Opening Reception for Members and Guests: The Apathecary by Freyja Catton

Freyja Catton’s exhibition The Apathecary is an assemblage of whimsically existential glass bottles and drawings with negative emotions on the labels. In production over the course of a decade, this series is inspired by label designs from the vintage ​“snake oil” elixirs from 1850 – 1920, Alice In Wonderland, gallows humour, and the concept of laughter as medicine.

As Freyja says: “… I liked the wordplay between ​‘apothecary’ and ​‘apathy’, and I thought it would be funny to have bottles of ​‘Regret’ and ​‘Anxiety’ and ​‘Ennui’.” The bottles vary in size and shape, and the wordplay of the labels combined with the absence of physical material inside makes it ambiguous whether the bottles are intended to contain these ​“bottled emotions”, or to provide the remedy for them.

Art Incubator Gallery, Harcourt House Artist Run Centre accessibility:

- Harcourt House’s offices along with the Main and Art Incubator Galleries are located on 3^rd floor.

- Access by elevator seven stairs down from the main entrance to the basement floor with banisters on both sides.

- Wheelchair access from the building’s underpass via the basement art studios can be arranged with Harcourt’s staff at tel. 780−426−4180.

- Gender single stall washrooms with handrails.

- Seating in the art galleries to be arranged with Harcourt’s staff upon request.