Ashna Jacob | Garage Residency
June 12–September 14, 2019
Experimental performances on Saturdays
Final Performance | Saturday, September 14
Ashna Jacob wants to play games. Throughout the summer, the artist will be using The Garage as a studio as well as a performance space to conduct experiments with tabletop games. Realizing her lifelong dream of just spending all summer playing games, the artist will be exploring the possibility of using games as a tool for artistic research and performance. Board games offer the possibility of intimate collaboration with audiences, as well as the lonely contemplation of playing alone. From old classics like chess and solitaire, to quirky VHS games, to her childhood board games that are missing half the pieces, the artist will use the games to build community with her audience while exploring broader themes of power, vulnerability, collaboration, and competition. Performance often indicates entertainment (for whom?), and the artist will experiment with the link between interactive performance and entertainment through these games.
Coinciding with Latitude 53’s Open Patio events every Saturday of the summer, Jacob will be present in the Garage space undergoing research, until specific performance dates are announced. Experimental performances will take place throughout the summer, and the residency will culminate with a final performance on September 14 based on her research in the previous months
Ashna Jacob’s culminating performance, Amateur Hour: 24-Hour Edition will take place from Friday, September 13 at 6pm to Saturday, September 14 at 6pm. Visitors are welcome to join in the performance during regular gallery hours or by appointment with Jacob. There will be a closing reception for Jacob’s residency in the Garage on Saturday, September 14 from 5-7pm.
Amateur Hour: 24-Hour Edition is a 24-hour performance that parodies social and economic pressures to “make it” in a world of capitalist expectations using a video accompanied board game. The artist plays through the hour-long self-designed board game Amateur Hour, every hour for a 24-hour period and attempts to beat the clock and get some rest. Audience members are welcome to join at any time, and may help or hinder the artist’s goal.
Ashna Jacob is a designer and visual artist based in Edmonton. A recent Bachelor of Design graduate from the University of Alberta, she primarily focuses on printmaking with a touch of intermedia and performance. Her practice broadly deals with interpersonal relationships, with performances focusing on dependency, trust, and kindness. Her past performances have also spoken about identity politics and the influence of media and mass marketing. She is interested in making the concept of privilege visible and tangible through her work.
Jacob has participated in a number of group shows including, Nextfest Emerging Arts Festival, Hour Glaze at dc3 Art Projects and Text and Texture at The FAB Gallery. Her works are in the collections of the University of Alberta and SNAP gallery.