I.C. Contemporary is a self-run curatorial institution that prides in its focus on supporting local and emerging talent. Ignazio Colt Nicastro is the founding curator of ICC and a multidisciplinary artist. He is a graduate from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts, with double majors in Fine Art & Art History and Communication, Culture, Information and Technology.
Nicastro has been building on his curatorial experience ever since he completed his undergrad. With a few opportunities in the curatorial realm, like working alongside the Society of York Region Artists, Nicastro took the necessary steps that led him to the launch of the Emerging Artists Exhibition in 2019. Over the past year, Nicastro has evolved the brand which officially became I.C. Contemporary in March 2020.
Your first curatorial project was in 2016 while you were still in school. What did you learn from that experience?
Funny enough I got this project by accident in a way. At the time I also didn’t want to go into any form of curatorial or museum studies. I was focused on going into teaching back then, but The Middle Child show ended up awakening this new love and passion for curatorial arts. I volunteered to help with the 3rd show (The Middle Child) and then the faculty decided to make me and two classmates the curators of the exhibit. This show was truly the foundation of my experience and was one of the most enriching experiences. It also illustrated how difficult curating actually is, because I had this odd assumption - prior to this experience - that curating was easy.
Immediately myself and the two co-curators had to compile and critique each and every application that we received from our classmates (and truthfully it was the first moment where we had to be like “okay, which pieces are we going to say no too, because naturally we can’t say yes to everyone”). Then when that was finished we had to review our very small budget to cover all marketing, install, and catering costs. I could really dig deep into everything we did but this opportunity really showed me how a curator is not just one job, but so many under a single title (if you aren’t apart of a massively funded team). I didn’t understand how much behind the scenes there was to curating before actually curating the show itself which was a true treat. I got to play with the different layouts of artworks while trying to get into the minds of random visitors to replicate what approach they would appreciate the most (as there was no theme in the show). If that’s one thing I could add too is that the curatorial element to this show did feel much more aesthetic heavy, rather than having works that not only interact with the space but also each other.
It really was the best hands on experience for curating and taught me most of the practices I use in current curatorial projects. I’m beyond thankful for being provided that opportunity.
Is I.C.C. your full-time gig?
I.C.C is not my full-time gig, it’s not even part time technically as this is completely passion driven and done in my spare time. I never chose to make any money from these projects. For the first exhibit up until my current exhibit (Queer Identities), I have not collected any commission from the sales – though due to how much work it actually is to build these virtual galleries, I’m considering a 15% commission.
For the last three years I’ve been working at Oakville Galleries and as a server part time. I.C.C. was born from my serving job. The café I worked at let me install the shows there for free. It really provided me a great opportunity to practise and hone my skills – which I need to say was such a whim of luck and privilege. Not everyone can afford a physical space to install art shows and gain experience like this.
How has Covid affected your work with I.C. Contemporary?
COVID-19 is actually the reason that I. C. Contemporary exists. I started curating in the café space back in May 2019, and right up until March 2020 it was just known as ‘The Emerging Artists Exhibit’ with no online presence. However, after installing my newest Emerging Artist Exhibit on March 4th, within less than a week we were closed to the public. Nicole Helena (the artist) and I spent so much time getting that show put together, not to mention money on Nicole’s end, and then it was all for nothing. I was truly crushed, and not only because I love Nicole’s work so much, but because it’s already hard enough to be an emerging artist as it is. Now, to spend all that money on installing a brand new, first ever, solo show, just to have it shut down due to reasons beyond our control was really upsetting.
Artwork by Nicole Helena
While I was home, I really wanted to advertise Nicole’s work with hopes of making a sale for her. This led to me creating I. C. Contemporary on Instagram to showcase all the shows I’ve curated thus far + have consistent marketing for Nicole’s show. As the weeks went by, I started seeing more art galleries doing digital art galleries, however the experiences were very removed for me. People go to art galleries so they can walk around a curated space and look at the art work from different angles or as an overall exhibit. These galleries online were 2D scrolling experiences and there was no power in the hands of the viewer to really immerse themselves into the space. It also rubbed me the wrong way that so many art galleries were suddenly eager to create these at home, accessible experiences because everyone was in isolation, but prior to COVID I rarely saw these same institutions providing these experiences for our physically limited art enthusiasts. This is nothing against those who work in digital art gallery spaces or specialize in that field, each show can be successful in its own way, but I had a lot of thoughts about these COVID responses. It pushed me to create something that was unique, immersive, available all year around (not just when able-bodies couldn’t enter art spaces), and most importantly – highlighted our emerging artists.
For the last year I have been dabbling with ideas of pitching my own art work to art galleries as a hybrid of physical and virtual reality art work. Because of this I had these ideas of art and virtual reality in mind for some time now. Coincidentally, my brother (Luigi Cody Nicastro) just graduated from Sheridan College for UX Design but he specialized in Virtual Reality – which helped form my previous ideas. He also worked on a project a while back on this idea of virtual art galleries so it all kind of lined up (again, a stroke of good luck). With all this new time on my hands due to isolation, my brother and I decided to recreate the café space to scale and brought Nicole’s show back to life but in a digital realm. Users could then use this exhibit on their computers or VR sets to explore the space at their own pace and it was extremely successful! We even had some people ask us when we had time to film the interior of the café and record this video because they didn’t know we rebuilt it from scratch using Unity.
Digital recreation of cafe
Digital recreation of Nicole Helena’s work
That project was mostly Luigi’s work as he has the experience with unity, but then for Queer Identities I had full control. Luigi spent the month teaching me how to use Unity to build this space by myself so I could take the helm of this project going forward since he has other things in development. This led to a new realm of curatorial practice I never expected to be a part of and is now the foundation of I. C. Contemporary. As I currently try to balance my work and personal life, I am trying to find a physical space to exhibit my shows again as I recently ended my installations in the café. For now, I will be providing fully immersive computer / VR / or mobile (with the use of pre-recorded tours) art gallery experiences.
How has Covid affected your personal art practice?
COVID really took a hit on my personal fine art practice quite hard. As a silkscreen artist, I need a studio space to create more prints and that just isn’t available right now. I also had two residencies lined up this year and they have both been postponed until further notice. This was partially why I also launched I. C. Contemporary because I needed an art project while at home, I couldn’t lose that drive I had. Thankfully, I am privileged enough to have this leisure to pursue these passion projects of mine. I’m also a fiction writer on the side, so isolation did provide me ample time to start a new manuscript with plenty of this new story I’m working on – though I won’t dive deep into my writing life here.
A month into COVID there were some exhibition deadlines approaching and I wanted to submit something. Like I said before, I had this amazing sculpture series planned for my Galway Residency and I was itching to make them. I’ve never done sculpture before and this residency was meant for me to go and experiment with this new medium. My brother ended up moving out for a new job just after of Nicole Helena exhibit went live, so the garage and a bedroom in the house became available that I turned into a sculpture studio / install space. During COVID I was able to make two brand new sculptures that inspired the basis of the Queer Identity Exhibit I later curated for I. C. Contemporary. I haven’t made any other artwork since then as I.C.C. really took over and between that and work (now that I’m back at it), I haven’t been able to find the time. I have been asked to exhibit some of my prints at an art exhibition at the end of this month at the Carrier Gallery.
Where do you find the artists that you work with through I.C. Contemporary? Do you go through a submission and jurying process or do you approach artists directly?
I try and create a submission process for all shows I curate – this applied to the Emerging Artist Exhibits as well. This was mostly because I didn’t have the time to research artists who were available so I was optimistic that artists would reach out to me. The café space was kind enough to share some of my ads on their Instagram page, otherwise it was just word of mouth at first. With I. C. C. I started spending some of my own money on Instagram promotions to try and get my posts out, and although it generated a ton of views and excitement, I barely got any applications. The rest of the exhibit (and some of the Emerging Artist Exhibits) were from me seeking out and asking artists myself to participate.
Essentially it became a combination of me jurying submitted work + reaching out to many artists personally. The latter is truthfully much more preferred (for the group exhibits) because I was able to pick the work and artists to work with one another rather than just exhibiting every submission I got and hoping they fit well. I didn’t want to recreate the Middle Child experience, I wanted to grow from it and do better.
In our introductory conversation we discussed your commitment to accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the arts. Can you share with my readers the kind of work you are doing around these issues?
As I mentioned earlier with accessibility, I really wanted to create a space that was attainable for anyone and at any time. A lot of the galleries I have been to are only open during working hours, are not always accessible by public transportation and do not offer at home experiences for their exhibits - aside from documentation (which is more about the work in the space than the work itself). Even before I.C.C. was conceived I tried to urge other spaces to use this amazing service that takes 360-degree photos of your gallery space so they can be uploaded online for visitors to visit that way. Sadly, there was no interest in it. These were all things that really inspired me to create a space that was available for your phone or computer as almost everyone has smart phones and internet access now. I always wanted a space that allowed viewers to zoom in (either for visual impairment or personal curiosity), provided subtitles for tours (since most gallery staff are not ASL trained), and again was accessible for almost anyone with internet access. It also allowed me to work internationally rather than only locally. I originally wanted to make the galleries VR operational from your mobile device, however that’s a project that neither Luigi or I were ready to take on with no money funding all of our work (since we need to pay for other services). Virtual Reality isn’t the focus of these exhibits as it’s not that attainable for everyone, but it does provide a much deeper level of immersion than the browser experience.
In terms of diversity and inclusion, I think before anything else it is a curator’s job to ensure this element is being achieved. At this point in time, to be showcasing only a white set of artists is shameful – there is so much more talent out in the world that needs to be recognized. With the resurfacing of BLM (due to the tragic events that unfolded at the hands of white supremacy back in May 2020, although this isn’t anything new), the world took a much-needed critical lens on many under looked spaces in our communities. At this time, so many art institutions we’re exposed for their lack of diversity and inclusion. To be frank, it was really embarrassing to witness as I loved attending some of these spaces but never noticed this. I also attended workshops and Zoom seminars with international art galleries that discussed anti-racism in the gallery space which just made it so much more apparent that racism is prevalent everywhere. These were all things I never supported in my practice and to help enforce that mentality I’ve been sure to provide a voice to the underrepresented. This isn’t to say that I ignore or dismiss any application from cis-gendered, able bodied, white men, but that I am taking extra precaution to provide space for those who are not as supported in the world. Not to mention there is just so much talent out there in our underrepresented communities that gets overlooked. It doesn’t make sense to me.
To add on about the responsibility of a curator – there is no reason why the art community can only find value in Black and Queer artwork during Black History & Pride Month. This is one of my biggest frustration and I have been determined to dismantle that ideal within I.C.C.. Those are two months of the year that so many institutions finally provide a space for our underrepresented communities, but to me they are not very genuine experiences. Black and Queer folk have amazing work all year round, they shouldn’t be categorized into two separate months. In my newest show I strived for such a diverse experience as this show spoke to Queer issues, and as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, I know that the media chooses to focus on the white, gay, male experience. With that in mind I did everything in my power to make sure that while seeking out artists I was creating a space that showcased more than that experience. I also wanted to showcase more than just the queer masculine community, however just by chance this became a larger focus of the show for numerous reasons. Either because many of the other artists were not available, didn’t have work that fit the show, or never got back to me. It’s not easy ensuring a smooth field for everyone to be seen, but it wasn’t difficult to try and I really hope I can inspire others to put in this work.
Queer Identities show
Gender and race aside, wealth is an acquired diversity trait that not many can achieve, specifically emerging artists. The application fees for art exhibits (that only take 1-3 pieces sometimes) pile up, and entry isn’t even guaranteed. If you’re an emerging artist, recent graduate, with no generational wealth to back you up, it can be extremely difficult to get any exhibition experience. This scenario was the biggest thing for me when creating these spaces as I wanted a space that let artists apply for free and sell their work. I understand that spaces need the application fees and commission to keep their buildings afloat, but at the core of it all, it’s really creating a division between upper- and lower-class artists. It’s not feasible to accept applications, review submissions, curate, install, take down, market, and pay bills if there is no money coming into the space, but then also as an artist it may not be easy to make enough money for all these applications. Some people will say that it comes down to talent, but I’ve seen talented artists be turned away because I believe this community is so subjective. One curator could love your work when others hates it. It becomes a gamble. But again, thankfully I was in a position where I didn’t have the building fees to pay and had spare time to focus on these shows. Now that I. C. C. is digital, there really are no fees for me to pay except for my website fees, but with these past and current shows I have never been able to pay artists for their work since I have no funding. This led me to create a Pay What You Can submission to try and build a fund for artists honorariums. It’s all a work in progress really, so much of it is trial and error for me but I want to ensure I’m creating a space that accepts and showcases all.
What is your long-term goal for I.C. Contemporary?
Ideally, I would love a physical art gallery to install and exhibit artists while maintaining the digital platform. I also yearn for I.C.C. to become a space that not only provides emerging artists with a space to be exhibited, but for emerging fine art professionals to gain experience. Getting anywhere in this community is so difficult if you don’t have the right connections or masters – two things that often require money. I would love I.C.C. to become a teaching and experience space, to provide opportunity for so many other people who were not lucky like me to have a free space to install work, or a brother to teach them and debug digitally immersive exhibits. Even for the Emerging Artist Exhibit I had a friend of mine volunteer her time to be my install assistant. So much of my experiences came to me through networking, luck, and privilege, and I know this can’t be the case for everyone. I really want I.C.C. to be a hub for growth so that others can have a similar experience like me.
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Interview by Glodeane Brown
All photos provided by Ignazio Colt Nicastro
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