Megan Kammerer
Curator / Writer / Researcher


Exhibitions
  1. A Lake Story
  2. Bathed in Strange Light
  3. la sombra que te cobija
  4. Second Shade
  5. Milestone Nerve
  6. To our reunited future
  7. Memories of the Mountain
  8. Shadow Games
  9. Spoiled Milk
  10. Every Beloved Object
  11. Prelude / Requiem
  12. Anoxic Memory
  13. Sutures
  14. Yesterday is Melting


Writing


Info

Megan Kammerer (she/her) is a curator and writer based in Toronto, Canada. She has held various positions with the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, The Bentway, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Blackwood Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Guelph where she worked to support critically engaged exhibition programmes across Southern Ontario.



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3. la sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you




la sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you
The Bentway
May 23 - October 5,  2025

Artist: Edra Soto
Curator: Megan Kammerer
Producers: Stephanie Dudek and Pavneet Pal Singh

Design & Fabrication: Navillus Woodworks, Blackwell Engineering, Steel &  Oak Designs

Photo Documentation: Samuel Engelking and Sarah Holman


 In warm climates, architectural forms and strategies have adapted to withstand the sun’s intensity, resulting in structures and systems that provide relief from the heat while embracing light and airflow. The brise-soleil is a building feature popularized in modern design that reduces heat gain—increases in temperature caused by solar radiation absorbed through building materials such as glass and concrete. These breathable facades filter sunlight and provide ventilation to make living spaces more comfortable.  

Puerto Rican-born artist Edra Soto draws inspiration from the brise-soleil tradition in her latest sculptural commission, la sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you.  Specifically, Soto recalls residential architecture and wrought iron screens, commonly known as rejas, that are frequently installed outside of homes and front entryways across Puerto Rico. These screens are adorned with decorative motifs that define the island’s visual identity. Their geometric patterns are often transplanted from West African Adinkra symbols and Yoruba iconography.  The inverted triangular “la sombra que te cobija” pattern aligns with mframadan, an Adinkra symbol that means “wind-resistant house.” This symbol amplifies a message of fortitude and readiness to face life’s challenges.  

Soto’s installation transforms the facade of a working-class Puerto Rican bungalow into an expansive, sun-filtering threshold that welcomes visitors as they cross beneath the Gardiner Expressway. The rejas’ function as a device for heat protection morphs the surrounding area into a comfortable space for communal gathering. The reimagined brise-soleil not only provides shelter from the intense summer heat, it also invites visitors to navigate circular relationships between heat-responsive architecture and cultural heritage.

la sombra que te cobija is commissioned by The Bentway. Supported by the Balsam Foundation, City of Toronto, Government of Ontario, and TD Bank Group. With help from partners at the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the Save Your Skin Foundation.