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Agnes Gets Hysterical is a collaboration between Agnes and Kingston’s Hysterics Collective. Aligned with the Collective’s mission, this initiative seeks to disrupt the mainstream comedic narrative with diverse voices and punch-up comedy that raises feminist consciousness and strengthens community. Getting hysterical also ensures Agnes doesn’t take herself too seriously either! This series of video performances “riff-off” artworks in Agnes’s exhibitions and permanent collections.
Definition of Knowledge: Explaining Art
Definition Of Knowledge is a Toronto-based comedy duo who has performed at festivals like Boston’s Women in Comedy Festival and Toronto’s JFL42. Their comedy uses spoken word to satirize topics like race, gender, identity and 90s rap. In 2020, they released their album “Gentrify This” with the female-centric comedy record label Howl And Roar.
Works from Agnes’s collection:
William Hogarth, “The Sleeping Congregation,” State IV, 1762, engraving on paper. Gift from the estate of Mabel E. Segsworth, through the Queen’s University Art Foundation, 1944
Honoré Daumier, “-Monsieur le Baron…, j’ai l’honneur de vous présenter monsieur Mérouet, un de nos plus gros banquiers!,” 1858, lithograph on paper, state 2 of 3. Gift of Ross H. Branston 1994
Honoré Daumier, “-Oh ciel, Madeleine!… je suis sûr que vous avez laissé cet enfant-là crier dans la rue vive la République!,”1850, lithograph on paper, state 2 of 2. Gift of Meredith Fleming 1984
Thomas Rowlandson, after Samuel Collings,
“Scottifying the Palate,” (Print 10 of 20 of “Picturesque Beauties of Boswell” series)
1786, etching on wove paper, 1/1. Gift from the estate of Mabel E. Segsworth, through the Queen’s University Art Foundation, 1944
This program is made possible through the generous support of George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund and the Bader Legacy Fund.
Videography and Editing by Steven GriffinAgnes Gets Hysterical is a collaboration between Agnes and Kingston’s Hysterics Collective. Aligned with the Collective’s mission, this initiative seeks to disrupt the mainstream comedic narrative with diverse voices and punch-up comedy that raises feminist consciousness and strengthens community. Getting hysterical also ensures Agnes doesn’t ta …
Chapters
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Intro
Intro
0:00
Intro
0:00
The Sleeping Congregation
The Sleeping Congregation
0:20
The Sleeping Congregation
0:20
The Banker
The Banker
0:44
The Banker
0:44
The Black Eye
The Black Eye
1:31
The Black Eye
1:31
Sscotifying the Palette
Sscotifying the Palette
2:11
Sscotifying the Palette
2:11
Use CTRL+F to find key words if it is a longer transcript.
Intro
0:00
>> Yo, yo, yo, yo.
0:00
What up Agnes.
0:02
>> Yo. We are Definition of Knowledge.
0:06
>> That’s right.
0:07
I’m Hannan Younis.
0:07
>> I’m an ally.
0:08
We’re normally a slam-poetry duo —
0:10
>> That’s right.
0:11
>> — but today we wanted to give context
for some weird, old drawing that we got sent.
0:16
[ Music ]
0:18
This piece is called “The
Sleeping Congregation”.
The Sleeping Congregation
0:22
>> By William Hogarth.
0:23
>> This is an accurate depiction
of what happens when a chesty lady
0:26
with a low-cut dress falls asleep in church.
0:28
You get the guy up top.
0:29
He’s got a little magnifying glass.
0:31
He’s taking a peek through the reflection,
a bit of a pro move in my opinion.
0:35
>> And then you got the clerk guy doing
a little side-eye which is a good move.
0:40
Not as good as your guy.
0:42
>> He’s trying.
The Banker
0:44
And this one’s from 1858.
0:46
>> Yep. It’s by Honoré Daumier.
0:49
>> Say F, marry, kill —
0:52
>> Exactly.
0:52
>> — the three guys in this
drawing Hannan, what do you do?
0:56
>> That’s rough.
0:56
It’s hard.
0:57
I think I’m going to kill the
banker because look at him.
1:02
He’s got all this money but he’s
still so skinny and so starving.
1:07
Marry the guy in the middle.
1:08
>> Okay.
>> I like how secure he seems.
1:12
And then probably kiss the guy on the right.
1:15
>> I would kill the banker, anti-capitalist.
1:18
Marry the guy with the big,
shadowy back on the right.
1:21
F the guy in the middle because like if you
look close at the trunk, see he’s packing.
1:27
>> Oh, he’s got some — yeah,
yeah, he is packing heat.
The Black Eye
1:31
So we’ve got another one from Honoré Daumier.
1:33
>> And this one we see somebody
has got a black-eye
1:39
because they were in the streets saying —
1:42
>> Viva la République and
that somebody was a child.
1:46
>> Okay. To be fair, I don’t
know if that’s a child.
1:48
>> That’s a child, man.
1:49
>> No, like look.
1:50
If you look at his face,
that’s like a 50 year old man.
1:53
>> No, that’s how they looked back then.
1:54
>> That is a small man in a dress and
if people are punching him for that,
1:58
yes, I would have a problem with it.
1:59
If people are out there getting
punched for marching
2:02
around saying vi-la-r then,
you know, you get what you get.
2:06
I’m sorry.
2:06
>>Then you’re a hypocr– so called tolerant left here.
2:10
>> Viva la République.
Sscotifying the Palette
2:12
>> So this one’s called “Scottifying the Palate”
2:14
>> Yep, by Thomas Rowlandson.
2:16
>> 1786. I’ll be honest Hannan.
2:18
I didn’t really get this one.
2:20
Putting a fish on the guy, I don’t —
2:22
>> Scottifying the palate.
2:25
>> No, that’s more confusing.
2:27
He’s scottifying the — like
is he from Scotland?
2:30
What is —
>> No, man.
2:30
It’s racist.
2:31
Yo, you just got scottified.
2:33
>> I’m not wrong for not
knowing what that means.
2:35
What are you talking about?
2:37
>> You’ve never been scottified?
2:38
>> You mean like getting into
ska music like I’m skaified?
2:43
>> No.
2:44
>> Okay. Well, it must have just been
something from the time because like you can see
2:47
in the background these women are laughing
about it so maybe it was a common thing then.
2:52
Doing some kind of laundry.
2:53
>> You just got scottified.
2:56
>> Well, thank you very much for letting us
look at these paintings and explain them to you.
3:00
>> Absolutely.
3:00
We’ve been Definition of Knowledge.
3:02
>> Peace.
3:03
>> Peace.
3:05
[ Music ]
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