- Thursday, September 21, 2023
- 4:00pm – 9:00pm
- Multiple Locations, MB
The Undead Archive: 100 years of photographing ghosts
Curated by Serena Keshavjee
Three-venue opening: Thursday, Sept 21, 2023
- University of Winnipeg’s Gallery 1C03: 4 - 6 pm
- University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections: 6 - 7 pm
- University of Manitoba School of Art Gallery: 7 - 9 pm
Exhibition continues: September 22 - November 10, 2023
One hundred years ago, the writer and Spiritualist Arthur Conan Doyle arrived in Winnipeg to give an illustrated lecture on the possibility of materializing ghosts and spirits. In the audience that night were the medical doctor T.G. Hamilton and Lillian Hamilton, a registered nurse. The Hamiltons went on to carry out hundreds of controlled séance experiments that resulted in a series of captivating black and white photographs, which they believed were evidence of trance personalities surviving death. The exhibition The Undead Archive contextualizes the photographs from an art historical point of view, and highlights how 16 contemporary artists have responded to these uncanny, pseudo-scientific photographs.
Join curators and artists on the free bus leaving the University of Winnipeg at 5:30 pm, travelling to the University of Manitoba and back again.
Artists KC Adams, Teresa Burrows, Irene Bindi, Estelle Chaigne, Aston Coles, Celia Coles, Erika DeFreitas, Lily Despic, Chris Dorosz, Martin Finkenzeller, Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk, Jodie Mack, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin, Susan MacWilliam, Megan Moore, Michael Pittman, Paul Robles, Shannon Taggart, Tricia Wasney and Grace A. Williams, with historical photographs and documents from the archives of Dr. Thomas Glendenning Hamilton and Lillian Hamilton.
This event is part of the The Undead Archive
This fall, MAWA is partnering with arts and academic organizations in Winnipeg to produce a deep dive into the intersections of visual arts and the supernatural, inspired by Winnipeg’s history of spiritualist photography. Activities include a photography workshop with former MAWA Artist in Residence Estelle Chaigne (France), a “MAWA Presents” online lecture with Dr. Grace Williams (UK), and the Wendy Wersch Memorial Lecture with long-time MAWA friend Erika DeFreitas. ASL is available for all events upon request.
Join curators and artists on the free bus leaving the University of Winnipeg at 5:30 pm, travelling to the University of Manitoba and back again. The bus is first come, first serve.
