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June Clark is a multi-media artist who works best alone to create her pieces. She is pushed to create by an uyrge to do something from seeing situations around her. A lot of her works focus on America, and the culture in Harlem, where she grew up before moving to Toronto to escape the draft with her husband in 1968. This biographical information is an essential motivator to how she creates, reflected in the appearance of the American flag in her works.

Her style of producing art is described at "slow and steady", since she pursued other avenues while also creating, leading to "gaps" in her C.V. (In this time she taught, travelled and raised a family).

Since her work ranges in medium, I have chosen one work from the "3D" collection on her artist website, one from "Installations"and one from "Photo Etchings and Prints".

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“For When We Go Downtown” 1992. Mixed media, 30.5 x 22 x 16 cm. 

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Installation. November 6, 2020 - March 28, 2021

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"https://player.vimeo.com/video/479975185?h=7c21c50ce3"

Here, June Clark is presenting the American flag, in different states and positions in a blank room, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in this patriotism-filled world, while also examining the true colours of America.

June Clark is exploring her relationship with the American flag. In a statement for the Daniel Faria gallery, she explains that she used to feel pride and attachment when faced with the flag of the Unites States.

When she left the United States, she did so not due to her hatred for the very soil of the country, since she did love it, but because of the political powers that imposed a draft.

From this, complex feelings of identity and attachment to the flag developed. She says she pent many hours in her studio downtime simply creating flags over and over.

She planned this exhibit specifically around Trumps electoral campaign in 2020, to make her feelings evident that she has woken up from the American dream. She realised that her love for America and the pride that was instilled into her very young could never be returned.

This installation shows ripped up flags, showing how the democratic ideals of America are fading away, which becomes even more significant in today's political climate.

She is breaking into pieces what the American flag represents, right before the eyes of the viewer.

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In an interview with CBC, after receiving one shortlisting for the Sobeys art award to represent Ontario, she speaks on the fact that she only recently began "considering herself an artist". She saw herself as simply "fulfilling a need to preserve an image".

Her work is profoundly autobiographical, since it all explores said themes of identity, which will always be personal to the specific individual.

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Even with her profound connection to Harlem, since it marked her childhood, she also began photographing Toronto as well, showing a sort of dual belonging to each metropole.

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Although I could not find any formal statement about this specific work, one can still derive their own interpretations. To me, this resembles the stomach of a mother after giving birth. Since Clark has previously stated that she works based on an impulse to capture moments and create, mainly based on memory and feeling.

To me, this shows the beauty of the body being capable of the creation of human life, putting emphasis on the power of women. The image at first can be seen as grotesque, but it carries so much beauty, especially with the writing overlaid, it turns the body into a mode of storytelling.

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This work has little to nothing written about it that is accessible online, but based on biographical information found, some interpretations can be drawn.

Clark has spoken about how part of her "wake-up" from the American dream came from seeing the open-casket funeral of Emmett Till when she finally ventured out of her segregated New York neighbourhood in her teens.

The roughness of this piece is raw and honest, showing the less polished parts of life, but how they must still be accepted.

The posts if the table are reminiscent of the spikes used to deter pigeons. Upon closer inspection, it is actually multiple needles and nails. The briefcase contains objects including what seems like a gavel. This could possibly represent how privileged views often see the rougher areas if cities as "lacking justice". The silver coins are possibly bus change.

To me, this looks like old vampire hunting kits, since all the objects have a meaning aura, and nothing is quite friendly or welcoming.

This is a usage of visual storytelling, the tile implies that someone wouls take these items to go into the city, possibly showing their biases and what they need to prepare for. The spikes can be seen as a way to ward off anyone hwo alos wishes to go downtown.

In essence, Clark is exploring the relationship of privileged areas and cities and how one views/affects the other.

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Hampton, Chris. 2024. “June Clark's Art Has Been in Canada's Biggest Galleries, but She Only Recently Began Calling Herself an Artist.” CBC, November 1, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/arts/june-clark-s-art-has-been-in-canada-s-biggest-galleries-but-she-only-recently-began-calling-herself-an-artist-1.7371034.

“June Clark – Visual Artist.” n.d. https://juneclark.ca/.

June Clark: Unrequited Love. (n.d.). Daneil Farai Gallery. Retrieved April 10, 2025, from https://danielfariagallery.com/exhibitions/june-clark-unrequited-love

“Unrequited Love - June Clark - Canadian Art.” 2021. Canadian Art. March 3, 2021. https://canadianart.ca/reviews/unrequited-love/.