Quick Facts
Biography
Kika Thorne is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, curator, and activist. She was born in Toronto in 1964, where she is currently based.
Life
In 1990, Thorne graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD University) in Toronto, Ontario, in Media Production and Cultural Theory, and went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia.
Artistic practice
In her early career, Thorne worked largely in film and moving image and also co-founded a feminist, cable television collective called SHE/TV (1991-1998) which aimed to mentor female filmmakers in producing experimental TV. Between 1996 and 2004, Thorne collaborated with fellow artist Adrian Blackwell to produce videos, installations and civic interventions. Thorne also worked as a curator for Vancouver's VIVO Media Arts Centre where she helped instigate a series of actions to express dissent around issues of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
With her multimedia/sculptural installations, Thorne works with the materials of mylar, elastic cord, rare earth magnets, plant-derived ink, aircraft cables, and other non-traditional art materials. Themes in her practice include an interest in geometry, physics, the visible spectrum, and social practice.
Select group exhibitions
- 2015: Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Ontario
- 2015: Silva Part I: O Horizon, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, British Columbia
- 2015: Geometry of Knowing, SFU Gallery, Burnaby, British Columbia
- 2014: One Possible Arrangement, Katzman Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario
- 2013: Things’ Matter, Or Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2013: I Thought There Were Limits, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
- 2010: 4D Uncharted, STATTBAD Wedding, Berlin,Germany
- 2009: 4D Uncharted, STATTBAD Wedding, Berlin, Germany
- 2007: Gasoline Rainbows, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2007: Street Scene, Murray Guy, New York City
Solo exhibitions
- 2014: Multiplicity of the Singularity, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Film screenings
- 2011: Singularity, Berlinale Forum Expanded, Berlin, Germany
- 2004: VS., Latvian House, Toronto, Ontario
- 2002: Confessions of a Sociopath by Joe Gibbons (In Person), CineCycle, Toronto, Ontario
- 2000: Pleasure Dome's 10th Anniversary Screening, CineCycle, Toronto, Ontario
- 1997: New Toronto Works Show, CineCycle, Toronto, Ontario
- 1995: Puberty Film Show, CineCycle, Toronto, Ontario
Collective work/civic interventions
- 2018: Gentrification Tax, Gentrification Tax Action, Toronto, Ontario
- 2010: SAFE ASSEMBLY (curated), VIVO Media Arts Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2003: ambience for a future city, Anarchist Free School, Toronto, Ontario
- 1997: Sod Roll for Shawn Keegan, The April Group, Toronto, Ontario
- 1997: Untitled (mattresses), The February Group, Toronto, Ontario
- 1996: Untitled (inflatable), The October Group, Toronto, Ontario
Honours
- 1997: Winner Best Canadian Video Images Film and Video Festival