1. Here is a recent email I sent and the resulting correspondence:
On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 6:29 AM reclaimbeauty@gmail.com wrote:
Dear Potters,
It is a real pleasure to view your work, which I have done at several exhibitions. Most recently, I went several times to your current Sanguine Exhibit at the Living Arts Centre.
But last weekend, October 20 and 21, I couldn't enter the gallery space because there were school programs under the the Living Arts Centre's children Art Lab program which filled the gallery with young children (perhaps as young as 5 years old and as old as 7) who were brought in by their art instructors to view your work, and also to sketch your pieces.
I was shocked to see such a large number of young children fill that small, long and narrow gallery space. And although they were supervised, there were one or two who were running around unobserved, and some even touching the works.
The damage they could have caused to the delicate clay pieces is unimaginable, especially as some were perched on blocks and were easy to knock over.
I made this observation officially to the gallery receptionist, but she is not at fault since she had to follow what these LAC staff members had decided to do. And she is simply an volunteer, and not a professional art gallery personnel.
Besides the damage that could have occurred, these children also came during gallery hours and prevented the public (people like me) from entering and viewing the works. Firstly, there was no room to do so, and secondly if there had been room, they were so loud as to prevent a quiet viewing that these pieces merit.
I have since returned to the gallery twice (on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week) and bought your lovely catalogue as a memento and also as a contribution towards your artists who have put up this show free of charge. I also hope to visit your studio in the near future to start collecting my Christmas gifts.
I am an artist myself working with textile design, and understand the how delicate, and even fragile, most artworks can be.
All the best, and looking forward to your future exhibitions,
Kidist Paulos Asrat
Artist/Writer/Designer
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On Saturday, October 27, 2018, 9:43:21 AM EDT, Andrea Poorter wrote:
Hello Kidist,
Thank you so much for visiting the Exhibition.
We're very excited about it an proud of our work.
Thank you also for bringing forward your concerns. I'm sure it's difficult for the LAC to find a balance for kids programs and gallery works. It's great that children are brought into the gallery to look and see what's going on but understanding the fragility of ceramics (or any artwork) also requires some education.
We are having our Fall Sale November 17 and 18 right beside our studio. It would be great to see you there. Please introduce yourself if you can make it. www.mississaugapotters.com/sales
It would be great to meet you.
Best,
Andrea
--
Andrea Poorter
President
Mississauga Potters' Guild
www.mississaugapotters.com
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On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 2:07 PM reclaimbeauty@gmail.com wrote:
Dear Andrea,
I hope I gave some useful insights.
The problem was threefold:
1. The very narrow and long setup of the LAC gallery makes it very difficult for such a large number of people to be present at the same time in the gallery, and especially if it children (there were at least twenty present when I was there).
2. The natural inability for children (and especially boys) to remain still for a long period of time makes it difficult to control their behaviour and to keep an eye all all of them all of the time, and especially in such a large group.
And this in turn made me nervous that I would witness a breakage or some harm done to the works. I couldn't enjoy my visit, and even later when returned to a quiet gallery, I was worried that there might be many other sessions in the gallery with such young children present.
3. And finally I had to reschedule my visit twice, and finally caught on that I should come during the week (and not the weekend) in order to view the show.
I am saying this because I have taught young children arts and crafts. There are many pedagogical tools to teach young children "live" art, which includes using prints of works by famous artists, or for a 3-D assignments, to bring in a pot from a garden shed or the kitchen cupboard. Again prints of ceramics and pottery can be viewed to compare and learn from famous artists.
If visiting a gallery is a the teacher's strong desire, then the visit should be very carefully planned. For example: only 5 children at at time at a place like LAC gallery, with the children that are waiting to do assignments in the much more child-friendly hallway.
For some reason, the teachers at the Art Lab couldn't use these pedagogical tools such as these (at least in this case), and they felt that bringing a large group of children into the gallery was not a problem.
Thanks for your reply. I wish you and your group all the best.
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
We are now accepting visual and written works by women of colour artists and storytellers on the theme Invisible Love.
Invisible Love :: Your mother never said it. Your first crush was the girl you couldn't tell. The love of your life you couldn't share with the world. The feeling of being desired but never wholly loved. The ways in which our chosen family cares for us. The way the love we desire is about undoing the patriarchy. The way we feel seen but not always loved. The way we feel love that isn't always seen.
And the artist is a black American woman (couldn't they find a black Canadian woman?):
Her first solo exhibition in a museum, Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush, opened at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in February 2017. Curated by Marshall N. Price, the exhibition included about 30 of her paintings, watercolors, and collages and spans 10 years of her work. The works contain a wide range of art historical references, including medieval icons, Northern Renaissance still lifes, and artists such as Henri Matisse and John Wesley. They illustrate narcissism, celebrity culture, the objectification of women, issues of race, and police brutality. [source]
Imagine using a Matisse collage to "illustrate narcissism, celebrity culture, the objectification of women, issues of race, and police brutality."
It is a clever re-creation. I suppose that the palm leaf over the black face's lips indicates "silencing." And the "xs" are "negation," but coupled wth the "os" and the hearts mean "love." There is also a bird in there - a dove? And a circle on the top left corner of the face which looks 3-D and could be a globe. And the triangles? Pointing direction upwards, a secularized reference to heaven? Or the supremacy of the (black) female (the big triangle "holds" the face); the Black Goddess? But then there's the red, clown's nose describing: "The way we feel seen but not always loved"?
But why Matisse? Again, couldn't Nina Chanel Abney find a black (American) woman artist to re-create her "message" filled collage?
There was a time when fields were a good thing, a place where nature was allowed to bloom in all its glory.
I took these images of the M-City developments now in full progress along Webb Drive, in Mississauga. These empty fields held some promise at one time, of flowers and grass and even trees. Now they are deserted lots, which make them good candidates for development.
Now, the only promise we can expect from them is some apocalyptic design of strange narrow high rises which look like they will topple down at a mere hint of a breeze.
Webb Drive Development Strip
Mississauga
[Photos By: KPA]
Kevin Michael Grace 🏴 🇮🇪 ⚜ 🇳🇴
@KMGVictoria
Imagine living in a country wherein everything you had been raised to believe became its opposite. And then you were threatened to remain silent, otherwise you would be punished, socially, civilly & if need be criminally. Now you understand Canada
1:30 AM - 23 Oct 2018
[Photo By: KPA]
Entrance to the Jubilee Garden
Mississauga
Psalm 145
1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
I am not writing about that evil AGM but about Mississauga itself.
There is a fascinating story there with the original city being constructed by a group of ambitious, creative men who somehow saw a reason to develop a city rather than an extension of Toronto. I've still a lot to research about WHY but the hows are fascinating. It is the verve and ambition of strong, intelligent men who like to BUILD things.
You might like to read something about it here but it is all very disjointed and unfocused. Why, How, When, What, etc. need to be put in some cohesive manner.
I frequently go to the lovely Canadiana Room in the Mississauga Central Library, and dug up all these stores newspaper reports photos and other documents.
Also my theory is that since Mississauga is a "constructed" city, and doesn't have the "traditional" history of other smaller towns like Barrie, it is easier to dismantle and re-construct. It has the highest immigrant and non-Western population in all of Ontario, and I'm still trying to figure out if it is the case for the country as a whole. Housing is much cheaper than in Toronto (or Barrie) and therefore becomes a magnet for the lower-incomed (although not "poor") non-Whites. My father came here for that reason, and also because it was, as I said less developed and easier to "integrate" into.
And those evil sources at the AGM have been trying all kinds of ways to capitalize on this, those white women who've teamed up to wipe out white art and tradition and supplant it with multiculturalism. Except when the Hindu gods and Buddha's helpers get together, they don't get along. And God is watching!
There is hope for Mississauga. The grand project can continue. The men and their minds are still here.
So you see Laura, maybe that is why came to Mississauga! :)
Kendra Ainsworth: (Current) Curator of Contemporary art
at the Art Gallery of Mississauga
Even the supposed advocates of Mississauga have no regard for Mississauga.
This is the curator (of contemporary art ) at the Art Gallery of Mississauga who describes herself thus (for a future job promo):
I am a Toronto-based curator, writer and arts administrator with over 10 years experience in the arts and culture sector. Working collaboratively with artists, colleagues, institutions, and diverse stakeholders I develop engaging, accessible, and critical contemporary art exhibitions and projects.
Newly added, October 2018: Writing projects (with links!)
"Toronto-based..." is the extraordinary phrase. Although it could technically be correct, as in "living in Toronto."
Which is even worse than promoting the gallery as being NEAR Toronto. If the gallery's advocates cannot even find living in Mississauga fits their bill, then why should anyone care about he gallery they're running gallery?
Here's more from the "about" section at Ainsworth's site (I've listed and linked to all her projects she's posted, which she hasn't, making them difficult to read and distinguish, which is likely her purpose. Some are clearly not very important positions.):
Kendra Ainsworth is a curator, writer and arts administrator, based in Toronto. She holds a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto with a focus on interpretation of contemporary art. Her practice is focused on working collaboratively with artists, providing accessible gallery experiences, and removing both intangible and tangible barriers to public engagement with contemporary art. Recent projects include the exhibitions:
She has presented projects at the Art Gallery of Burlington, the Gardiner Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Ainsworth served as the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and currently sits on the board of Gallery 44, Centre for Contemporary Photography. Her writing has appeared in C Magazine.
Her LinkedIn page introduces her as "self-employed." No-one who keeps other parts of one's LinkedIn page current makes errors about one's current employment status.
Ainsworth's is covering all her bases. After all, she's used to this, and has a history of shuffling from one art gallery to another. And all these postmodern deconstructionism who have no regard for the tradition of Western art.
Since she cannot even be loyal to her own cultural heritage why should she really care about any others, including the non-Western and anti-Christian art she seems so keen to represent?
The flip side of course is that all those immigrant artists from Third World, non-Western countries, that have had a free pass through her at the AGM, may not like what she advocates: "equality," homosexual rights, other gods (that are not theirs), feminism, promiscuity, And she posts her non-sanctified (i.e. unmarried) "partner's" photo on her Instagram page, who on the other hand, posts his nephews as compensation for the children he doesn't (and is unlikely) to have.
So, she is just another white woman from a destructive society telling them what to do.
And of course, she curated (her debut curaton?) her Homer Watson exhibition not because he represented the pre-multicultural pre-non-Western focus on Canadian arts but because he was "channeling" voodoo spirits. wrote about hts (and refuted t) here.
So, the AGM isn't quite living up to Ainsworth's expectations. And the best thing is to jump ship and move on to the next best progressive "institution."
Narcissists are always revealing things about themselves. They have an unstoppable urge to do so. And Ainsworth clearly falls under that category, as do most contemporary, mostly white, middle-aged women. Here is Ainsworth in her most recent Instagram post (with her fan comments), with the accompanying photo of herself:
kendraainsworthWhile I am not one for social media ‘days’ of anything, #worldmentalhealthday is a thing I can get behind, as we still have so far to go to reduce stigma and have mental healthcare be seen as essential as medical care. I have struggled with and will likely continue to deal with an anxiety disorder my entire life and I am so thankful for the people and professionals that have supported me. So here’s a picture of me, feeling so much lighter, walking home from therapy earlier this year. It’s ok to ask for help, you, and your quality of life are worth it. And, for whatever it’s worth, I am always here to talk 💕
sacha.lambertEscitalopram 10mg saved my life 💙👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💙💙💙💙
kendraainsworth@sacha.lambert glad to hear you found what worked for you! Hope you are doing well (looks like the Maritimes have been good to you)!
kimleekho👏👏👏
lwoolven❤️❤️❤️
anikglaudeYou are amazing!
"Tuned In"
ADD: Calling the Cops
Homer Watson - fnng the anti-Christian in western art
I won't go into ANY of the controversies:
- "Today is Columbus Day"
- "Columbus didn't discover America"
- "'Native Canadians do not accept this holiday because..."
Well, I just did skim through them, and tomorrow we'll continue with the war.
7 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
My local Indigo/Chapters bookstore is a place to behold, if one likes to rummage through books. And everything is bright and airy, with books shelved in full view from the front to the back of the store.
It often reminds me of that funny quaint, and authentic, little movie You've Got Mail where Tom Hanks' character, Joe Fox, is about to open a mega bookstore aptly named Fox Books. Joe defends his mega project after an interview misrepresented his words:
I said you could read for hours and no one will bother you. I said we had 150,000 titles. I showed them the New York City section. I said we were a goddamn piazza. A place in this city where people could mingle.
Kathleen Kelly, played by Meg Ryan, is about to lose her "Shop Around the Corner" to this conglomerate. Her "neighborhood" book store is a tiny place, which the efficient and diligent Kathleen stacks up for her devoted, but dwindling clientele.
But I like Joe Fox's Fox Books. I like its openness. I like its bigness, and I like that there are all kinds of books, some strange, others stupid, and a few so big I wonder how anyone can carry them out of the store. I wander through the store looking for that one book that I would spend my $20 or $25 on (I've set the limit at $25). I buy books now every couple of months and I look forward to the day when I have opened, read and contemplated all the books that are lying around in various forms of shelving that I have been buying for the past year or so.
I should disclose that this frantic book-buying activity occurred after I moved from Toronto to Mississauga, when I had to "get rid of" about 3/4 of my books, keeping only those I deemed too precious, based on my categorization of: books I loved, books that were classics, books with beautiful covers (and not necessary in that order).
I went again last week, and what a timely visit.There were tables of new books with specific groupings, from Canadian novels to new Canadian novels to novels by "new Canadians." Actually the "new Canadians" table just called itself: Local Writers.
Who are these "local writers?" I was intrigued. Writers from Barrie perhaps?
No. These Chapters folk were serious about their labels. These were Mississauga writers! More reason to find out who they were.
I started to notice something strange as I read the names (and the stories) of these select group of authors. They would be placed, if we could place them under an honest label: Non-White Canadian Literature. And if we could add a sub-label: With Grievances towards White Canadians.
What a collection!
I go through some of the books in this post, but let me digress (perhaps it isn't such a big digression) to recount what happened as I placed these books on the table so that could take a picture of the selection (this is the new way of "writing" things down and store owners don't mind). Then I could look them up at my leisure (at home) and return to buy any I liked.
Here is the image I finally took of the grouping.
But as I almost completed my task I was interrupted by a woman who elbowed herself between me and the books to have a look at what was on the table (my chef d'oeuvre?). I was a startled and moved back a step.
It was a Chinese woman and I could see that she had no interest in what selection was available, but was scouring around for something and not necessarily a book. She was nudging me away to indicate that I had spent too much time on that particular table.
And there are ten other tables to look at! Including all those gift items - nifty pens, colorful diaries, bookmarks with words of wisdom, and even special mugs for those contemplative chapters when sipping coffee seems to help one's cerebral activity.
How rude!
So I nudged back.
"Excuse me. I want to have look" she said in broken, accented English.
"Excuse me. I want to have look" I mimicked - sans accent but with a deliberate grammatical error. I was serious about my task.
She stayed on. I wasn't about to fight her in my favorite bookstore in Mississauga.
Idiots always tire. One just has to wait them out.
And who complains about someone staying too long at a table or with a book in a bookstore?
I suspect she was looking at the book by Anna Yin, "Poet Laureate" of Mississauga, who wrote the adulated "ethnic" story Seven Nights With the Chinese Zodiac, about whom have written here where I've also analyzed one of her poems.
This is what I wrote about Yin after heard her recite a poem during a Remembrance Day ceremony:
Yin['s]...poetry is infused with allusions to China which she left behind for these greener pastures, but a place she will never leave psychically, or even physically. It is an error to think that her predecessor Chinese have assimilated, or melded into the Canadian culture. They are simply carving out their own China, however diluted from the original it may seem, as will she. Her advantage is that she has ample support for this, both from her these long-term Chinese residents and their Chinese-Canadian safe haven, and from the guilt-ridden, "racist" contemporary whites.
If the book-seeking Chinese woman were smart enough (or less aggressive with her manufactured entitlements) she could have found dozens of this book shelved in the Canadian Poetry section, as an Chapters/Indigo staff informed me. Or she could have just picked up a Stephen Leacock if she really wanted to now about Canada. But I doubt that learning more about Canada s on her priority list.
And no one blinks that a poem titled "Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac" is considered an "Canadian Poem." Oh yes this poet did win the Mississauga Poet Laureate Prize after all.
Here is the poem that Yin wrote which Canadians find quaint and honest. I just find Yin insincere.
My Accent
It is charming.
I assure you.
I assure myself,
and choose to believe so.
Languages have colors.
I want to show you my tender blue.
But you cut off with fork and knife,
quicker than my chopstick taps.
My accent grows trees,
trails and winding roads
to west coast landscape.
It points to the open sky;
yet clouds are too heavy
and form raindrops.
My papers collect them
then dry in silence.
I have hesitated many times
before I speak;
now it develops teeth.
Even with gaps between,
I decide
…this is my voice.
And, as predicted, a couple of minutes this intruder was gone. I took a deep breath, recaptured my mood before the interruption, took my photo and went to the computer data base to check out these authors.
She fit right in with the kind of immigrants in Canada now: Aggressive, self-centered (and ethno-centered), and ready to "claim" their "rights," which in her case was the right to a table full of books irrespective of who had been there before (and was still there!)
I try hard to find ways in which this "New Canada" could redeem itself, but it gets harder every day.
Cover design for Seven Years with the Chinese Zodiac
The "goat" looks more Indian than Chinese, but it is still exotic.
There is a lot to write about Julie Chen, who supported her CBS head honcho husband's, Les Moonves', adulterous life to maintain her media status in CBS. She hosted, or fascistically ruled, her crew and co-hosts at the CBS daytime gabfest talk show The Talk (and WHO thought up that mildly pornographic name??) through fear of repercussions from her powerful husband for anyone who digressed from her views (and wishes, and desires). Moonves had put Chen, his wife, it worth repeating, at the helm of The Talk. Two women were actually fired in the early days of The Talk because they grumbled about these nepotistic arrangements.
Chen left, or quit, when Moonves' historic indiscretions began to surface, even after their marriage, leaving her pathetic feminists minions at odds on how to deal with her departure. Moonves, their big boss CBS, became the ire of the #MeToo movement, and yet here was his wife (who married him after an affair when he ditched his first wife) embroiled in the very lifestyle they decried.
Hypocrites (on all parties) doesn't even begin to cover it.
Chen still runs that creepy Big Brother, another Moonves enterprise, where she earned her second-rate fame before The Talk, where psychopathic and sociopathic contestants live in the same house, with no exit, performing various "challenges" until there is a last man standing to carry off the 1 million dollar cash prize.
Sartre would have cringed at this appropriation. "Huis Clos! C'est pour l'éternité!!!" he would have wailed in his shocked French manner about his literary living arrangement. Not some exit with a cash prize.
Chen is pretty much how Asian women behave. They prefer to be in the background rather than upfront and target-prone, as Chen eventually became on The Talk. What exactly would they (she) stand for, and how would they defend their "positions" when pressed?
Clearly Chen was no champion for the American Woman. She was perfectly happy as the wife of serial adulterer Moonves (although she pretended to be some free woman) cashing in on all the spoils.
But the joke's on us (and all those minions). She was the ultimate "Big Brother" waiting out for the big cash prize. "But where's our Big Sister!!??" would wail her co-hostesses. She's run off with the money.
[Note: Partly because of the length of this article and partly that I have other notes to make regarding the topic (ethnic art) for another post, I missed out on some small - mostly typo - errors in the last update. This should be it! Although you will not have missed the point, and message, of the article.]
Meena Chopra, a poet and artist, officially launched her book of poetry and art SHE! The Restless Streak on August 26 at the Mississauga Central Library with Mayor Bonnie Crombie making the introductory presentation.
Above is a view drawings by artist Meena Chopra's She! The Relentless Streak art exhibit on now at the Mississauga Central Library
Below is Meena Chopra with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie at the book launch for She! The Relentless Streak, a collection of poems and drawings, on Saturday, September 22, 2018
"My art is my search for the moments beyond the ones of self knowledge. It is the rhythmic fantasy; a restless streak which looks for its own fulfillment! A stillness that moves within! An intense search for my origin and ultimate identity". Source: Meena Chopra's Art World
Below is the completed article from my May 25, 2015 draft Meena Chopra's Ephemera: Art in the Multicultural Era
Meena Chopra is the Indian, Third World Goddess that has evoked Mississauga's awe and wonder.
Chopra knows this.
And she and her world are systematically undermining and curtailing the white West's civilization. She says so, clearly, in this presentation:
World is transitioning into a global village where English language is taking the front seat but not in a traditional British, American or any other way. [KPA Note: I suspect the grammatical deficiency might be because these are the notes she was reading at the lecture, but submitting that for publication is lax and lazy.]
She then continues to talk of the "visual" importance of modern-day communications, neglecting to mention the small fact, or covering it up, that she is reciting her poetry in English words, and much more often than her native country's Hindi words.
But, rather than talk about this usurpation of the English language by non-Anglo worlds, and discussing their variations on the English language, including the addition of many non-English words, she deviates from this by writing:
The biggest influence on new English is of the technological culture and the dynamism of the young who are the creative compelling users of technology.
(I should add here that Chopra's written text is probably the notes she was reading from at the presentation. And for a literary person, one would expect the final, public, version of her transcript not to include so many errors).
She says that now, since the English language has become this universal world language, and where the Third World has appropriated it to suit its cultural needs, a new generation is using it in a very different, visual way, and casting aside the scripted, textual language.
Chopra's thesis that language is getting more "visual" is badly developed. She seems to support at times the linguistic idea and at others the visual one. She exemplifies the intellectual laxness of these non-Western sophisticates. But it could be more astute than mere laziness. Her Hindi culture, despite its very well evolved written language, is still a culture of visuals. And with large parts of the population illiterate, or close to illiterate, only the elite educated would be able to read her books. And it is probably the same elite which is educated in advanced English and which could also read her books in English. And there is the major problem in India of the myriad of competing "national" languages. Not all (elite) Indians can speak Hindi fluently, but all elite Indians can speak English fluently (or with close to fluency).
And many elite Indians, including her, have travelled the thousands of miles across oceans to arrive at Canadian shores, manipulating all the tricks in the immigration how-to book, and with full assistance from Canadians themselves.
But these immigrants have come to invade and take over a country which let them in through peaceful acquiescence. Which is the more incredible: that they came at all, abandoning country, culture, peoples and ancestors, for opportunistic gains, or that they were let in without a single fight?
And once here, since their agenda, implicit, complicit, deliberate or instinctive, is a take-over and a transformation of this country so it resembles the one they left behind, they wll be incessant critics of everything Canadian, until things start to change according to their prescriptions. Until things start to look like them.
But what happens when this world does begin to change, and it beings to resemble their native lands? What happens when the sophistications they expect began to erode? What happens, for example, when first-class libraries as the Mississauga Central Library, which shelves their multicultural prize-winning books, is no longer the efficient and organized entity which we all unquestioningly expect it to be, and the literary sophisticates, Indians and whites, can no longer find where their books are stacked, since although the computerized system says "it is there" the book is conspicuously absent from the shelves?
What will they do with their criticisms then, their multicultural agendas, their dismissal and eradication of the culture for which they traveled thousands of miles to make sure that their books were shelved on the right spot in the public library so that people, they, could read them.
The literary textual world, the subject of Chopra's flippant verses, may not come to her rescue. But she is ready for that. She already has her faithful, complicit, visuals ready.
Chopra with at the launch of her book of poems and drawings SHE! The Restless Streak
on September 22 2018 at the Mississauga Central Library,
with the display of the drawings on the background wall
[Image source: Mississauga Library Twitter page]
Marian Kutarna with Chopra, holding Chopra's book of poems Ignited Lines.
Chopra's 2010 poetry reading and book launch
where she recited in Hindi and in English "Adieu to the Dawn" at her book launch
on February 2010 at a Mississauga Central Library event.
Marian Kutarna, then manager of the History & Art department (now manager of library circulation), says, after Chopra read one of her poems in Hindi:
"The sound of a language is poetry. The human heart is the same heart in all of us."
Followed by a round of applause.
Below is the more complete video from which Kutarna's excerpt (from 1:45 min - 3:30 min) is taken:
Glimpses of the Setting Sun - A multilingual poetry celebration
Book Launch and Art Exhibition
Sunday February 28, 2010, 2 pm - 4 pm
Mississauga Central Library, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
But I find Chopra uncomfortable with the Kutarna's effusive admiration. Chopra make subtle and begrudging jabs at the English and American civilizations and language (which she posts at her blog - I've posted the full article at the end of this blog as well as a bref excerpt above) to whom she owes everything for her highly lucrative and esteemed literary life in Canada.
Chopra is of course a seasoned ethnicist, who has used Canada's infrastructure to its maximum. She is "Friend of the Library" at its most opportunistic.
Below is Chopra reading a poem with those special sounds that Kutarna found so compelling (and incomprehensible!).
I saw a collection of Chopra's paintings and drawings at the Living Arts Centre here in Mississauga. The center is trying to promote the various arts, and has a full-scale concert hall, a gallery, and various artists' workshops. It is quite a formidable building. I saw Chopra's work hanging somewhere in the gallery, and looking online, I realized it was at the LIVE Restaurant, which is mostly used for after-concert meals and refreshments.
Art and Gastronomie
Chopra's works hanging above wine glasses and folded napkins: the epitome of Western sophistication,
but with the Eastern content
Hanging here are oil paintings "Hope" and "Afloat"
and selling for $285
The center, including the restaurant, is partially funded by government grants, and is losing money, and is accepting all kinds of events to cover its costs. One recent one was a body builders' gathering, where strange, inflated humans were circling around the hallway. Anothers is to hold various ethnic festivals, and their programs includes a recent presentation by a Chinese circus and an Indian religious event to celebrate one of their gods. Chopra's program fits that bill.
Chopra's works at LIVE were:
"SHE: A Restless Streak" Art Show by Meena Chopra
CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF WOMANHOOD
At:
"Live Cuisine" at Living Arts Centre Mississauga from March 9, 2015 until May 25, 2015.
4141 Living Arts Drive, Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga, Ontario L5B
9th to 25th May
10:30am to 5:30pm everyday
Below is a drawing hanging at the LIVE restaurant, but which I also found online. The photograph of her paintings hanging in the restaurant is what I took, as well as the view of the LIVE restaurant's entrance.
Drawing:
Meena Chopra
Pastel on paper 11'x8"
From Chopra's series: She: A Restless Streak
Poem
Excerpt from Chopra's poem Iconoclast (full poem below)
The real in her
longs to be
revealed through layers
seeking identifications
undraped
in a figureless
formless existence.
Iconoclast
Is she a vase
or a statue on a pedestal ?
She is no icon!
Her feet strong
firm on ground.
The earth supports her.
The real in her
longs to be
revealed through layers
seeking identifications
undraped
in a figureless
formless existence.
In vain,
she searches - an iconoclast,
beyond the turbidity of love.
Will she find one in you ?
Is this the forceful Hindu Goddess, the statue on a pedestal, that Kutarna is looking for? Will she find this figureless, formless, elusive creature?
Chopra may present herself as a modern, progressive oriental with Western ideas. But, as we look deeper into her thoughts, she remains much more Indian than Western. And she is not forthright with Kutarna, whom she will surely abandon when her authentic "identity" trumps pleasantries, leaving Kutarna with nothing but those incomprehensible sounds.
An Indian Woman at the LIVE Restaurant
At one time (about a year ago) the restaurant had changed its buffet style menu from an exclusively European menu and had added one or two Indian dishes. I asked recently about booking the restaurant, and found out that one of the chefs was Indian. When I looked at the buffet, the menu included only one Indian dish, and that was a simple chickpea dip. I asked to meet the chef to inquire about group rates, and was introduced to what looked like a cook. "You can order anything you want. Yes, we can do Indian dishes, butter chicken, anything."
My conclusion was that the attempt to turn this wonderful little place into an Indian/ethnic restaurant didn't work. How many folk festivals are there going to be, and how many are "inclusive" enough to attract a wider audience than just Indians?
Chopra's work is hardly that of the goddess/artist of Kutarna's eulogy. She has managed to convince the ethnicist Indians who still require the admiration of white Canadians - and they got one at least via Kutarna, and those multi-culti whites who still run the organizations - that she is worthy of their attention. And, following the multi-culti/ethnicist recipe, that is not hard to do. I don't doubt that Chopra has artistic ability, but she wouldn't have reached such a level of recognition hadn't she had all these underlying "qualities," and all that "support."
Chopra with her painting Eyes of Time, with a snake-like sign on her forehead [Image Source: The Hamilton Spectator, Sept. 2017]
Chopra eschews the bindi, a traditional decorative red dot painted on the forehead. Instead, she paints a bold black snake figure in its place. Like the bold images of her paintings, it has what she calls her “artistic signature.“ It is me,” she said. “It is a part of who I am.” [Image and text source: Toronto Star, August 9, 2010]
Note: "Celebrating 150 years of Canada" was a nationwide observance of many types of events and festivals commemorating the 150th anniversary of the country's Confederation
“Aankhen uthin to dekha kaynaat jal rahi thi
jab ye jhukin to tum the aur kuchh bhi nahin”
Roughly translated from Hindi:
When the eyes rose outwardly they saw the entire universe aflame.
When they opened inwards, it was you (the one reality of life) and nothing but you.
(From Chopra's Hindi poem And Nothing Else)
Art Exhibition: EYES OF TIME - The eye as a channel into the new dimensions of life.
By Artist and Author Meena Chopra
(Celebrating 150 years of Canada)
“Eyes wear the wings of time to fly beyond the cry of human desires, reveries and the realities,
penetrating the boundaries of the visible universe into the unknown, invisible realms".
Exhibition is on view from 8th August to 15th September 2017
Venue: Heritage Mississauga 1921 Dundas St W, Mississauga
Below is text from Chopra's writing from her blog page written in 2013. I tried to shorten it, but I think it should be read in its full, error-filled (for a wordmonger! but she does tell us of her Hindi bias) totality to understand in the scope of its message:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One World, One English, The Many Languages of the Imagination
World is transitioning into a global village where English language is taking the front seat but not in a traditional British, American or any other way. It is evolving with variety of different realistic cultural influences. The biggest influence on new English is of the technological culture and the dynamism of the young who are the creative compelling users of technology. The idiom and syntax are changing fast.
Manifestation of the subtle thought imaging is taking over directly from the mental sound vibrations in a language where we have started expressing in symbols like smilyes, pictograms and info-graphics etc. This visual expression of subtle thought is the immediate outer expression of our mental imagery perhaps descended on us from that one ultimate sound vibration (Shabd Brahm). The entire generation is on the thresh hold of being more and more visual in their expression of thought.
Underneath this visual explosion, English, with its new tools of expression is threading the beads of different languages so to speak, where the images of mind in their visual expression have started taking the lead.
What language does imagination has? It is a question that eludes many of us. Whatever way our creativity gets stimulated, according to the researchers, as humans our thinking is mostly in images and is visual. To add, from generations, powerful imagery has always been an intrinsic part of any creative writing which actually surpasses the barriers of language and language becomes a medium of creative expression.
Einstein said that he always thought in images, in his words, "I very rarely think in words. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards,"
So what we have observed with any of our senses, we can imagine; what we imagine, we image.
Traditionally in a country like Canada with its English predominance, linguistic diversity definitely breaks down the barriers to intercultural dialogue and promotes multilingualism as a fundamental tool for the prosperity of literature. Linguistic diversity also contributes to enhancing creativity and innovation at all levels of education and learning. There is a clear link between multilingualism and creativity because knowledge of languages gives access to other ways of thinking and to other cultures as well, reinforcing our creative capacities. This in turn has a positive impact on innovation.
In the changing environment where English is the predominant world language, Hindi like many other languages of the world is also transforming. It is becoming richer because of cultural influences for both in its usage, vocabulary and expressiveness. English language definitely has a major influence on Hindi as well as it has on many other languages in many ways.
There are many remarkable Hindi literary blogs on the net. It is adapting very well to the transition and the idiom. This change is inevitable with technological progression where English is predominant.
Some facts and observations about Hindi language:
- After Chinese, Hindi is the maximum spoken language of the world.
- Hindi has been one of the first languages which was picked up by Google when they started adding and introducing languages to the net for a wider usage of technology with languages.
- Instant Google translations are available at hand for all languages.
Hindi Writers' Guild, the organization I represent here, was formed in June 2008. It is the first of its kind multi-faceted organization in Canada. Its prime objective is to educate and increase public understanding of Hindi literature and the language, also to develop the writing skills in Hindi language. Organization promotes South Asian writers and literature through seminars, lectures and conferences etc. Computer literacy and promotion of book publication in Canada are the main intents of Hindi Writers’ Guild.
To elaborate the organization is involved in the following:
- GUIDANCE IN THE ART OF HINDI WRITING AND HINDI LITERATURE
- FACILITATION OF COMPUTER LITERACY IN HINDI WRITING
- FACILITATION OF EDITING AND PUBLICATION OF HINDI BOOKS
- TRANSLATION AND PUBLICATION OF NON - HINDI LITERATURE IN HINDI
- ARRANGING LECTURES BY EMINENT LAUREATES ON HINDI LITERATURE, BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENT AND PHILOSOPHY
- HOLDING BOOK EXHIBITIONS, PUBLIC SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES TO PROMOTE HINDI LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
- PROVIDE TRANSLATION SERVICES FOR HOSPITALS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE MOTHER TONGUE IS NOT ENGLISH
- LIAISON AND COLLABORATION WITH CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS, NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMS RELATING TO HINDI LANGUAGE AND HINDI LITERATURE
- HELPING IMMIGRANTS ASSIMILATE INTO CANADIAN SOCIETY BY DEVELOPING HINDI INDO-CANADIAN LITERATURE IN CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE
- MAINTAINING HINDI WEB-SITE FOR E-MAGAZINE AND E-LIBRARY FOR MEMBERS
Here's post at The Council of European Canadians (I've embedded the video):
Here are very reasonable and realistic proposals from The Mark Collett Podcast on how we can dismantle multiculturalism and prevent further mass migration into Western nations. As Mr. Collett says, we have said a lot about the problems we are facing; it is high time we start "suggesting solutions that are peaceful, morally acceptable and actually viable". Take a listen:
Here is one comment:
Was it peaceful when this multiculturalism was forced upon Whites with coercion, lies and duplicity?
When democracy means all important decision are kept out of the political process at all costs.
Being taken advantage with mass immigration of non-Whites is called 'peaceful'?? Well reversing it with deportation is equally just and peaceable.
That some will choose to be violent to stop it only belies the inherent violence in the original agenda. Its just coming to light when its actually addressed.
The elites agenda has always been, force non-Whites in as covertly and quickly as possible. Hoping that this makes any reversal or reseparation to the previous freedom impossible. We must reject this. It is possible, and required. Period.
