Heirloom

An heirloom is something that holds memories and stories beyond its physical presence. Often passed down from one generation to the next, these objects can contain sacred space for joy, love and grief tied to the everyday. Conjuring the home and rituals within, heirlooms act as living archives for the labour dedicated to their making and caretaking.

Gathering a collection of artworks that reframe ‘heirloom’ in varying perspectives, this exhibition unravels the complexity in domestic spaces. Some artists involve, invite or interrogate family whether chosen or bound by blood. Extending critique to the dominant culture, artists reclaim everyday home life from prescribed narratives. They author new visions of being and caring for one another, grounded in working class, diasporic, queer and trans realities; while striving to preserve cultural practices that quietly uphold communities.

Heirloom is a call to question what we inherit, and to shift our attention to invisible things to cherish.