Last year, Ottawa-based artist Meryl McMaster made international waves with her newest body of work, As Immense as the Sky (2019), exhibiting it in Canada, the UK, France, and Australia. Three years in the making, the series of nineteen photographs captures McMaster’s travels to central and southern Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland as she retraces the … Continued
The late Ojibwe artist Carl Beam was one of the foremost figures of contemporary art in Canada. Working in a variety of media, he examined the political and social concerns that have shaped Indigenous and Western relations throughout history. In the late 1970s, during the formative years of his career, Beam began making photo-based collage works that combine appropriated and personal imagery and text with gestural painting. Drawing on elements of Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism, Beam’s collage works boldly challenged prevailing definitions of Indigenous art and established him as a major contemporary … Continued
Last month, REITZENSTEIN marked the conclusion of his yearlong residency at the AGH with an astonishing achievement: the completion of his thirty-foot-long tree drawing Maple (2019–20) (fig. 1). Over the past year, the artist, together with Gallery participants, steadily developed the collaborative artwork by writing rows of the word “maple” in dozens of different languages. Given the painstaking labour involved in creating Maple, Gallery visitors were often surprised to learn of its ephemerality. The work’s temporary existence is purposeful, underscoring the performative and process-oriented aspects of REITZENSTEIN’s practice. But for those lamenting that this immensely popular piece no … Continued
I want to describe a small frustration of mine that I’ve been carrying; one that I feel is worth sharing, if only because it so exquisitely wrought. During the week of March 9, I spent a chunk of time laying out an exhibition in our Upper Fischer Gallery, a space colloquially known as the Community Gallery, dedicated … Continued
The Art Gallery of Hamilton’s exhibition The Artist’s Dream: Works of French Symbolism explores dreaming as a metaphor for artistic vision in the Symbolist movement in France. The exhibition paid special attention to the important contributions of women artists to French Symbolism. Continue reading to learn about the female creators who participated in this fin-de-siècle movement. Sarah … Continued
Throughout our temporary closure, we here at the AGH have missed seeing the smiling faces of our community enjoying the arts with us. Amidst our online offerings with AGH at Home, AGH Film Series fans have had the pleasure of enjoying new Online Film Series screenings each week! The first three films comprised of the Academy Award-nominated Polish clergical drama Corpus Christi, along with … Continued
Patrick was a giggler. And while this probably isn’t the right way to begin a tribute to a wonderful curator, colleague, friend, and man, it’s always the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him. And in many ways, I think it says so much about the kind of person he was. … Continued
Since the pandemic happened, I have felt very busy, but a very different kind of busy. A kind of busy where I am constantly unsure that I actually am busy. You see, while I try to continue my job in Programs and Education for this gallery, my wife works as the director of a shelter … Continued
Did you know that the Art Gallery of Hamilton houses one of the largest public collections of works by esteemed Canadian artist Tim Whiten? Since the 1970s, the Michigan-born, Toronto-based artist has examined the nature of myth, spirituality, and transcendence in his mixed media, performance, and sculptural works. Over the years the AGH has acquired … Continued
The first-ever exhibition to focus exclusively on Michael Snow’s early formative years, Early Snow: Michael Snow 1947-1962 presents a snapshot of some of the Canadian artist’s first creative explorations. Working for over a half-century since the end of this exhibition’s chronological window, Snow’s practice and career transformed dramatically in the following decades. Such a prolific … Continued