CAFKA – Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area

Contemporary Art In The Public Space

CAFKA.14: IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THIS WAY,

May 31 - June 29, 2014. 

CAFKA – Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area announced the line-up of its 9th exhibition of contemporary visual art in the public spaces of the Waterloo Region.

CAFKA will present more than 16 original installations, performances and projections by contemporary artists in civic squares, storefronts, parks and community atriums in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.

Artists featured in CAFKA.14 will be Jefferson Campbell-Cooper (Hillsburgh, ON), Darren Copeland & Andreas Kahre (Toronto, ON & Vancouver, BC), Dagmara Genda (Guelph, ON), Don Miller (Shelburne, ON), Sara Graham (Vancouver, BC), Ann Marie Hadcock, (Wiarton, ON), Robert Hengeveld (Toronto, ON), Ruth Gibson and Bruno Martelli (London, UK), Nova Jiang (Los Angeles, CA), Steve Lambert (Beacon, NY), Mary Mattingly (New York, NY), Laura Moore (Toronto, ON), Samuel Roy-Bois (Vancouver, BC), Seripop: Yannick Desranleau and Chloe Lum (Montreal, QC), SWINTAK (Toronto, ON), and Krzysztof Wodiczko (New York, NY).

This will be the first CAFKA biennial exhibition to take place in the spring as well as the first month-long exhibition. It will also be the first time that CAFKA and the Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound (June 5 – 15) will present their biennial programs in partnership. CAFKA is also pleased to announce its five curatorial partners: Cambridge Sculpture Garden, Cambridge Galleries, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, the City of Kitchener and the Critical Media Lab. Together the two festivals and curatorial partners are creating a multi-part event in which the city will be seen through the lens of contemporary art and music.

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CAFKA - Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area is an artist-run organization that produces an international biennial exhibition of art projects in the public spaces of the Region of Waterloo. Through the exhibition, lectures, tours and related special events, CAFKA develops opportunities to learn about contemporary art and participate in its making, creating memorable experiences and contributing to the creation of an engaging, animated and stimulating urban environment.

CAFKA grew out of Artworks, an annual visual arts festival collaboratively run by the City of Kitchener and artists from the community. The two-day event was held in the Kitchener City Hall and consisted of an art sale, a cultural information exchange and 6 artist projects. The objective was to encourage the public to participate and see “art being made.”

In 2000 Artworks was re-evaluated and a group of artists from the region transformed the event into an artist run organization focused on presenting contemporary art projects in the public realm. That year nine projects were presented at the Kitchener City Hall. In 2001 the festival changed its name to CAFKA - Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area, presented 17 projects by Canadian and international artists over nine days, and expanded its base to include Kitchener City Hall and environs. A volunteer board of directors and part time Artistic Director organized the forum, and in 2003 a Public Relations Coordinator was added. Until the festival incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2005, it operated under the umbrella of Globe Studios. After the 2005 event, CAFKA adopted a biennial format and the following year a full-time Executive Director and Artistic Director were hired. CAFKA received charitable status in 2011.

Each edition of CAFKA takes on an over-arching theme relating to the history or current preoccupations of the region. By having artists from across Canada and around the world participate, each theme has been explored from diverse social and cultural perspectives. In 2009, the festival included 26 installations, performances, projections and exhibitions involving collaborations with local art galleries and museums as well as collaborations in programming and marketing with the Impact Theatre Festival and Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound.

To date, CAFKA's exhibitions are: 

• CAFKA.01: And Then We Take Berlin
• CAFKA.02: Power To The People
• CAFKA.03: Probing Into the Distance
• CAFKA.04: Peace Of Mind
• CAFKA.05: XINDUSTRIA
• CAFKA.07: Haptic
• CAFKA.09: Veracity
• CAFKA.11: Survive. Resist.
• CAFKA.13: CAFKA@The Walper Hotel
• CAFKA.14: IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THIS WAY

​ Related Links

• Art Spaces