With the introduction of our new Commercial, Community Guest Curator, created through a partnership between the Ottawa Black Art Kollective (OBAK) and the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), Galerie Annexe is accepting submissions from artists interested in participating in a collaborative Black art exhibition.

Exhibition Theme

The exhibition How I Love You will explore love and the multitude of its expressions within the Black community. It will look at related themes ranging from individual or self-love, community-based love and care, to generational teachings of love. Striving to be all encompassing, this exhibit will include representations of all kinds of love, whether platonic, kinship-based, romantic, or familial. There is a homogenous perception in popular culture of both Black love and community that is centered on, and limited to, violence and trauma. In contrast, this exhibition aims to approach the topic from a more nuanced perspective. By taking into account all the complexities and variety of love, it will not only reveal beauty, but will also allow a space for a discussion of pain that is often felt within that same space. The goal of this exhibition is to encourage dialogue surrounding all parts of love and loving in our community, and how even through plights and traumas, persistent love can be found at its core.

Example subject matters can include but are not limited to:

• mental health and the role it plays within relationships: toxic Black masculinity, self-hate or anti-Blackness, an open discussion on emotional expression or mental illness (depression, anxiety, ptsd);
• Black parenthood dynamics: single, dual, community (parent-child relationships, dynamics of older siblings and their proximity to parenthood);
• shared food or soul food practices: intergenerational recipes, food offerings as methods of care;
• queer relationship dynamics: depictions of safety and belonging within 2SLGBTQ+ relationships, black queer (in)visibility within the community.

In building this theme, starting points and concepts were pulled from a variety of reference materials. For example, the film Moonlight (2016) offered examples of concepts focusing on queer relationships, community love and care, as well as self-love and acceptance. Other helpful works included the play How Black Mothers Say I Love You (2007) (available on the Ottawa Public Library Database), the film If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), and finally the book All About Love: New Visions (2000) by bell hooks.

Submission Criteria

• Artists who live and/or work within 150km of the gallery.
• Artists with lived experience in the Black, African and/or Caribbean-Canadian community
• Submissions will be reviewed and chosen by the Commercial, Community Guest Curator.
• Welcome submissions from artists at all levels of their careers (emerging, established, etc.)
• Once accepted, work will be accepted on consignment for a fixed period of time.
• All works must be available for sale.
• The artist establishes the sale price of the artwork.
• The OAG receives a 40% sales commission.
• Transportation of the works to and from the Galerie Annexe are the artist/dealer’s responsibility.
• We accept only artwork submitted directly by an artist, commercial dealer or estate. We do not re-sell works from private collections.
• All art mediums will be accepted.
• Detailed sketches and partially completed works (at least 50% completed) may also be accepted, with accompanied examples of finished works as to provide reference to the artist’s form of practice.

How to Submit

• The submission deadline is March 6th
• Please email your submission to shop@oaggao.ca, no later than March 6th and include “How I Love You: Galerie Annexe Exhibit”  as the subject .
• Submission limit per artist: 5 artworks

Artists will be notified of ’s decision within 30 days of the deadline.

All Submissions must Include:

• Digital images of maximum 5 artworks (maximum file size 2 MB each). Only the artwork submitted will be considered for the exhibition.
• Credit details for each work, including: title, date of creation, medium, size and purchase price
• Artist Statement that describes the connection of the work to the theme (300 words maximum).
• Artist CV (optional).

About the Curator: Delilah Edouard Williams

Delilah Edouard Williams is the curator of How I Love You, in her role as Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)’s Commercial, Community Guest Curator. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Anthropology), from the University of Ottawa, where she was also a member of the Black Student Association. With previous experience working in a variety of roles at the OAG, she is also an emerging curator with experience in developing and executing a Black curatorial talk series in 2020. All of her work directly relates to the study of culture and its dissemination among communities, with a focus in her own Black community.

About Galerie Annexe

Galerie Annexe strives to open doors for both established and emerging regional artists by giving them the opportunity to become part of a reputable gallery collection, gain valuable public exposure and, ultimately, increase the retail potential of their work.

About the Ottawa Black Arts Kollective (OBAK)

OBAK is a collaborative group of Black artists and patrons committed to increasing the visibility of visual artists of African descent in the National Capital Region. Our goal is to provide ongoing mentoring, networking, exhibition and professional development opportunities to our members through OBAK peer/patron support, as well as, in partnership with other NCR artists, businesses and arts organizations. For more information about OBAK or to discuss partnership opportunities please see obak.ca.

Questions? Send an email to shop@oaggao.ca.