Faculty of Art - Critique Club

This student-organized club is to create a space where students are invited to learn how to engage in critical dialogue, make relationships with their peers, and discuss critique feedback. Guest alums will assist with the critique and share their perspectives. 

• Thursday, October 3, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. 
• MCA 330, 100 McCaul St, 3rd floor
• Guest alum:  Patrick Stochmal

BIO

Patrick Stochmal is an interdisciplinary artist based in T'karonto (Toronto), Ontario working primarily through sculpture and performance to explore the intersections of ontology, queerness, ecology and the sciences. Stochmal has a BFA in Sculpture and Installation with a minor in Integrated Media from OCAD University (2024). 

Stochmal's work has been shown in exhibitions within and outside of OCAD University, including in the Ada Slaight Gallery (2019) and Ignite Gallery (2022) as well as Ed Video Media Arts Centre (2024) and Spacemaker II (2024). He was a summer resident at the School of Visual Art's Interdisciplinary Practices in Bio Art program (2023), where he acquired hands-on laboratory experience in SVA's BSL-1 lab. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

Employing open-ended processes of contamination, growth and deterioration, my work takes the form of collaborative engagements with non-human entities to consider expanded notions of kinship, queer forms of intimacy and the politics of embodiment. Staging leaky encounters between the human and non-human, I investigate moments of their categorical coalescence and structural instability to challenge human-centric perspectives of the world and existing social orders. I examine and explore the charged relations between, within and amongst bodies not limited to the human, thinking through the hidden intimacies and exchanges interwoven within the rhythms of the everyday. 

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What is the Faculty of Art Critique Club?
The Critique Club is a student-organized activity that provides a platform for critical dialogue, conceptual development, technique sharing, and networking. We welcome students from all programs and levels of the Faculty of Art to participate in this activity. During the club, participants are encouraged to present finished work or work in progress for feedback and open-minded conversation.
 

What kinds of critiques can I expect?
The Critique Club is focused on students' conceptual development and, accordingly, we emphasize examining each work of art in its totality rather than as a collection of formal details. We are chiefly interested in improving each other's artistic thinking, though critique focus may vary from student to student and can include feedback on technique. 
 

Who can attend the Critique Club?
The Critique Club is open to all students in the Faculty of Art.
 

What if I don't have any work to show?
You don't need to present finished work; if you would like feedback about a work in progress or an unrealized project, we would be happy to accommodate you. If you would simply like to experience the format of a student-run critique, you are welcome as well.

Do I need to bring anything for installation?
We will provide a hammer and nails, as well as an easel for two-dimensional work. If you will require any additional materials or equipment for setup, you must bring your own or borrow from tool loans.