play the game together. As a woman with pregnancy at the time, I did not tell anyone about it. All I worried about was I might not be able to continue my career because I’m having a child. "Mahjong House" successfully gained attention from the community; it has evolved into multiple forms to expand its impact on the community. In February 2022, Mahjong House was taken as a film project and played at the ROXY Theater. In March 2022, Mahjong House was curated by an emerging curator, Avery Creed, at the OCAD University Gallery. By the time “Mahjong House” presented at the OCAD University, I was 30 weeks pregnant.

In October 2024, I hosted a Mahjong event in Town of Wynyard. As a socially engaging art piece, I engaged with the community through Mahjong, to collect memories, stories about the Chinese families who used to run restaurant in Wynyard. I took my 2-year-old daughter to this mahjong event, and she spent a lovely day with many snacks and attention from the guests.

Having a child was my biggest concern for continuing my artistic creativity. As a mother of a young child, I worked on the “Mahjong House” through my entire pregnancy and early parenthood from September 2021 onwards. After the last few years of experience, I found having a child actually enhanced my art. Meanwhile, our society is more inclusive than I thought, as I took my child to engage with my Mahjong event, art receptions, Banff Residency, all present with me and my child.

Emma Zuck

Emma Zuck is a filmmaker and writer. She is wrapped up in the sentimental— unraveling themes of identity, home, queerness, and growing pains. Her thesis film Adagio premiered at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, taking home the Air Canada Short Film Award. She has had the pleasure of working with CBC, Bell Media, PostMedia, and Angel Entertainment. As well as recent endeavors into programming, hosting Homegrown, a community screening featuring Saskatchewan filmmakers with proceeds going to local charities.

She sees poetry all around her, focusing on life’s subtleties in her work. Her favourite part of filmmaking is the many hands it takes, she hopes to nurture community both on set and in theaters. And to make every project a labor of love.

Artist Statement:

“Stubble” is an experimental documentary, in which Emma asks people when do you wish to be soft, when do you long to be rough, and when are you both at the same time? Each scene is a fantasy the subjects are invited to play inside. Merging both the real life and staged aspects of the film.

Emma has always seen gender as performance— something fluid, ever changing, and personal. Through each fantasy she visually reflects on her own complicated relationship with femininity. While interviewees’ honest answers offer glimpses into their own inner worlds and contrasting experiences. Oftentimes Emma’s work feels like whispering a secret, she hopes that you join her in rolling down this hill. And embrace whatever dizziness follows.

Hannah Alex

Hannah Crease-MacLean is a self-taught portrait and documentary photographer who shares her time between her native Saskatchewan prairies and her new home in Montreal. Hannah’s work is informed by her background in sociology and heavily influenced by feminism and queer culture. Often combining photography and writing, Hannah seeks to better understand her own experiences in life by learning about those of others, and situating herself within the broader social context. Hannah has explored topics of female and gender queer relationships and the impacts of societal beauty standards and norms. More recently, following the passing of her mother and maternal grandmother, Hannah has begun her artistic exploration of grief.

Artist Statement:

Children and Art is a personal photo essay that invites viewers into the home of Hannah’s late mother, Erica, to explore love as it transforms into grief. At the heart of this project is the most formative and powerful relationship Hannah has ever experienced, and the series is her way of honouring and remembering her mother, and of processing her grief and her experience of being in her mother’s home without her there. Hannah hopes for those viewers reminded of their own experiences of loss and grief, that her project can help them to remember and celebrate the love those experiences are born out of.

Darby Sutherland

Darby Sutherland is a photographer based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her practice includes a mixture of film, digital, and instant mediums. She loves to capture candid moments of people near and dear to her.

For “Best Friends You’re Born With”, Darby focuses on a mixture of film and digital images, as well as textile works by her late grandmother. Darby believes that hand-crafts, such as embroidery, that were once considered “just a women’s hobby” should be considered art and is honoured to give her grandmother’s pieces their opportunity to shine.

Artist Statement:

Inspired by the artist’s pregnancy, Best Friends You’re Born With is a nostalgic look at her childhood surrounded with cousins, and the legacy of her grandmother. The collection is composed of deeply personal photographs shot by the artist, accompanied by textile art embroidered by the artist’s late grandmother.

Photographed on wild grasslands that were settled by her ancestors and remains in the family to this day, the works feature relatives of the artist taking part in “afternoon tea”- a tradition created by the artist’s late grandmother. The subjects in the photographs are relatives who are pivotal in maintaining the bonds which connect their family unit- a subject of heightened importance to the artist in her pregnancy. The blankets and tablecloths in the photographs, as well as the embroidery accompanying the photographs are surviving textile works from the artist’s late grandmother.

Best Friends You’re Born With explores the relationships, lands, objects and traditions which hold us: before we come into the world, and long after we’re gone.

Leo Lauren Conquergood

Leo Lauren Conquergood is a Saskatoon based artist with a Batchelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan. Their work explores themes of spirituality, the human body and the subconscious. Leo’s artistic process is intuitive and playful, evoking a subtle feminine aura through colour selection and personal motifs. While mixed media drawing / painting is their preferred medium, Leo never shies away from an opportunity to add a new tool to their artistic tool belt.

Artist Statement:

The short film “Selfie” speaks to time and memory. It carries the viewer through the story of a girls life, giving them glimpse of her past, melded into the present. The performance element of the film is meant to represent ones present self. Experience the present moment stretch on forever. The video collage captured in the garment serves as a look into precious memories. Although the video is personal, it is also a relatable film about girlhood and growing up. Even parents of girls are swept up in reminiscence. Did you take dance or swimming lessons? Do you remember when you lost your first tooth? The project implores the viewer to remember their own childhood while being subtly conscious of the present self. Sometimes a viewer is more focused on the memories and the past then the present moment.

The audio in this film is the rhythmic stitch of a sewing machine. The mechanical ‘ka-chunk ka-chunk’ of the machine conjures images of a ticking clock or perhaps a heart beating symbolizing the passage of time.

This project attempts to reach deeper into the concept of the selfie. Selfies are the medium many people chose to portray themselves online to the world. Selfies are representative of our beauty, but are also idealized versions of ourselves. The short film “Selfie” challenges this idea by embracing the raw authenticity of a girl becoming a young adult.

Mona Khan

Mona Khan is an artist whose work intertwines her rich cultural heritage with deeply personal narratives. Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, Mona draws on her Pakistani and Yemeni roots to explore themes of identity, memory, and connection through various artistic mediums. With a Bachelor’s in Visual Communication, she creates poignant visual stories that resonate with viewers.

Mona’s commitment to honoring elder generations stems from her own experiences with loss. Having met only one of her four grandparents, her earliest memories are confined to black-and-white photographs and mementos that tell fragmented stories of lives lived. This absence sparked an urgency in Mona—a desire to preserve the essence of those who came before her. As she witnesses the gradual passing of an entire generation, she feels compelled to capture the stories and experiences of the elders in her family, leading to her upcoming project, "Our Mother."

Artist Statement:

Through "Our Mother," Mona aims to encapsulate the life of her mother, Saeeda Khanem, a profound influence in her journey. As the first female graduate of her village in Pakistan during the 1960s, Saeeda defied societal norms at a time when girls were often limited to education up to grade 5. Her pioneering spirit has inspired not only Mona but also her granddaughters, fostering a culture of higher learning in their community.

Mona's photographic narrative will reflect the essence of Saeeda's life, capturing moments that embody her spirit and influence. Through this project, Mona preserves her mother’s legacy and celebrates the stories of countless others, ensuring their voices resonate in the present and future.

Emily & Berit Johnson

Berit and Emily Johnson are Saskatoon-based sisters whose distinct realms of art occasionally intersect in collaborative projects. Berit, a digital media artist, works across videography, photography, and graphic design, bringing a sharp eye for detail and art direction. Emily, a visual artist and Fine Arts graduate from the University of Saskatchewan, focuses on oil painting, sculpture, and textiles, creating works that reflect her fascination with human identity. Together, the Johnson sisters explore the intersections of their mediums, creating a dynamic blend of visual storytelling—and occasionally secretly stealing from each other’s closet.

Artist Statement:

Our sculptural installation “Daughters of the Orchids” utilizes a larger-than-life flower made of bent wire and sewn fabric to embody the spirit of our matriarchs. The orchid, a symbol present in the backgrounds of many family moments, represents nurturing, growth, and the intertwining of nature and femininity. Through a projected montage of photos and videos—featuring ourselves, our grandmother, our mother, and the spaces that shape us — we trace the vibrant energy and artistry of the women who raised us. Our piece explores how art is woven into the fabric of our daily lives and is passed down through generations.

Our mother, with her passion for jewelry, dance, music & cultural exploration, and our paternal grandmother, a dedicated artisan captivated by painting, drawing, & crafting from nature, nurtured our creative spirits. This installation is a tribute to their resilience, creativity, and unwavering love, while also reflecting our own journeys as women navigating the complexities of modern life.

Molly Schikosky

Molly Schikosky is a photographer, cinematographer, and creative director currently residing in Saskatoon, Canada. Her work aims to bridge the gap between viewer and subject - composing an entry through visual art that holds space for reflection and connection. Her adoration for humans and their unique experiences, fuels the projects she creates and collaborates on. Her identity as a woman and telling women's stories is also core to her as an artist. Molly’s work explores the themes of relationships, self expression, and the female gaze.

Artist Statement:

"Mirror, Mirror" explores the intricacies of beauty - externally and internally. With an emphasis on generations, it features women and girls ranging from ages 3 to 83, from various backgrounds and cultures. From an initial perspective, the video appears to be focusing on external beauty - hair, makeup, clothing. We lean into the delight found in the ‘getting ready with your girls’ experience - but there is also more than meets the eye here. Upon further exploration, through the interview questions and reflection proses for subject and viewer, we begin to turn inwards. ‘Mirror, Mirror’ holds up a literal as well as figurate mirror, to our past, present, and future self. This project is a love letter to the joy, connection, and wisdom found within our relationships amongst women.