more-than-human exhibition, 2023. Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest, 2020.

"more-than-human" exhibition takes place at the OCAD University Onsite Gallery in Toronto, Canada from February 1 to May 13, 2023, featuring the Atmospheric Forest artwork by the Latvian artists Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, one of the central exhibition pieces.

more-than-human exhibition at the Onsite Gallery, Toronto, Canada. Photo: Rasa Smite

more-than-human presents media artworks at the intersection of art, science, Indigenous worldviews, and technology that speculatively and poetically use multimodal storytelling as a vehicle for interpreting, mattering, and embodying more-than-human ecologies. The artworks in this exhibition aim to critically and emotionally engage with the important work of decentering the human and rethinking the perspective that sees nature as a lifeless resource for exploitation. Many of the artworks use technological and scientific tools as entry points for witnessing and interacting with these more-than-human worlds, as they help visualize phenomena beyond human sensory perception while nevertheless situating us within them. Combined, the artworks in the show weave a story that tells a tale of symbiosis, intersections, and more-than-human relationality. They incorporate scientific, philosophical, and Indigenous perspectives to create an experiential tapestry that asks the viewer to reconsider, reorient, and rethink relationships with the more-than-human. 

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest, 2020.  more-than-human exhibition at the Onsite Gallery, Toronto, Canada. Photo: Rasa Smite

The exhibition will feature the works of six Canadian based artists/artist duos and two international artists/artist duos (established and emerging). Participating artists include: Ursula Biemann, Mary Bunch & Dolleen Tissawii’Ashii Manning, Lindsey French, Grace Grothaus, by Susan Morrissette, Joel Ong, Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits, and Jane Tingley with Faadhi Fauzi and Ilze (Kavi) Briede.

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest, 2020.  more-than-human exhibition at the Onsite Gallery, Toronto, Canada. Photo: Rasa Smite

One of the central exhibition pieces is the Atmospheric Forest artwork by RIXC artists Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits.  Atmospheric Forest is an immersive installation that visualizes the complex relations between a forest, climate change and the atmosphere. It is an outcome of a three-year artistic research project on Pfynwald, an ancient Alpine coniferous forest. Trees emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds that we can sense as a habitual scent of the forest. Scientists have long known about the link between the fragrant forest. While some believe that the strong smell of a pine forest indicates that climate change can be limited, others suggest that the volatile emissions could make global warming worse.

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest, 2020. Purvitis Prize 2021 nominate exhibition. Photo: Kristine Madjare

Atmospheric Forest reveals patterns of this complexity by visualizing the data of volatile emissions and resin pressure in pine trees. To create the Atmospheric Forest, the scientific laser scanner was used to scan the Pfynwald in point cloud. The viewer can navigate through the emitting trees of virtual forest, observe the forest from the bottom up, and follow the path through the tree trunk to get far up above the emitting forest, experiencing the interactions between the terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere.

more-than human Artists Panel Discussion. Publicity photo.

The exhibition opening program featured a more-than human Artists Panel Discussion on Thursday, February 02 at 23:00 (Latvia time)  at Onsite Gallery and Live Streamed Online. Artists Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits, Grace Grothaus, Suzanne Morrissette and Lindsey french introduced their works exhibited in more-than-human and engaged in a discussion about their practice. Moderated by Jane Tingley.

more-than human Artists Panel Discussion. Photo: Rasa Smite.

Fire and Light public discussions event will take place at Concordia University, Montreal, Canadaon February 6 at 23:00 (Latvia time) featuring artist Rasa Smite who will be in conversation with Alice Jarry to discuss various disciplinary perspectives on creative process, professional practices, and conceptual concerns when engaging with performance, music, material, and other forms. This is the second event in Fire and Light, a series of public conversations that brings together artists to discuss their creative practices in performance, sculpture, bio art, video, social practice and visual art, as well as their crucial work as producers of major international festivals, conferences and performances. Concordia faculty will join the visiting speakers in conversation to offer a unique opportunity for the Concordia community to be in dialogue with the international artist/producers with roots in or relationships to Latvia, Germany and greater Europe. 

To get Zoom link to the talk please register here:
https://www.concordia.ca/cuevents/offices/provost/fourth-space/programming/2023/02/06/fire-and-light-smite.html?c=/next-gen/4th-space/calendar

The exhibition is on view at the Onsite Gallery of OCAD University from February 1 to May 13, 2023. OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we work, stand and create in tsi Tkarón:to.

More information:
https://www.ocadu.ca/event/more-than-human

The participation of Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits at the more-than-human exhibition is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.

The exhibition is supported by the Canada Council for Arts.

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmospheric Forest, 2020.  more-than-human exhibition at the Onsite Gallery, Toronto, Canada. Photo: Rasa Smite

more-than human Artists Panel Discussion. Photo: Rasa Šmite.