What if, instead of scrolling through social media, a person resolved to begin each day with a creative act? That is what Shaheer Zazai did in 2013, when he purposefully opened Microsoft Word to make a design using 2013 characters. What began as a creative distraction from social media would lead Zazai into a new form of art production that he never intended to pursue.

This exhibition includes Zazai’s digital prints, Jacquard tapestries, handwoven carpets and videos, all translated from images painstakingly created in Microsoft Word.  As an Afghan-Canadian artist, Shaheer Zazai’s work integrates the rich history of Afghan carpet production with contemporary media and graphic languages to open a dialogue between Eastern and Western traditions and between the technologies of the past and present.

This exhibition offers artists working in all media the opportunity to have their work evaluated by three visual art professionals serving as jurors. The public can discover a variety of artwork exploring ideas and themes by contemporary artists from all over Ontario while the Curator has the chance to engage with hundreds of Ontario-based artists.  

Latcham will be accepting applications in person, and all artworks must be dropped off in person at the Art Centre on Monday, March 3, 2025, between 10 AM and 8 PM to be eligible for jurying. Latcham Art Centre invites Ontario-based artists to submit up to two recent works (completed in 2023-25) in any medium. To expedite this process, online pre-registration is available until Friday, February 28 at 5 PM. A non-refundable fee of $35 + HST per artist must accompany each registration, payable online or in person.