The Curator’s Sauna

Immediate Open Call !!!
_______till July 29th 

As art spaces, particularly visual art spaces such as galleries and museums are supposed to be seen and positioned as places of public discourse and dialogue, in which, the curator plays a key role to create the opportunity.

In thinking about the platforms for public discourse, we, the alternative art space executors, found ourselves thinking about saunas, baths and the functions they served across in various cultures as a platform for more than just physical wellness, they serve as a place for the public to intersect exchange, where the discourse/naked talk has been disregarded for long.

We are creating a sauna space within the gallery space and inviting proposals which engage with the ideas of public discourse, dialogue, community and health, preferably while in the sauna.

Who is the curator?

This project is curated by S², a curatorial boyz band casually formed by Steven Tong and Steven Dragonn. Steven Tong is an independent curator and the co-director of CSAspace, an independent Canadian project space founded by Christopher Brayshaw, Adam Harrison and Steven Tong in Vancouver since 2007. Steven Dragonn, founder, director and curator of Canton-sardine, which was founded with Dr. Xiaoyan Yang in 2018. This project will take place in Canton-sardine.

Submission
This open call is world wide! Simply send your proposal and short bio via email to stdragonn@canton-sardine.com  Act now! Until July 29th, 2023. 

Selection
Due to the limitation of time and space, the proposal accepted by the curator will be announced and will be executed weekly from June 14th to July 29th. All proposals will also be listed on Canton-sardine’s website, e-Newsletter and social media’s handles, updated weekly. (Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive the result via Canton-sardine’s website at the bottom of the front page)

Schedule
NO OPENING!!! Instead, a closing event will be addressed on July 29th to discover what happened with the project completed. During the project, everyone is welcome to have a sauna in the gallery, free charge!

Venue: Canton-sardine, 268 Keefer Street, Unit-071, BC, Vancouver, Canada 
Duration: _________till July 29th, 2023
Doors open: June 14 – July 29, every Wed to Sat 12-6pm

Curator’s Sauna Closing Party
July 29th Saturday 12-8pm
268 Keefer St, unit-071, Vancouver

1. Sauna To-Cha 
Bryan Mulvihill
2-3pm
Calling 8 tea-tasting players with handy artwork to join!

To-Cha is a tea-tasting contest, originating as a participatory social discourse in China and later spreading to Korea and Japan. It involves social rituals to discern the finer qualities of tea. We invite 8 participants, each of whom must bring their handy artwork to join this game in the sauna. The winner will earn all the others’ artwork; no gain, no game!

2. Beef and Broccoli but No Beef ($234)
KitKit Para
3-6pm
Calling 30 guests cook and eat broccoli in the sauna.

Beef and Broccoli but No Beef ($234) is an interactive installation commenting on food inflation and the new grocery rebate. KitKit spent $234 on materials for the project, which included 10kg of broccoli. We invite 30 guests to steam their own portion of broccoli while using the sauna. Participants who successfully cooked and ate the broccoli with Kit’s secret beef sauce received a certificate of completion from the artist.

3. HeatTek
Timothy Fernandes & Arti Struyanskiy
6-8pm
Live techno music

“HeatTek” embraces the intense energy and unity found within saunas and sweatboxes, translating these qualities into a captivating live music performance. The duo will create a sonic experience that captures the essence of the immersive environments and the transformative power of electronic and techno music. 

We’re still accepting proposals!

7.18 Updated
Accepted proposals:
Paige Quinn 
Bryan Mulvihill Trolley Bus 

7.10 Updated
Accepted proposals:
KITKIT Para
Stephanie Gagne
Alejandra Camacho
Ketty Zhang
Jane Q Cheng

6.27 Updated
Accepted proposals:
Polit-Sheer-Form-Office
Charlotte Yao
Yi Wang
Bagua Artists Association 
Kristin Man
Hannah Möller
Mathew Arthur & Hayden Ostrom
Paul Wong  
Long Xi Vlessing 
Gillian Haigh, Jonathan Alfaro & Nathalie Schmidt