{"id":56038,"date":"2025-05-30T14:40:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=56038"},"modified":"2025-05-30T14:49:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:49:24","slug":"step-into-my-shoes-at-the-clark-centre-for-the-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=56038","title":{"rendered":"Step Into My Shoes at the Clark Centre for the Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is it possible to experience someone else\u2019s life? To understand their perspective and the way they navigate the world. Step Into My Shoes <\/em>at the Clark Centre for the Arts is a photographic series that brings these questions into focus. The works by Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart showcase a range of footwear in captivating scenes. The subjects vary from metallic loafers and embroidered boot heels to bedazzled pumps and more. Also found within the compositions are mobility devices, including automated stair lift machines and wheelchairs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Installation view of Step Into My Shoes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first objects we encounter in Step Into My Shoes<\/em> is a pair of black heeled boots embroidered with red, white, pink, and green floral patterns enclosed in a glass case. The exhibition is on three floors. Each floor presents three to four photographs in addition to actual footwear presented in a glass case that appears in the photography, such as the pair of pink Jacquemus block-heels in Its An Extension of Her Body<\/em> (2019). This work is uncanny in its depiction of shoes and the tattoo of the woman\u2019s arm, highlighted by multiple ring lights. Like tattoos, shoes and other adornments are expressions of style and taste and tell a lot about the person wearing them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart, Its An Extension of Her Body, 2019, UV cured vinyl print<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is interesting how mobility devices are depicted in this show. Are they also an \u2018extension\u2019 of the body? Due to the shadowed settings that form the background, these mobility devices are inconspicuous. Viewers often see the footwear prior to the equipment. However, within works such as Turtle Or Rabbit Speed<\/em> (2019), the footwear and the wheelchair both appear clearly to the viewer. The photograph is a winter scene, the snow creating a stark contrast between the background and the objects. There is a pair of lined Hunter boots at one end of the pathway leading to a home. In the middle of the shoveled path is a wheelchair. The Hunter branding of white, red, and black is recognizable for its popularity within Wellington boots, seemingly popping out of the photograph. Both the boots and the wheelchair represent a mode of travelling. In the boots you can move fast, while in the wheelchair your movement is somewhat limited. Or they might belong to the same person. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart, Turtle Or Rabbit Speed, 2019, UV cured vinyl print<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shoe-subjects resurface in settings such as piers or beaches, the latter forming the background in Pop A Wheelie <\/em>(2017). This photograph shows the wheel of the chair in profile, almost as though it is contemplating the water. On the sand in front of it is a tie-dyed blanket along with a pair of wedge sandals with wicker details. The smaller adornments of beads and flowers are also visible, emphasizing the coastal vibe. Where is the person who came here in the wheelchair? Does she still have some mobility to walk around, or even swim? Or is that person photographing this scene for future memories?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart, Pop A Wheelie, 2017, UV cured vinyl print<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warm tones of the interior are very inviting in Inspiring<\/em> (2017). The shoe-subject in this work is a pair of metallic loafers, with a second pair in the background. It seems like it is applying gentle pressure to the pedals of the piano as if an invisible figure is sitting down to play. Signs of home are found in the scene: a family portrait atop a mantle, a stand of four guitars, an ornate rug with dust motes suspended in the air. There is also a wheelchair and a comfy armchair nearby. This room must belong to a disabled person with good taste, who is also a music lover and a player \u2013 showing that disability doesn\u2019t always make a person unable to fulfill their dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart, Inspiring, 2017, UV cured vinyl print<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon leaving the exhibition I noticed a wheelchair at the end of the hallway behind a rope barrier. It took a moment to remember the photographs in which the wheelchair was found: home, beach, theatre, forest, and in that instant, a gallery. To whom does this wheelchair belong? Even is it a young or an old person, a man or a woman? After this exhibition we feel more connected to their lives as we have learned about their passions for music and beach outings. We are also invited to have a glance at Kalilian\u2019s chic closet with all those fashionable shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Installation view of Step Into My Shoes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text and photo: Rashana Youtzy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Exhibition information: Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart, Step Into My Shoes<\/em>, May 2 – May 31, 2025, Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough. Gallery hours: Mon – Wed, Fri – Sun 9am \u2013 4pm, Thu 9am – 8pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition is part of CONTACT Photography Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rashana Youtzy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The works by Anahita Kalilian and Riley Stewart showcase a range of footwear and mobility devices in captivating scenes.<\/p>\n

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