An intimate space. Closeness, proximities, knowing intimately. Queen's University student artists Browz, Nicole Banton, Lorne Di Nardo and Jobelle Quijano have proposed nuanced and open-ended considerations of what student life looks like, not to mention what it feels like, on a deeply intimate scale.

Juried paintings, digital designs and screen prints have been reproduced as printed artworks for a fall installation at The Grad Club. Intimacies is a collaboration between Union Gallery and The Grad Club, with great thanks and appreciation to the curatorial and project team: Phileen Dickinson, Katie Hetherington, Astrid Hobill, Meenkashi Ghadial, Fatou Tounkara and Maggie Whitmore, with additional support provided by Jung-Ah Kim, Indiana Payne and Rachel Salem-Wiseman. Many thanks to Virginia Clark and the entire The Grad Club team for hosting this exhibition.

BROWZ

Constance Intounas is a Queen's University student entering her fourth-year of study, pursuing a degree in Concurrent Education, Film & Media and Sociology. She is originally from Newmarket, Ontario however, is also quite involved with the Kingston community as it is where she resides throughout the school year. As an artist, she is referred to by the name of Browz. Browz is a self-taught artist that found herself embarking on an artistic journey once the COVID-19 pandemic began summer 2020. She has been passionate about the profound opportunities that artwork has enabled her to explore personally, within the art industry and while sharing her talents with diverse audiences. Browz believes that artwork is a medium of connectivity that welcomes uniqueness and freedom to be embraced and exhibited. Exploring Browz's artwork, you will see her gallery is embellished with a variety of different artworks ranging from acrylic abstract paintings to digital art. It is simply the perfection of the imperfection that resonates most across her artwork.

NICOLE BANTON

Nicole Banton is in her fourth-year at Queen’s University working towards a Bachelor of Fine Art with a minor in Art History and a Certificate in Law. She enjoys printmaking, working with oil paint and experimenting with new techniques. In the last three years, she has learned a variety of new art making processes and has begun to discover and develop her own artistic practice. When not in school, Nicole lives in Pickering with her family and spends her summers teaching art classes and camps to children and adults. Nicole is thrilled to be showing a selection of her current work with Union Gallery x The Grad Club.

LORNE DI NARDO

Lorne is a fifth-year Fine Art Queen’s University student. Lorne’s practice is mainly within lithography and oil painting, however, over the past year Lorne has branched out in mediums such as collage due to “quarantine boredom.” Lorne’s work aims to invoke subconscious and conscious connections and speak to those who question order, yet never draw out of the lines—those who seek to embrace the natural chaos of the world, while simultaneously struggling to grasp the natural chaos of having four housemates.

JOBELLE QUIJANO

Jobelle is an artist from Toronto, Ontario. She is currently studying for her Bachelor of Fine Art at Queen’s University. She has been creating art from a young age and studied at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in high school. She primarily works with oil and acrylic paint but has also worked in sculpture and print. Her pieces are figurative and contain recurring themes including, girlhood, dreams, sexuality, love, isolation and self-perception.She incorporates feminine, kitschy imagery rendered in pink and purple hues with the aim to create a vivid and honest image of her inner world. Jobelle has showcased her work in various exhibitions including the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair and the RAW Artists Exhibition.