Fi Di Gyal Dem

A new digital exhibition at the Doris McCarthy Gallery blends the work of two artists, boldly celebrating the lives of Black women with a surreal flare. Curated by Toronto-based artist Roya Del Sol, Fi Di Gyal Dem features a series of portraiture, paintings, animation and mixed media works by film photographer Jorian Charlton and contemporary artist Kadine Lindsay. The exhibition’s unique and dynamic digital presentation pairs Charlton’s film portraiture in diptychs beside Lindsay’s surreal paintings. Informed heavily by their shared Jamaican heritage, both artists provide distinct depictions of Black womanhood that – when contrasted side by side – powerfully illustrate the physical and psychological/spiritual aspects of the human experience. From a curatorial standpoint, Del Sol sought to highlight the agency of the subjects depicted in each work, viewing them as being in willful states of refusal – refusal to lower their gaze, tone down their sexuality, or become less nurturing. 

Del Sol shared with us about her curatorial approach. “Fi Di Gyal Dem was birthed through the realization that these were two artists who I saw depicting the same type of person in their art, and in the same fashion – unruly, liberated, and deeply vulnerable in the way that Black women often only are in each other’s presence. Fi Di Gyal Dem is an exploration of who that woman is, and the path each artist takes to arrive at their rendering of her.

“I wanted to recontextualize both Charlton and Lindsay’s work within the digital realm; through the use of memes and pop culture references that embody the same spirit of refusal and boundary pushing that Kadine and Jorian’s work depicts.”

Kadine Lindsay & Jorian Charlton, Under Me Sensei, 2021

This dialogue between Charlton and Lindsay is typified by two major collaborative works, both on view as part of Fi Di Gyal Dem. Under Me Sensei (2021) started as a photograph of Lindsay, taken by Charlton in 2020. In it, she lays commandingly on a sofa, outfitted in mesh lingerie, smoking a joint. In addition to appearing as sitter, Lindsay’s contribution to this work is also artistic; she painted two other women – in her surrealist illustration style – sitting on the floor, similarly gazing forward while smoking. Driva (2021) follows the same format, starting with a Charlton-captured photograph of Lindsay in an empowered pose, kneeling atop the roof of a car.  Driving the car is a large five-eyed character with a long flower tentacle – painted by Lindsay – giving the image an otherworldly essence. 

Adding further complexity to Fi Di Gyal Dem’s visitor experience, the exhibition’s homepage includes an interactive element. By clicking directly on any of Charlton or Lindsay’s works, users can see them juxtaposed beside various meme content (tweets, viral videos, images) – all of which echo the exhibition’s theme of refusal and help to contextualize these works within a larger scope of Black female cultural production.      

The digital exhibition Fi Di Gyal Dem is on view now on the Doris McCarthy Gallery homepage. Additionally, don’t miss Out of Many, Jorian Charton’s debut AGO exhibition on view until August 7. And be sure to check out artist Roya Del Sol’s documentary short film featuring a surreal tour of Fragments of Epic Memory.