SHARENE SHAFIE
“As an artist, curator and writer I am passionate about people, our relationship to each other and the greater world around us.” Sharene Shafie
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Biography
Artist and curator Sharene Shafie has an expansive practice that ranges from sculpture, installation, and printmaking to participatory experiences. Her artworks emphasize the importance of process,and are therefore primarily concerned with creation, more so than the material outcome. In producing images and reflecting on experiences, she is able to pose a critique of various global issues and local experience. She believes that art is a critical tool that has the potential to bring about necessary change and awareness. Shafie dedicates a large part of her practice to the power of art for social change.
Her recent curatorial and artistic work has been concerned with narratives surrounding the multicultural experience in metropolitan cities such as Toronto. Shafie is interested in how identity is established and the notion of belonging, as she herself is a first-generation Canadian descendant from Filipino and Egyptian heritage. Her mixed ancestry undoubtedly plays a large role in her work as an artist and a curator. As she creates work that speaks to the notion of belonging, she is able to gain more understanding about her own cultural experience.
She has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree for Criticism and Curatorial Practice at the Ontario College of Art & Design University and has now returned to complete a Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation.
