Liz Ikiriko joins the AGYU as Assistant Curator for a yearlong contract to produce and facilitate AGYU’s programs from exhibition installation to the coordination and presentation of performances, screenings, lectures, and other event-based activities. Ikiriko is a biracial Nigerian Canadian artist, curator, writer, and photo editor. Her work as an educator, maker, and mother informs her practice which is focused on African narratives and those of the diaspora. She is committed to the creation of embodied experiences that utilize accessible platforms to share moments of vulnerability and care for those on the margins. One of Ikiriko roles with the AGYU will be to build internal relationships with York University faculty, staff, and students while also developing external community audiences locally and internationally.

Ikiriko has worked with organizations such as the CONTACT Photography Festival, the Contemporary African Photography (CAP) Prize, and Wedge Curatorial Projects. Her work has been exhibited nationally and her writing has appeared in Public Journal, MICE Magazine, C Magazine, and Akimbo. She received her MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice from OCAD University and currently teaches in the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University. In her new role as Assistant Curator, she looks forward to supporting and engaging the Art Gallery of York University community.

We would also like to wish Clara Halpern, our current Assistant Curator, our best wishes during her maternity leave and in welcoming her new family. We will miss her collaborative approach, inquisitive spirit and fastidious nature, and already anticipate your return.

Photograph by Clay Stang.