upcoming
Z’otz Collective
From a Populated Thought
August 22–September 27, 2025
Sylvie Bélanger Gallery
Opening Reception: August 22, 7–10pm
”Make Your Mark”! Workshop: August 23, 2pm
Z’otz* Collective (Nahúm Flores, Erik Jerezano, Ilyana Martínez) was formed by three artists with Latin American heritage, who share an interest in collaborative art making. They meet on a weekly basis to create drawings, ceramic sculptures, site–specific installations, and animation. Drawing is their primary means of expression and is used to respond to each other and to what surrounds them. The direct approach enables them to produce idiosyncratic, playful images that touch on the themes of migration, transformation and regeneration.
Z’otz* uses the niche as a point of departure for the wall drawing in the exhibition space. It is a platform that incorporates elements and iconography of cultural hybridity. The artists are intrigued by the niche as a space to incubate, collect, investigate, and share stories.
The group’s name comes from the Mayan word for bat, an animal that represented dreaming and intuition in the Mesoamerican world. Their work connects to the storytelling traditions of their roots, with anthropomorphic beings and symbols that transition between the individual and collective dynamic.
"Make Your Mark"!
Experimental drawing Workshop with Z’otz* Collective
August 23, 2pm
“Take part in the adventure of collaboration! Working together, we will draw whimsical creatures, characters and scenes using pencils, markers, crayons and collage. Transform each other's creations as we pass them around the table. Add legs, arms, heads and funny faces! Invent the scenes around them. When the pictures are complete, we can make up a title for them. This workshop is open to all, no art experience necessary. We look forward to your participation and creativity!”
Z’otz* Collective was formed in Toronto in 2004. They create drawings, sculptures, installations and animations. Their work is in the permanent collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art invited them to participate in a residency to produce work for a solo exhibition in 2022. They held a series of workshops with migrant agricultural workers, in a greenhouse in Leamington, Ontario. They have had over 30 solo exhibitions and over 40 group exhibitions in museums, galleries and artist-run centres in Canada, Mexico, USA, Serbia, and China.
Z’otz* Collective acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.
Images:
1. Z'otz* Collective, detail from Fragments and Fictions at Gardiner Museum, 2022, mixed media on wall. Photo: Z'otz* Collective.
2. Z’otz* Collective, Carrying the Ideas, 2024, mixed media on paper. Photo: Z'otz* Collective.
3. Z’otz* Collective, Flexible Orbit, 2024, mixed media on paper. Photo: Z'otz* Collective.
4. Z’otz* Collective, One-Edge Architecture, 2025, mixed media on paper. Photo: Z'otz* Collective.