Ranging from 17th-century prints to contemporary photography, this exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (2 September–26 February 2023) examines artistic representations of the body in motion. Highlights include early depictions of dancing bodies in art such as Jacques Kallo’s Franceschina and Gian Farina (c. 1622), which depicts two Italian figures performing the Sfessania – a Neapolitan dance which re-enacts the conflict between Christians and Moors during the Middle Ages. Other examples of the moving figure throughout history include Lisette Model’s expressive portrait of the dancer and choreographer Pearl Primus (1943) who dedicated much of her career to the promotion of African dance as an art form in America, and Katherine Takpannie’s series of photographs Our Women and Girls are Sacred (2016), which shines a light on the violence faced by women and girls of Indigenous communities of Canada. Find out more on the National Gallery of Canada’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here
Pow Wow Dancer (1978), Daphne Odjig. Photo: National Gallery of Canada; © Estate of Daphne Odjig
Pearl Primus (1943), Lisette Model. Photo: National Gallery of Canada; © Estate of Lisette Model
Disappearing Acts (2019), Leidy Churchmann. Photo: National Gallery of Canada; courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery; © Leidy Churchman