A History of NAFAA

Net@works Artist:A History of NAFAA NAFAA-Canada and Mexico began in the fall of 1992. A collective of artists from various backgrounds in the arts organized a performance, "Open the Doors to Art". It was in protest of the closing of the Art Gallery of Ontario. In this collective were artists from Canada, Mexico and the United States. We formed an artists version of the North American tri-lateral free trade agreement, but with the accent on free trade of artistic information, resources and a passion for communication through art. This was the beginning of the formation of the North American Free Artists Association.

Today, we have four projects behind us:

1992
1993
1994
NAFAA's founding members are Jorge Morales of Mexico and Eleni Mokas of Canada. We received our Letters Patent in October of 1994, and are a recognized non-profit arts organization. Our Board of Directors consists of three Canadian artists: Oliver Girling, Painter and Arts writer for EYE Magazine, Sybil Goldstein, Painter and Arts Administrator, and Eleni Mokas, Performance Artist, Painter, Curator/Exhibitions Coordinator and Arts Administrator; and in Mexico, NAFAA'S Director is Jorge Morales, Professor of Art Theory and Design, Performance Artist, Computer Artist, Curator/Exhibitions Coordinator and Arts Administrator. The four of these directors make up the International Board of NAFAA-Canada and Mexico. The artists that we work with in each exhibition make up the collective of NAFAA.

We have been sponsored by federal, provincial, private and corporate sponsors, monetarily and with in-kind goods and services. among our supporters are: The International Cultural Relations Department of External Affairs and International Trade Canada, The Latin American Strategy Fund of Canada, The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation, The Ontario Arts Council, The Metropolitan Cultural Granting Program, Apple Canada, Volkswagen Canada, Borden&Elliot, Barristers&Solicitors-Patent&Trade Mark Agents,The Mirvish's, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Ontario College of Art, York University, The Centre for Research on Latin American and Caribbean Countries, The Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco and Xochimilco Campuses, Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, (The Foundation for the National Arts and Culture, Mexico),The Canadian Embassy (Mexico City) and The Mexican Consulate (Toronto).

NAFAA's goal is to create ongoing cultural and artistic exchanges in all media, between Canada and Mexico. We are primarily working with emerging artists, those less known outside their countries, offering the opportunity to work collaboratively and collectively in many different capacities; through artists talks and lecture series, workshops, group and solo exhibitions and performances. NAFAA is developing a network of venus in both countries for artists to gain global experience. We work with various institutions, artist run centres, galleries, museums, colleges and universities, and other artist run organizations.

NAFAA works for art and culture. Our goal is to develop a visual dialogue between Canada and Mexico, going beyond words and the language of money, economic trade and investments. It is NAFAA's goal to cultivate communications between our countries with images; of our Canadian roots and multicultural communities, of the Mexican Mestizo culture and it's Hispanic and Indigenous traditions, and of our ways of living life. It is through cultural, artistic exchanges that we intend to accomplish this goal and build a bridge between our worlds.

We are now working on the fifth exhibition, the duo show of Net@Works, a collective of artists in new media and technology from Toronto, and selected works from TechnoArt, a national and international new media and technology exhibition from the Ontario Science Centre. This show will be at the National Centre of Art in Mexico City, October 24th to November 24th, 1995. And the sixth exhibition, a solo by installation artist Lois Andison, at Galeria del Sur in Mexico City, July 6 - August 6, 1995.

Eleni Mokas Director

Intro to Net@Works
Table of Contents