Latitude 53 presents "Oily: on fandom" Exhibition

Join us for the opening reception on July 5^th from 3 – 8 pm, while we participate in this year’s Downtown Summer Block Party at Rice Howard Way.

Hanif Abdurraquib writes about his hometown of Cleveland as its basketball team chases a national championship: ​“Cleveland is a city that is overwhelmed by a desire to believe in something beyond what people outside of the place have ascribed to it.”

The parallels between Edmonton and Cleveland jump out of every page of Hanif’s book ​“There’s Always This Year”. While the City of Edmonton removed its ​“City of Champions” slogan from welcome signs on the highway, many are still banking on a return to those glory days of back to back championships in the late 1980s.

But what is Edmonton without hockey?

In the early 00s, some in the local arts scene tried to cement Edmonton’s identity as blue collar and gritty by deeming it ​“Dirt City”. While this moniker seemed to encompass some accuracy in its attempt to describe us as underdogs, fish philosopher Dr. Zoe Todd rightfully critiqued how there was nothing dirty about a land that has held, fed and nourished people since time immemorial.

Whether a fan of the sport and the local team or not, it’s impossible to deny the power a franchise has on this city. There seems to be no hesitation to hand over blank cheques for an arena while cutting vital services, and displacing the most vulnerable population for the optics, to appear ​“world class” — desperately trying to believe we are something else.

Oily examines the joy, representation, and unity within a fandom while also never forgetting those who are left without when the party’s over. 

Featured Artists:

Maria Buffalo

John Cardinal

Veronica Fuentes

AJA Louden

Conor McNally

Emily Riddle