Where Do We Come From?

Personal
Histories

What Are We?

Where Are We Going?

The Hart House Art Committee presents the student exhibition “Personal Histories” inviting viewers to journey through the personal, communal, and the universal. While Paul Gaugin’s artwork Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, has been celebrated for posing universal questions of existence, contemporary discussions also recognize his contribution to colonial mythology and the predatory male gaze of his time. We invite viewers to reexamine Gaugin’s existential question in this exhibition. The following artworks transcends its colonial and patriarchal origins to probe the roots of identity, the complexities of belonging, and the aspirations that guide our futures.

The questions examined are not new. For thousands of years, they have shaped the arts, literature, science, philosophy and human nature. From ancient Greek philosophy to eastern traditions of Daoism and Confucianism, and more recent literary explorations of existentialism by thinkers like Albert Camus, these inquiries have profoundly influenced the collective human experience.

Today, contemporary artists, writers, and thinkers continue this legacy by reinterpreting these timeless questions through the lens of modern challenges—addressing issues such as identity in a globalized world, the intersections of technology and humanity, environmental crises, and the evolving definitions of community and belonging. By engaging with these enduring themes through diverse mediums – acrylic, textiles, digital photography, and mixed media – the exhibition becomes a tapestry of shared and individual narratives forging new pathways for understanding who we are and where we are headed.

Sophie Disch and Chloe Lee 
Hart House Art Committee 
Student Projects Co-Chairs 
studentprojects.harthouse@utoronto.ca 

Featured Artworks

Blue Tacoma
Emma Tanner
Mixed media (silkscreen print on textiles)
This work documents my own personal histories in loss, love and heartbreak. The grief I felt after my loss changed the course for my life and continues to act as a major influence in my creative and emotional life.

Mellow Yellow Melancholy
Sara Catherine Nayir
Acrylic on wood panel
"Within the confines of the canvas, I attempt to lay out the conceptual, though oh-so-present, wound of loss. How that initial loss is sustained over time in our melancholic longing is a pivotal aspect of the human condition that I confront. Grief is thus conveyed in the posthumous portraiture of my paternal grandparents, Kegham and Gülkiz Nayir. To go through the motions of sketching and painting, as I view it, is to invoke those hazy memories I have of the couple, preserved in the stillness of the original photograph."

Where Do We Come From?

mak6
Jasmine Lu
Black and white 35mm film photography
mak6 is the Cantonese Jyutping for ink. This collage of film photos is a portrait of my grandfather, a master Chinese calligrapher working out of Vancouver. Although a dying art, he works to keep this part of his heritage alive, teaching others the value and power that this form of creative expression holds. It is more than ink on paper, it is poetry, expression, music, an extension of self, and a preservation of culture.

祖祖 ('Great Grandma')
Emily Xiong
Acrylic on canvas
I held Zuzu’s hands as she told me stories of how she fell in love with Great Grandpa and how they survived the war. She would smile and gently pet my dad’s face like a child, despite his prickly beard, then ask me to take her for a walk. Those hands—shaped by time, hardship, and joy—have done so much and given so much, offering clues to a distant memory I can only try to imagine.

Family Dinner
Alice Lyu
Acrylic & paper on canvas 
The theme of my studio project is inspired by my childhood memories. Unlike typical memories, these recollections are often fuzzy and difficult to recall because I remember very little from my early years. I came to Canada in grade five, and this unique experience allowed me to immerse myself in a

completely different culture while still holding onto some of my distinct traits from growing up in Beijing, China. In this project, I have reflected on specific images from my childhood that I miss. I realized it is not just the environment that I long for, but also the memories of being with my loved ones. Home can be anywhere as long as I am with my family. To illustrate this, I have imagined a scene of a family dinner that combines both Eastern and Western elements—an ideal place that could represent my home. I pictured myself having dinner with my family during Chinese New Year, a tradition I haven't experienced with my family in China for many years. My mom always says that the best way to connect with people and build relationships is by sitting down to enjoy a meal together. The beautiful scenery outside the window appears almost out of reach, emphasizing the distance between me and my childhood memories. An important element in my painting is the red string, which carries special significance in Chinese culture. It symbolizes the bond of love, typically between couples, but in this painting, it also represents the love and care that exists within families.

Where Do We Come From?

Blurred origins 
Yangming Liu
Digital Photography 
In Blurred Origins, the artist reflects on the loss of individuality in a world shaped by millennia of inherited ideologies and cultural patterns. Using the lens as the embodiment of societal conformity—the subject gazes into the source of all resemblance in people.The artist invites audiences to cross the blur and witness their own humanity mirrored in the variations of another.

Apricity
Amanda Veloso
Oil on canvas
Apricity — a word that describes the warmth of the sun during winter. That house stands a silent witness to the narrative of my life, cradling memories and stories that shape who I am. Every corner of that house is a repository of precious memories and stories, a breathing museum of the heart.

Megan and John
Megan Price
Assorted fabrics appliqued by sewing machine
Inspired by a family photograph, this piece explores the archival qualities of sewing and textile work. I’m interested in how memories from the past occupy space in both the present and future, as well as the implications of their preservation and deterioration. Sewing, embroidery, and other forms of craft were passed onto me when I was younger, and while I’d largely forgotten these skills over the years, I’ve recently been relearning and reinterpreting them into my own artistic practice. This piece further examines how these forms of craft transform when passed from one generation to the next.

What Are We?

Primordial Undoing
Daisy Huang
Acrylic on canvas
The objective facts of our personal histories become blurry with time, leaving us with a hazy backdrop of love, disappointment, and fractured hope. In self-preservation, we cage ourselves with hatred, fearful of being hurt again. But undo our apprehension, introversion, and misgiving to realize… Aren’t we made of colliding stardust, connected by the same chemical makeup of hydrocarbon, nitrogen, and oxygen? United by the nearly pitiful primordial desire to – for once – bask in the contentment of being wholly accepted during this lifetime. 

Sabbath Worship
Martha Burchert 
Acrylic on canvas 
"Sabbath Worship" illustrates a joyful gathering of 5 individuals for worship, singing hymns, strumming a guitar, and a tranquil rest to welcome the Sabbath. This scene portrays the connection of community and religion to one's personal history. 

Contemporary Girlhood
Anuoluwapo Makinde
35mm film inket gloss 
On a photo walk in Grange Park for The Nia Centre x Gallery 44 OUTREACH program, I saw a birthday picnic hangout. Reflecting on the spaces I found to be a "girl" with my high school friends, and how our outfit choices were perceived by the public, I felt that the different shoe choices were a testament to collective identity in the internet age.

What Are We?

sorry about your dog
Jae-Young Kim
Acrylic on canvas 
We lose our sense of identity and belonging. Who are we if not the children of our parents’ home countries? Who are we if not the product of the culture we reside in? This confusion continues as our identities are quickly disguised by loud stereotypes painted onto our bodies by strangers who appear to know us better than ourselves.

Fingerprints No. 1
Janine Wong
Digital
Fingerprints No. 1 is a digital collage that explores how family history, place, and time connects the past to the present. Fingerprints from myself, my father, and my mother are superimposed on merged maps of London, Ontario and Taipei, Taiwan—where my parents were born. Parts of their surroundings, stories, and cultures have been passed down, and co-exist within me.

Inevitable Expansion
Jiyun Song
Mixed Media (Acrylic, marker, coloured pencil, oil pastel) on paper
The circle in the centre is Yin and Yang which is symbolic of the balance in life: constantly vacillating between contradictions and trying to conflate them into one. Blue and red, the two representative colours used in the circle also represent the middle of the Korean flag. My heritage. The white

stripes on each side complete the rest of the flag. Although the stripes are black and the background white on the Korean flag, there was an intentional switch between the two to demonstrate how identity becomes convoluted over time, especially with immigrant children. The background has a theme of space. There are many eyeballs which are emblem of small planets that float aimlessly without clear direction in life. Navigating space is a difficult feat as it is expanding ceaselessly just as figuring one's identity. The figure in the middle is an accurate description of many, including me, trying to pin down their own culture, but also spread their wings into the unknown.

Where Are We Going?

Blue Crossing
Huan Chen
Oil on canvas
This painting reflects on manmade transformation to landscapes in a cultural and historical context. I was born in Beijing and like many people of my generation grew up in neighbourhoods made of traditional courtyards and alleyways, most of which were demolished in recent decades. Inspired by their ability to decompose and regenerate life, I incorporated motifs of fungi/lichen symbiotic growth, not only to refer to memories of communal living, but also to reflect on the negotiation of life when we are facing a global housing crisis.

Journal
Jeewoo Lee
Oil paint
This self-portrait explores identity, reflecting on memories of the past and the hopes of what lies ahead.

Where Are We Going?

Hold it Off
Huan Chen
Oil on canvas
This painting reflects my concern on the changing landscapes brought upon by climate change. I studied chemical engineering and conducted environmental research, an experience that had exposed me to the issue which later became the main focus of my art. This painting makes reference to the flooding of villages in Bangladesh and my inquiry to human actions when the world is facing such an existential threat. 

Are We There Yet?
Emily Sun
Colored pencils on paper
Trains tell fascinating stories—strangers sharing a brief journey, yet shadows to one another’s voyage.

Growing up, I have called more than enough abodes my “home” that the word became mere waypoints in my life. My family’s roots, too, are a blur. The heightened tales feel distant and strange, for our history is reduced to nothing but groans of what it could have been. The heroes in our story linger in my veins as mere shadows on that same restless train. But there is one story I can tell that is steadfast: the one where my Good Shepherd takes me home.

Call for Submission

Personal Histories: Where Do We Come From? What are We? Where Are We Going?

The Hart House Art Committee is inviting submissions of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional artworks for an exhibition at Hart House, running from January to March 2025. This semester’s theme, inspired by Paul Gauguin’s provocative painting, is “Personal Histories: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?”

This exhibition seeks to examine the intricate connections between personal history, identity, and the possibilities that shape our futures. While Gauguin’s work has been celebrated for posing universal questions of existence, contemporary discussions also recognize his contribution to colonial mythology and the predatory male gaze of his time. By re-engaging with these questions, we aim to explore their philosophical roots that extend far beyond Gauguin—into ancient philosophies, religions, and cultural traditions.

We invite student artists to contribute to this ongoing dialogue, reflecting on how the places, people, and experiences that form our origins influence who we are today and who we may become. Your artwork will join a collective narrative displayed in the gallery corridor, creating a journey for visitors that questions and celebrates the complexity of our origins and aspirations.

Select stories and perspectives will also be featured on our website, fostering an online community that amplifies the reach and resonance of our shared histories. This is an opportunity to reimagine some of humanity's most profound questions and connect them to the diverse, personal stories of this generation.

Submit

Deadline: January 2nd, 5PM

Theme Origins

Paul Gauguin, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? , 1897-1898

Paul Gaugin was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist and writer mostly recognized for his post-impressionist and symbolist work. While he was only moderately successful during his lifetime, as many artists before him, he has been recognized for his experimental use of colour distinct from Impressionism. After his death his work would become highly influential for artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse ("Paul Gauguin").

Nonetheless, in recent years art critics and institutions have gone through re-examining Gauguin's work in consideration of his controversial depictions and relationships with Polynesian people. In the 1880s and 90s, Gauguin ventured to the French colonies Martinique and laterTahiti were he married two adolescent Tahitians girls and entered sexual relations with other girls fathering a number of children. Gauguin undoubtetly took advantage of his privileged position as a Western colonizer. Moreover, in his many paintings on Native peoples, Gauguin described his paintings' subjects as "savages" and "barbarian" as seen in other of his contemporaries' works marked by Colonialism, Exoticism, and Orientalism (Nayeri).

Today, art critics, artists, art enthusiasts are divided upon how we should treat controversial art from colonists. Some people believe the artists and the artwork to be separate. They argue one should not judge art and artists from a 21st century perspective out of fear of boycotting great art. Tate Modern's 2010 director said "The person, I can totally abhor and loathe, but the work is the work" (Nayeri). However, the other side believes museums and exhibits need to reconsider how and if artworks and artists presenting issues of gender, race, and colonialism shall be exhibited (Nayeri). In the end, it all comes down to one question: Can or should we separate artists and artwork, author and literature, composer and music?

In the Art Committee's upcoming student exhibition "Personal Histories: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?", we implore students to reengage with this ancient philosophical question to facilitate artistic dialogues and critically reflect on the legacy of Gauguin's colonial history. We invite students to share their personal stories and explore for themselves the nature of existence, self and the cosmos.

Philosophical Origins

Gauguin and Theosopy

Theosophy is a [spiritual and philosophical] movement with origins in the US during the late 19th century, and was officially introduced to France in 1883 (Godwin, 11). Although it is a study of God and the relation between god and human (Buser, 375), it does not preach any specific god. Rather, it praises the existence of the divine absolute instead, which is “the sum of all being, actual and potential” (Pace). The god it preaches can be interpreted as the synthesis of known religious figures, with those figures seen as metaphors of the absolute making it easier for people to compartmentalize. Further than that, Theosophy seeks to uncover universal truths that transcend individual religions, emphasizing the unity of all spiritual traditions and the interconnectedness of all life. Its principles include the law of karma and reincarnation borrowed from Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as spiritual evolution which teaches that humanity is evolving towards higher states of consciousness and being. The question of philosophical origin and existence is reflected in Theosophy's goal of investigating the unexplained laws of nature and powers of humanity.

According to Buser, by 1889, Gauguin was familiar with Theosophy, which is reflected in many of his religious paintings. For example, in his painting Exotic Eve, Gauguin “not only imitated the portrait of his mother, but also imitates Buddha from the frieze of the Javanese temple” (Buser, 377). It is highly likely, that in Gauguin was inspired by Theosophy's teachings when formalizing his work Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? and seeking answers to such existential questions.

Written by Yuehe (Leon) Zhang, Edited by Sophie Disch

Paul Gauguin, Exotic Eve, 1890

Ancient Greek Philosophy

Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have famously grappled with the concepts of origin, identity, and purpose to answer the profoundly existential questions "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" Socrates' philosophy questions the nature of the self and its place in the world famously articulate with the phrase "Know Thyself." While Socrates did not question cosmological origins, he believed in an uncompromising search for an eternal set of truths. After the Athenian elite realized that he was totally serious, and not even kidding, they sentenced him to death. To Socrates "What are We" was central in his teachings on ethics as he believed that humans were not only physical beings but also moral and rational agents that need to cultivate virtue and wisdom. For Socrates the answer to "Where Are We Going" can ultimately be answered by seeking to pursue good and moral excellence.

Plato, being a student of Socrates, expanded his master's teaching by including questions on metaphysics, cosmology, and epistemology. In answering the question "Where Do We Come From?", Plato explores the matter of origins in a cosmological sense. For Plato, human beings existed before the physical as eternal souls and descend to the material world to achieve a purpose. Similar to Socrates, Plato believed human's ultimate goal, and thus answer to "Where Are We Going", was to recover the knowledge the soul once knew in the human's material time. Consequently, Plato viewed life and the movement of the human through the physical world as a progression towards enlightenment and achieving the "Form of the Good."

Aristotle, a student of Plato, approached the questions of existence in a more empiric and pragmatic way that his predecessors. His philosophy was marked by this observations of the natural world and causality. He explained that the four causes - material, formal, efficient, and final - explain the existence of all things. Particularly the

efficient cause (biological parents) and final cause (the purpose for which humans exist) were most important. For Aristotle, the question to "What Are We" was less ambigious. He reasoned humans were "rational animals" differentiated from other life forms to their capacity for reason and speech.

Eastern Traditions: Daoism and Confucianism

Daoism (or Taoism) is centered on the belief that the origin is not a singular moment of

creation but rather a process grounded in the Dao (Tao), often translated as "The Way"

or "The Path" which is the origin of the universe and everything within going beyond

simplified dualities such as life and death and being and not being (Laozi). Laozi, the

author of the Tao Te Ching, writes,

In the in-between of the naming and nameless dialectic lie the (non) answers to the

questions of existence. Humans are manifestations of the Dao. Rigid definitions such as

Aristotle's are the antithesis of Daoism. Rather, the fluidity of living in harmony with

nature and the cosmos are the goals of Daoism (Laozi). Essentially, there is no answer to

the questions "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" as for

Daoism there is only a continuous process of returning to the Dao, the source and end

of all things.

In The Analects, Confucius expressed that life should be handled carefully. He implored

to observe rituals, look to one's faults and correct them. This is also where the answer to the existential questions lies. According to Confucius, origins are not grounded in cosmology but rather in the connection to ancestors and the social order. The past - through a lineage of family, community, and tradition - provides the foundation for personal identity and future. He believed life is the art of interpreting, and attending, to even the smallest details. Despite placing great value on political matters, Confucianism is centered on the idea of cultivating the ren which was achieved through human heartedness, benevolence, and goodness in political and family life. Education serves as the key to moral betterment and answering existential questions. The ultimate goal of Confucianism is achieving a harmonious society. Notably, Confucianism focuses on a collectivist goal as opposed to individualist goals detailed previously in ancient greek philosophy (Confucius and Simon Leys).

"The Tao that can be told of is not the eternal Tao;

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;

The Named is the mother of all things."

Tao-te Ching ch. 1, tr. Arthur Waley

Existentialism and The Absurd

For Albert Camus, the answer to "Where Do We Come From?" is rooted in the Absurd. In the Myth of Sisyphus he writes, "But what is absurd is the confrontation of this irrational and the wild longing for clarity whose call echoes in the human heart"(7). For Camus, the Absurd is the first point of freedom as the human realizes that there is no ultimate meaning making. Reminiscent of Daoism, the absurd arises from the tension of humanity's desire for meaning and the universe's silence. For Camus, humanity is caught in a paradox as we seek meaning when there is offered none (Camus).

Camus uses the metaphor of Sisyphus pushing the boulder for eternity to describe the human condition. In The Stranger, Meursault, the protagonist (or anti-hero) is one of literature’s all-time classic characters—a French-Algerian, emotionally detached drifter who murders an Arab in a griefless rage. There is no reason for the murder, ergo there is no meaning to life. The ultimate goal and answer to "What Are We?" lies in the ability to confront the Absurd and life with defiance and awareness. There is no transcendent goal like Daoism or beliefs of Greek philosophy but rather the purpose of embracing life as it is. Camus, as the French are famous for, lives for the revolt against such questions "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?"

Citations

Buser, Thomas. "Gauguin's Religion." Advancing Art and Design. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/775136?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed 6 June 2021.

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. translated by Justin O'Brien. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Translation originally published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1955. Originally published in France as Le Mythe de Sisyphe by Librairie Gallimard, 1942.

Confucius. and Simon Leys. The Analects of Confucius. New York, W.W. Norton, 1997.

Dutra, Julian. “What Did Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Think about Wisdom?” Center for Practical Wisdom | The University of Chicago, The Collector, 12 June 2022, wisdomcenter.uchicago.edu/news/wisdom-news/what-did-socrates-plato-and-aristotle-think-about-wisdom.

Godwin, Joscelyn. The Beginning of Theosophy in France. Theosophical History Center.

Nayeri, Farah. “Is It Time Gauguin Got Canceled?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Nov. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/arts/design/gauguin-national-gallery-london.html.

Pace, Edward Aloysius. "Absolute." Catholic Encyclopedia, en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Absolute. Accessed 6 June 2021.

“Paul Gauguin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gauguin.

Plato, et al. The Dialogues of Plato. Random House, 1937.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Arthur Waley, Wordsworth Editions, 1996.

Teachings on Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Daoism, Camus, and Confucianism by Dr. Gansky, Dr. Kugelmass, Mr. Aldredge at the Ross School, USA.