The Everyday Future

José Luis Torres

Curated by Josephine Mills

How does it feel to be displaced? What does it do to your sense of identity, and your sense of who you are, when you lose your home? How can we talk about these issues if we don’t share the same language?

According to the United Nations, 16.2 million people were newly displaced last year and there is currently a total of 65.3 million displaced people in the world. These are people forced to leave their homes because of violence, persecution, and conflict. In addition, there are also people forced to live in temporary shelter because of disasters caused by climate change.

Trying to grasp the scope of displacement, let alone trying to help make a difference, can be overwhelming. The discussion about immigration can feel like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic: talking about this dire situation seems futile when so many lives are in peril. Paralyzed by the details, one is left feeling unable to make much-needed change. The University of Lethbridge Art Gallery developed this exhibition in hopes that we can start somewhere, we can start here. Artist Jose Luis Torres was invited to create an exhibition to spark the imagination and open up new perspectives about immigration, refugees, and displacement; about making temporary shelter into a home.

Originally from Argentina, now living in Quebec City, Torres creates epic exhibitions from ordinary materials-things from construction sites, offices, and other parts of our regular environment. By taking these items out of their usual locations or away from their intended use, by turning them upside down and inside out, Torres encourages people to pay attention to the stuff that makes up our lives. From there, it becomes easier to see things we take for granted, to question assumptions, and perhaps to find paths to address the big issues of our times.

RELATED EVENT: Opening Reception, October 29, 2022 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

This exhibition is organized and circulated by the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Alberta.