Xenia Benivolski is a

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of contemporary art, sound and music, an art critic and a writer. She founded several collectives and art galleries in Toronto, including The White House gallery, 8-11 gallery, The Feminist Art Museum, and SUGAR. Benivolski has given public lectures at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, and the Art Gallery of York University. She contributes to Art-Agenda,

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notabl ...

and

the Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

Curatorial Projects

In 2008, Benivolski co-founded The White House Studio Project along with Christy Kunitzky and Jon McCurley (of

Life of a Craphead Life of a Craphead is an art duo consisting of Jon McCurley and Amy Lam, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They have presented work at The Power Plant, Gallery TPW, Hotel MariaKapel, Department of Safety, and the Banff Centre. Their work combine ...

). The idea behind The White House was to rent a residential space and turn it into artist studios. It was described as a reaction to Toronto's conservative climate and clawbacks in arts funding. The space was considered one of the best places to see and make art in Toronto, a 2,600 sq. ft. community centre and active exhibition space with a wood shop, zine library and screen printing facilities. The White House was recognized as a valuable space for culture in Toronto by Making Space for Culture, a project led by the

City of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. In 2014, Benivolski co-founded 8–11, an art collective and gallery in Toronto's Chinatown. The gallery's original sign, a spoof on 7-Eleven's logo, drew controversy and a cease and desist order after L.A-based DJ

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...

posted a photo of the gallery on Instagram. In 2016, Benivolski co-founded The Feminist Art Museum with Su-Ying Lee. The goal of the project was to bridge feminist art institutions in North America, and included exhibitions, talks, workshops, and performances. In 2017, The Feminist Art Museum completed a residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute. In 2017, Benivolski was one of four international curators at the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale. In 2020, Benivolski curated the first solo exhibition in Canada of work by Latvian-born, Montreal-based artist

Zanis Waldheims Zanis Waldheims ( lv, Žanis Valdheims; 19 September 1909 – 19 July 1993) was a Latvian geometric abstractionist artist who produced contemporary art from the 1950s until his death in 1993. He adopted an art-based research practice to develop ...

(1909–93). Benivolski co-founded SUGAR Contemporary in 2019, a contemporary art gallery near

Sugar Beach Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double s ...

in Toronto. SUGAR was voted best new art space in Toronto in 2019. She is a curator and editor of the e-flux project You Can't Trust Music, a web-based art and music project that connects artist and musicians through thematic programs featuring

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

Shiro Takatani is a Japanese artist. He currently lives and works in Kyoto. Co-founder and visual creator of the group Dumb Type since 1984, he also became artistic director of the group from 1995 and also started an active solo career in 1998. Biography ...

Julieta Aranda Julieta Aranda (born in 1975 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a conceptual artist that lives and works in Berlin and New York City. She received a BFA in filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts (2001) and an MFA from Columbia University (2006), both ...

Ayesha Hameed Aisha ( ar, عائشة, translit=ʿĀʾisha; –678), was the third wife of Muhammad. Aisha or variant spellings, may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Aisha'' (1953 film), an Egyptian drama * ''Aisha'' (2010 film), an Indian roman ...

Felicia Atkinson The name Felicia derives from the Latin adjective '' felix'', meaning "happy, lucky", though in the neuter plural form ''felicia'' it literally means "happy things" and often occurred in the phrase ''tempora felicia'', "happy times". The sense o ...

Elin Már Øyen Vister Elin or Elín is a variation of Ellen and Helene used in Scandinavian and Celtic languages. Prominent people *Elin Andersdotter (d. 1569), Swedish lady-in-waiting and political conspirator * Elin Brandell (1882–1963), Swedish journalist * El� ...

and others. In 2011 Benivolski organized a donation drive to support the community of Attawapiskat in Northern Ontario after the community declared a state of emergency. Donations of winter clothing, medicine and heaters were driven by truck to Timmins then flown to the remote community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benivolski, Xenia Date of birth missing (living people) Canadian art curators Living people University of Toronto alumni Canadian women curators Year of birth missing (living people)