Zinnia Naqvi is a lens-based artist working in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her work examines issues of colonialism, cultural translation, language, and gender through the use of photography, video, the written word, and archival material. Her artworks often invite the viewer to consider the position of the artist and the spectator.
Yours to Discover (2019 - 2022) looks at found photographs of Naqvi’s family visiting popular tourist destinations in Ontario as a means of understanding and re-examining commonly accepted ideals of Canadian culture. The images in the forefront are of the artist’s family, taken in the late 1980s when they were considering the prospect of immigrating to Canada. Naqvi examines three specific sites and the way they have been staged to educate the public on Canadian ideals and values. At Niagara Falls, we witness the greatness and superior force of Canadian natural phenomena; at the CN Tower we understand new technological and architectural advancement, and at Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, we observe miniature examples of what is deemed to be ideal models of Canadian living and communities.
The work of Zinnia Naqvi (she/her) has been shown across Canada and internationally. She is a 2022 Fall Flaherty/Colgate Distinguished Global Filmmaker in Residence and recipient of the 2019 New Generation Photography Award organized by the National Gallery of Canada. Naqvi received a BFA in Photography Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University (2014) and an MFA in Studio Arts from Concordia University (2020). She is currently a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University.
