Anique Jordan facts for kids

Anique Jordan is a talented Canadian artist, writer, and curator. She creates amazing art using photography, sculptures, and performances. Her work often looks at history in new ways, especially Black history in Canada. She wants to show how the past can help us imagine a better future. Anique also explores themes like working-class communities and the important efforts Black people have made to fight racism.

About Anique Jordan

Anique Jordan's family moved to Canada from Trinidad. She was born in Toronto and grew up in Scarborough, a part of Toronto. She studied at York University in Toronto, earning a Bachelor's degree in International Development in 2011. She later completed a Master's degree in Environmental Studies at York University in 2015. She also earned several diplomas and certificates related to business and the environment.

Discovering Her Artistic Path

In 2012, Anique received old family documents from a cousin. These papers told stories about her family's roots in the Caribbean. She used these stories for her Master's project, which explored how Black women survived through history. She is now writing a book based on this research. Anique learned from a young age how important it is to keep records and stories.

Even though she didn't go to art school, Anique started making art through photography. She wondered, "How did Black people survive slavery?" She noticed that history on TV often showed only sad or violent parts, like in the show Roots. To tell these stories, she felt she needed to be like an archivist, someone who collects and keeps historical records. She also found inspiration in carnival celebrations, where anything can happen. Anique wants her art to connect with and give back to the communities that inspire her.

Notable Art Projects and Exhibitions

In 2015, Anique was invited to show her art alongside a Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For this, she created a piece showing her mother and aunts wearing uniforms from the War of 1812.

In 2016, she made art for a Lawren Harris show at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her work focused on the Black communities that lived in the Ward area of Toronto in the early 1900s. Lawren Harris had painted in this area. Anique discovered that a historic Black church and two homes owned by a Black family once stood there. To avoid danger, some churches, including this one, changed their names. Anique's art for this show included a photograph of a church gathering and a performance. Her work was praised for offering a different view of history.

In 2017, Anique participated in a show called The Arts Against Post-Racialism at McGill University. For this, she created Scream Café, a performance where people could scream silently or loudly. This was a way to express feelings.

In 2020, she organized an exhibition called Three-Thirty for the Contact Photography Festival in Toronto. This show explored cultural landmarks in Scarborough’s Malvern neighborhood. She named it Three-Thirty because that's when many kids in Scarborough finish school and rely on after-school programs.

In the summer of 2020, after a tragic event that sparked important conversations about racial justice, Anique created We Have Done Enough. This was a 21-foot (6.4 m) art piece for the Nia Centre for the Arts. It asked viewers to think about all the hard work Black people have done to explain and fight against racism.

Curatorial Work and Collections

Anique Jordan has also worked as a co-curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario. She was also the Executive Director of Whippersnapper Gallery in Toronto. She has been an artist-in-residence at the University of West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago) and Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.

She is a founder of Black Wimmin Artists (BWA), a group started in 2016. It's a network that helps Black women artists and art workers across Canada share resources and support each other.

Some of Anique Jordan's artworks are in important collections. Her 2015 photo Sixth Company Battalion – The Aunties (1/3) is at the Art Gallery of Guelph. Her work Mas’ at 94 Chestnut is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario's collection.

In 2024, Anique Jordan had a solo exhibition called Underbelly at the Patel Brown Gallery in Toronto.

Anique Jordan's Private Life

In 2019, Anique Jordan was featured in "Fashion magazine" as one of five Canadians who are bringing more diversity to pop culture.