Aryen Hoekstra (b. 1982) is an artist and writer based in Toronto, ON. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Guelph’s School of Fine Arts and Music and his BFA at the University of Alberta. Originating in the formal and conceptual language of the moving-image, Hoekstra's studio practice considers the legacy of the last century's ideological projects and their contemporary manifestations. In particular, his work investigates the way that narratives are formed and formalized around specific cultural events, objects, and artworks, aimed toward speculative inquiries regarding what futures might be manifest if these events had happened otherwise, or not at all.

 

Recent solo exhibitions include Good Cook at Georgia Scherman Projects, The Flicker at YYZ Artist's Outlet, Celestial bodies at 8-11 and Choreography for Screen at Mercer Union (all Toronto, ON). Other recent exhibition venues include, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche (Toronto, ON); the Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB); Gallery 44 (Toronto, ON); Forest City Gallery (London, ON); Modern Fuel (Kingston, ON); Blackwood Gallery (Mississauga, ON). He has contributed writing for YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Susan Hobbs, COOPER COLE, and Daniel Faria Gallery, and his art criticism has appeared in Frieze, Canadian Art, C Magazine, and Border Crossings.

 

aryen.h.hoekstra@gmail.com