CURATORIAL STATEMENT

We live the opposite

For the exhibition We live the opposite, dar(l)ing, artist Dianne Davis has fashioned an alternative history for RiverBrink, inserting imaginary characters within an invented historical queer community in Niagara. Working in the media of drawing, photography, and installation, Davis has created fictional characters and relationships which pay homage to queer artists from the past and her current community. The third installment of a series the artist initiated in 2017, the exhibition is intended to disrupt the history of RiverBrink, the former vacation home of London lawyer and collector Samuel E. Weir. In this imagining, the masculine space of the home, now a public art museum, becomes the site of an alternative domestic narrative. The exhibition is rooted in a reimagining and reconstructing of queer legacies from the past, with the goal of supporting dialogue with the present. 

Debra Antoncic PhD,
Director/Curator, RiverBrink Art Museum


Dianne Davis is a Niagara born, Toronto-based visual artist. She has exhibited her photo-based work in solo exhibitions at Harbourfront Centre, Angell Gallery and Cedar Ridge Creative Centre as well as in numerous group shows. Her work, Richmond Park, is on permanent display in Toronto’s Bell Trinity Square. Davis is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, most notably Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council visual arts grants. She holds a BFA in Photography from OCAD University, an MA from Concordia University and an MEng from the University of Toronto . 

THANK YOU

Thank you to all the wonderful people who collaborated with me on this project. A very special thank you to Jennifer Long and Colleen Huebert for their many hours of input, support and guidance. Words cannot express how extremely grateful I am for your expertise, kindness and friendship.

Thank you to all the following amazing and generous supporters & collaborators. I’ve never enjoyed collaborating more!

  • Debora Antoncic

  • Sally Ayre

  • Charlotte Bigelow

  • Karen Chapelle

  • Margaret DeRosia

  • Tracey Dey

  • Feminist Photography Network Residency

  • Sandra Gearhart

  • Tulin Gundogdu

  • April Hickox

  • Una Janicijevic

  • MJ Laing

  • Kate Lazier

  • Asta McCann

  • Kate Moore

  • Kim Potvin

  • Jane Pyper

  • Clare Samuel

  • David Tinmouth

  • Jill Tinmouth

  • Hamilton Vincent DePaul

  • Janet Zylstra

And finally, a loving thank you to my partner Jill Tinmouth for her open-hearted unwavering support. It has meant the world to me.

A scattered collection of printed Polaroid-style photos on a white surface, featuring various individuals in different poses and settings.
A wooden chair with a red cushion placed in front of a fabric backdrop, surrounded by patterned rugs and framed pictures on the wall.
A vintage leather dress shoe in red and white held on a wooden plank.
A stack of various colored glass bowls and dishes reflecting light
A red-lit darkroom with photographic equipment, including drying prints hanging on a line and sinks for developing photos.
Cyanotype print of a woman’s face in profile view on textured paper.
Art gallery exhibit with framed paintings and photographs on a blue wall. Some artwork is on the floor, including large black and white and blue-toned prints. The room has a wood-trimmed ceiling and beige carpet.
Magazine spread featuring an article titled "We Live the Opposite Dar(l)ing" by Agnieszka Frasunkeiwicz, discussing biographical writing, Virginia Woolf, and artist Dianne Davis. Includes quotes about speculative dreaming and the queer community, with a section on RiverBrink Art Museum transformation, and a description of Helen and Lily's fictive presence.

Read an essay about the exhibit by Agnieszka Frasunkiewicz