With every breath, we draw more than 10 sextillion molecules from the air around us into our lungs. At least one of those molecules was exhaled by Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, or Marie Curie. Though oxygen is what the body craves, with every breath a little bit of the world enters our bodies, inextricably connecting us to every other living and non-living thing, and to the history of the entire planet.

This interconnectedness is explored in Breathing In, Breathing Out through the work of two artists: Vladimir Kanic, whose experimental practice straddles art and science, collaborating with living algae to generate organic biopolymers as a sustainable sculptural material; and Karina Bergmans, whose inflatable cells and soft sculptures consider the human relationship with airborne allergens, molds, and viruses through the lens of psychology.

Independent of each other, both artists create breathing sculptures that integrate light with unconventional materials. Their unique approaches to sculpture and installation reveal how every breath engages us in a complex web of biological, ecological, and psychological relationships with the world around us.

Latcham Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville for their generous support of this exhibition.

All are welcome, and admission is free.

Image Credit (Left To Right): Karina Bergmans, Virus (detail), 2016-2021. Mixed Media. Courtesy of the artist. | Vladimir Kanic: Book of Waves Pt. 200, 2023. Mixed media with algae biopolymers and living algae culture. Courtesy of the artist.