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A guide to the best exhibitions and events in the visual arts
This exhibition reads like a hot novel filled with alter-ego self-portraits: the works show a nurse, a trial, a stewardess and a banquet. It’s about history and theatre, the artist and the muse. I work very much like a playwright or a theatre director since I invent characters. Even characters from my past keep knocking at my door, saying, “You got a job for me?” It’s constantly unfinished business but it’s always a bigger social picture that interests me.
Natalka Husar is a Toronto artist. Her show “Burden of Innocence” runs to Jan. 17 at the McMaster Museum of Art, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, and opens Feb. 3 at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 358 Gordon St., Guelph.
Krista Buecking’s drawings of architectural icons in ruin formed the starting point for a 2007 group show at the gallery about the state of “seeming to be” something. LOVE SONG FOR A FUTURE GENERATION continues this theme of the relic with paired drawings of historical “fragments” that suggest a collapse of time, of progress and of the status of objects. Her work has a meticulous quality that reminds me of Colette Whiten or Robert Wiens, and her architectural references echo Robin Collyer, Didier Courbot and Scott Lyall.
Susan Hobbs is the director of Susan Hobbs Gallery. Krista Buecking’s solo exhibition runs Dec. 17 to Jan. 30, 137 Tecumseth St.
The curator Roald Nasgaard shines fresh light on the abstract techniques and anti-establishment thinking of Montreal’s Automatiste painters with 60 key works by Borduas, Riopelle and others. To Feb. 28. Varley Art Gallery, 216 Main St., Unionville.
“Tut mania” swept across Canada in 1979 thanks to a monumental exhibition of objects and artifacts from the Egyptian pharaoh’s era that appeared at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The fever returns to Toronto this winter with an updated and expanded version of that show, featuring more than 100 ancient treasures dating from 2600 BC to 600 BC. Until Apr. 18. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W. Please note this article has been updated and corrected.
Visions of the mythic North are featured in a cross-platform presentation by the acclaimed film collective Igloolik Isuma Productions. Until Jan. 31. Carleton University Art Gallery, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa.
Lahde puts an ornate spin on the fragmented perspectives of headline news in a suite of kaleidoscopic collage works titled “Double Take.” On view Jan. 9 to Feb. 6. MKG127, 127 Ossington Ave.
Secret doorways, miniature building sets and holographic images hint at the complexities of the human psyche in Hoffos’s multi-part “Scenes from the House Dream.” On view to Feb. 14. National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa.
diosyncratic sculptural constructions by the Hamilton artist test the boundaries of creative control and material manipulation. Continues to Dec. 20. Loop Gallery, 1273 Dundas St. W.
A site-specific installation by David Rokeby that probes our relationship to surveillence in contemporary society sets the agenda for a group show examining the politics of seeing and being seen. Jan. 16 to Apr. 18. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Kingston.
The art duo continue their conceptual study of mass-produced culture and architectural space with a size-as film projection concentrated on the empty glow of commercial light fixtures. From Jan. 22 to Feb. 27. Mercer Union, 1286 Bloor St. W.
A comparative survey of classic as well as new projection works by Michael Snow is on view alongside sculptural installations by Liz Magor, James Carl, Tricia Middleton, Gareth Moore, Luanne Martineau and Kara Uzelman. Continues through Feb. 28. The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay W.
Unbridled optimism and imminent failure strike a precarious balance in feature exhibitions of Sasaki’s performance, video and sculptural works at Doris McCarthy Gallery and Jessica Bradley Art + Projects. Jan. 13 to Feb. 24/Jan. 9 to Feb. 6. 1265 Military Tr./1450 Dundas St. W.
Vintage Canada-themed photos from Stephen Bulger Gallery’s collection—including this repurposed shot of parade-dressed Mounties posing in London, England—reveal the enduring narrative power of the still image. Jan. 23 to Feb. 27. Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen St. W.
In the exhibition “Hovering Proxies,” the German-born, Toronto-based artist creates a layered “social cabaret” with an installation and performance work (which is filmed and then screened as part of the show). Jan. 21 to March 14. Art Gallery of York University, 4700 Keele St.
“The premise of ‘The 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion’ is the recreation of two General Idea exhibitions that took place in the 1970s at Carmen Lamanna Gallery. GI is incredibly important in our country’s art history. They were always concerned with developing a national art system, recognizing how this automatically made us part of the international art world. There is also a great interest in their work among younger artists. GI were often their own spokespeople and their statements become meta- commentaries, which then become performative fictions. I want to do some meta-meta commentary to articulate those concepts.”
Philip Monk is Director/Curator of the Art Gallery of York University. “The 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion” is on view from Sept. 15 to Dec. 6, 4700 Keele St.
Talk to take place January 26 at the Art Gallery of Ontario
Canadian premiere of new Marina Abramović documentary to be fêted February 22 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
All our best wishes for the new year to come
Talks by Dan Cameron and Annie Cohen-Solal, free gallery programs among highlights of 2011
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Free exhibition at the Power Plant highlights our nation’s emerging painting stars
Award in Portrait Photography category recognizes Donald Weber's artist project in the Fall 2010 issue
More than 300 GTA teens enjoy free downtown-Toronto gallery talks during this fall’s School Hop
In 2010, at the age of 35, Toronto artist/DJ/promoter/activist Will Munro succumbed to brain cancer. Here, David Balzer reviews the first big survey of Munro’s work, which makes apparent how talented, prolific and perceptive this creator was.
The Dulwich Picture Gallery’s recent Group of Seven show was one of the UK museum’s biggest hits ever, drawing 41,000 visitors. The attention was deserved, writes Sarah Milroy, as the exhibition offered new insights even to seasoned Canadian-art observers.
The Occupy movement has galvanized the way we think about haves and have-nots. But where do artists fit in? As Joseph R. Wolin observes in this review of David Altmejd’s show at the Brant Foundation, context can be as powerful as content in determining the split.
What happens to identity when our relationship to land and language is disrupted? This is a key question raised in “A Stake in the Ground,” an exhibition of works by 25 First Nations artists, curated by Nadia Myre, that’s currently at Montreal gallery Art Mûr.
Our education and careers site has just posted more stories and tips to help students achieve a great winter term. Highlights include a profile of internationally renowned fashion designer Jeremy Laing, a Q&A on grad schools and more.
