Art Metropole

09 Oct. - 23 Nov. 2025

Seen Through Red

Artist

Jordan King

Curator

Dallas Fellini

Please join Art Metropole on Thursday October 16th from 6:00-8:00 PM for the opening reception of Seen Through Red, a solo exhibition by Jordan King.

Seen Through Red is a book work by Jordan King expanded into an exhibition in Art Metropole’s project space. Drawing upon archival material in her personal collection, King presents Polaroids, photographs, ephemera, and press clippings from the years 2000–2006, facilitating an exploration of personal histories of photography and trans visual agency.

Seen Through Red offers up an archival unearthing in the dissemination of an unmined expressive period in King’s early creative life. While King took great care in storing these items, many for over twenty years, this exhibition marks a recognition of the ways in which an archive may become a heavy weight to carry. King’s revisitation of her collection of ephemera allows for its recontextualization, and she now shares this history in the form of a handcrafted artist’s book.

The title of the project considers both the material components, in reference to the clear red acrylic covers of the artist’s editions, while simultaneously gesturing toward notions of visibility, transparency, ‘red-light’, and sexuality.

Seen Through Red is launched in tandem with three distinct book works published by Art Metropole. More information about the artist’s book and special artist’s editions can be found here:

Seen Through Red
Seen Through Red Special Edition
Seen Through Red Original Ephemera Edition

Jordan King is a Canadian multi-disciplinary artist, curator and writer. Her practice is rooted in performance, archival research and intergenerational dialogue. King spent her formative years immersed in nightlife culture, which continues to influence her work and research. She completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at OCAD University in 2024 with a focus on documentary film and multimedia documentation of underground stage performance, with her work shown at Grinnell University (Iowa), University of Toronto, and included in CONTACT Photography Festival (Toronto). Recent projects have included a one year residency at Gallery 44, curated exhibitions of archival material focused on nightclub performance, an oral history interview podcast series, and hybrid performance/video works.

Image

Detail from Send in the Clones, event poster, 2003. Courtesy of Jordan King.

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