Toronto (May 23, 2018) - Toronto Rehab – the No. 1 rehabilitation research centre in the world – will launch its first-ever contemporary solo art exhibit,
RETHINK RECOVERY.
"I can't count the number of times I've left medical appointments devastated and disappointed that the doctors and science were unable to give me the answers needed to get me to recovery," says Toronto Rehab patient and Canadian artist Kanika Gupta.
RETHINK RECOVERY is a reflection of Gupta's journey to feeling whole again. The exhibit will run throughout the month of June 2018, in Toronto Rehab's RBC iDAPT Innovations Gallery, which is a space used to demonstrate our scientists' newest findings, products, and treatments. Gupta's exhibition is the first showing of an innovation by a patient.
RETHINK RECOVERY features original prints, photographs, ceramics and words exploring alternative ways of defining recovery from injury, illness or disease, while challenging societal and medical assumptions of what it means to be "recovered." The artist will also host a series of hands-on, art-making workshops for patients and staff, allowing viewers to become active participants in experiencing and re-conceptualizing recovery of any type.
After sustaining a concussion in February 2013, Kanika Gupta became a patient of Dr. Mark Bayley, Medical Director of Toronto Rehab's Brain & Spine Program, for ongoing care of post-concussive symptoms. Gupta turned to art when it was one of the only activities the symptoms of her concussion could tolerate. Created over a span of four years, the works on display in
RETHINK RECOVERY chronicle her real-time journey of recovery.
"Through my art, I discovered that the answers I was seeking were with me all along. To me, recovery is no longer about being symptom-free. It's acknowledging that you can function in an entirely different way. I'm excited to share this work with others who may be searching for answers to put back together the missing pieces in their lives, and also open a dialogue with doctors and medical staff."
"Kanika's work and this exhibit highlights for health professionals and the public the serious impact of brain injury on peoples' daily lives," says Dr. Mark Bayley, Medical Director of Toronto Rehab's Brain & Spinal Cord Rehab program. "Her work inspires us to continue our research at the Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic and the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Rehab program to find novel interventions to ease the suffering of people living with brain injuries."
YOU ARE INVITED
Event: Media launch of RETHINK RECOVERY, on display at Toronto Rehab
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 4:00-4:45pm. Includes tours & interviews with Gupta and Dr. Bayley
Location: 550 University Avenue, in the RBC iDAPT Innovations Gallery (main floor lobby)
RSVP: If you can attend this event, please respond by Friday, May 25. Media contact on page 2.
About the Artist
Kanika Gupta is a multidisciplinary artist and social entrepreneur who uses visual art, writing and storytelling to create dialogue to generate greater compassion for what it means to be human. Kanika is the author and illustrator of
BRAVE, an autobiographical lighthearted comic mini-series on living with a concussion, and her artwork has been presented in curated public art installations at Union Station, The Brain Project and Gardiner Museum,
12 Trees Exhibition and exhibited in galleries across Toronto. Named Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012, Kanika's artwork and community building endeavours have been profiled internationally, including feature coverage in CBC Radio, Radio-Canada, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Living Magazine, Forbes, The Times of India, The Guardian, Huffington Post.
Kanika is on the Board of Arts Healing Hearts, a charity that does arts programming at SickKids and Toronto Western Hospital, served on the Board of Tangled Art + Disability, and through her own practice is committed to promoting accessibility and inclusion. She completed one year of a Foundational Visual Arts program, holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Masters of Public Administration. Kanika's artistic practice is currently supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council. Her work can be seen at
www.byKanika.com.
About Toronto Rehab
As the world-leading rehabilitation research centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is developing practical solutions to prevent illness and accidents, restore function following a disabling event, and to enable people to continue to live in their own homes and communities as they age. It integrates innovative patient care, ground breaking research and diverse education to build healthier communities and advance the role of rehabilitation in the health system. Toronto Rehab, along with Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN, is a member of the University Health Network and is affiliated with the University of Toronto.
The RBC iDAPT Innovations Gallery is open Mondays-Fridays, from 9:30am – 5:30pm.
RETHINK RECOVERY will be on view until June 30, 2018. Following the media launch, a public opening will take place on May 29th from 5pm-7pm, and will include remarks from Dr. Bayley and an artist talk by Gupta at 5:30pm.
Download images of the artist's work here. (Please photo credit the artist, Kanika Gupta.)
