Stitching Nature: Amanda McCavour’s Double Shadow
byIt is fascinating how a seed in nature has the potential to become an extraordinary plant. In much the same way, a seed of…
Art Reviews
Art Reviews from local exhibitions are found here.
Amanda McCavour Decides
byWhile helping install Amanda McCavour’s “Double Shadow” at Museum London, Phil Bram reflects on the embroidery artist’s massive wall installation, the strange precision of artistic instinct, and the decisions that make hundreds of stitched elements come alive.
Double Shadow
by(after Double Shadow, Amanda McCavour, Museum London, 2026) This museum wallis humming: covered in threadedsquiggles and polka dots, grids, rain drops,plaid, pattern upon pattern…
very public, very private, very soft edges
byIn very very very, Montreal-based artist Ioana Dragomir offers a glance at Virginia, Vita, and Vanessa through piecing together fragments of intimate correspondence. Playing…
Penn Kemp: Re-Keying: a very very very poem
byAn invitation to enter: take off your shoes and dawdle a while in the careful choices of Ioana Dragomir’s mind on meeting Virginia Woolf….
Studied Things — a very very very poem
byIoana Dragomir Art Now! Speakers’ Series, Western U. March 19, 2026 Ioana reading Virginia Woolf is takenby the glorious transformation of Orlandoas her lover,…
Atmospheric Shifts
byAfter…
Reading the Sky: The Intersection of Art and Engineering, and Stormchasing in the Study of Severe Weather
byStanding on the shoulder of the highway, the rain-free base rotating maybe five kilometres out, and the wall cloud is dropping: slow, deliberate, indifferent,…
Learning Behind the Scenes
byEarlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with McIntosh Gallery curator, Dr. Helen Gregory, as she developed her exhibition, Atmospheric Shifts, featuring…
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence
byThis past summer, I had the opportunity to visit the extensive exhibition of Quebec Impressionists at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick….
Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away.
byAt the Royal Ontario Museum Auschwitz. The name is scorched across time and memory, a byword for fathomless horror, unimaginable to all except those…
“Stories of Belonging,” Colleen Heslin, at the Forest City Gallery
byPublisher’s note: Recently, I attended the early evening Opening of the exhibition Stories of Belonging by former London artist Colleen Heslin at Forest City Gallery….
THE LONG VIEW
byQuestions and Observations in the Arts. Publisher’s note: Centred has engaged Deborah Worsfold to write a regular reflective article in which she will…
Betty McArthur, “You are a Painter”
byIn a letter by Jock Macdonald, the abstract painter and educator writes to Betty McArthur, “…it confirms my often stated remarks to you that…
Joyce Wieland: The Beat Goes On
byJoyce Wieland: Heart On. When saying the title of this retrospective of Joyce Wieland’s work, it sounds like a double entendre. This rather clever…
A Conversation With David Merritt
byFor this podcast, I met with artist David Merritt at his light-filled studio in London, Ontario, to discuss a recent exhibition that includes his…
Curatorial Partners: The Art of the Studio Visit
byInside. Outside. Of. is a puzzle of an exhibition conceived of and collected by co-curators Shannon Anderson and Jay Wilson. Together, over the past…
Laura Moore – Memories of the Future
byEven before the earliest civilizations ten thousand years ago humans have been employing tools and technologies to alter and aid their personal lives and…
I Fell in Love with a Beautiful Highway
byStanding tallBy the side of the roadI fell in loveWith a beautiful highway—Talking Heads, Nothing But Flowers A funny thing happened on the way…
Podcast: Rosemary Sloot Reflects
byRosemary Sloot’s creative journey as a visual artist has been long and varied, as can be seen at her first retrospective exhibit at Westland…
Bev Pike: Grottesque: Spectacles of Miniature and Gigantic
byProminent Canadian artist Bev Pike has shown her work in major public art galleries across Canada, is the recipient of many grants, a feminist…
Mohawk Warriors, Hunters & Chiefs: The Art of Tom Wilson tehohåhake
byA worried man with a worried mind,No one in front of me, and nothing behindBob Dylan, “Things Have Changed” It’s just a matter of…
The Art of Banksy, Unshredded
byIt is with trepidation that one might enter the show, The Art of Banksy: Without Limits. With… hesitation? Suspicion? Apprehension? What does “without limits”…
Laura Woermke – Beyond Belief
byLaura Woermke has served as curator and director of the St. Thomas-Elgin Art Gallery in St. Thomas for over 17 years. In her role…
Scott Conarroe “About Trees”
byFor over 150 years photography has transformed how artists capture and render images of the world around us. From Ansel Adams to O. Winston…
Billy Gauthier – Sculpting Culture
byBilly Gauthier: Sila at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) showcases the dynamic and masterful sculptures of Labrador-based artist and activist Billy Gauthier. This exhibition…
I’m Not Your Kinda Princess: Lori Blondeau at the McMaster Museum of Art
byBringing together Blondeau’s satirical performances and heartfelt meditations, I’m Not Your Kinda Princess underscores the artist’s investment in engaging with the roles of perception, preservation of cultural practice, and assertions of colonialism in the contemporary.
“Vibration is the Foundation of Life”: David Bobier and Accessibility in the Arts
byRecently I interviewed London, Ontario, media installation artist, David Bobier, via Zoom. At the time of the interview in late-June, Bobier was between two…
Sea Change – Agneta Dolman
byA sea change – the etymology goes back to Shakespeare, The Tempest — is an English idiomatic expression that denotes a substantial change in…
Post-Humous Collaboration: The Artistic Practice of Rita Giedre Bulova-Forrest and Irma Makariunaite
byPerhaps the most striking thread to emerge in comparing their practices is their exploration of death, memory, and the afterlife. Located on the second-floor…
meromictic, at artLAB Gallery
byIn the last days before the spring of 2024, the artLAB Gallery at Western University presented meromictic: an exhibition curated by Dr. Kirsty Robertson’s…
“When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Namer of Paint Colours” – Sarindar Dhaliwal at the AGO
by“Hey, hey, Paula. I want to marry you. Hey, hey, Paula. No one else could ever do.” — “Hey Hey Paula (1998),” Paul &…
Paul Walde: Music Of The Glaciers
byAuthor Catherine Lacey said that when she was younger, she wanted to be a photographer because she wanted “to capture the most perfect pictures…
Curtis Doherty at Westland Gallery, “Who Knit Ya?”
byTo say that Curtis Doherty’s exhibition, “Who Knit Ya?”, was conceived from a hundred-year-old wooden trunk sounds somewhat abstract and mysterious, but indeed, it…
Nida’s Excellent Rock ‘n’ Roll Adventure
byThe Stone of Scone is a rock that the Brits stole from the Scots and used as a dais for the coronation throne of…
Patrick Thibert -Evolution of Works on Paper 1971-2023
byTAP Centre for Creativity, Dundas Street, London Ontario February 6 – 17, 2024 This exhibition is a unique opportunity to follow a master sculptor…
Casa Susanna, at the Art Gallery of Ontario
byI first saw some of the photographs that are part of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s new Casa Susanna exhibit at The Image Centre,…
In Conversation: Ron Shuebrook and Frances Thomas
byCan paintings talk to each other? Why not? Paintings, much like people, are a kind of social force. Sharing the same space, they whisper,…
Postcards from Seth
byI once received a postcard… in a dream. The image seemed familiar, an artwork by a famous artist. Turning it over, the script was…
We Should Be Dancing – Gallery Review
byEntering the space, the viewer’s attention is pulled around the room between lightboxes, colourful video, and striking caftans. Immediately, the pieces feel in conversation with each other, each carefully placed work calling to another in darting patterns.
These Days: A Moment Of Calm In Chaos
byEmmanuel Osahor’s custom installation for Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art makes everything feel like it is alright, even just for a moment.
Kindred Spirits
byCrucial for Parkinson was the experience of being exposed to Monet’s almost mystical way of seeing colour and light, which led to her discovering a kindred spirit.
Mediah: SPECTRAL VANE AT MUSEUM LONDON
by“As an artist, I feel it is imperative to create positive imagery that can give to the viewer in a time of violence and uncertainty.”
The Life and Forms of Halina Maria Czajkowska Robinson
byRobinson wasn’t working completely isolated from the community in London. She was also an avid supporter of the local art scene and she volunteered at Museum London over the years.
“She was an exceptional, competent and generous volunteer,” says former Museum London director Nancy Poole. “She always had something very intelligent to say.”
Ginny: Ioana Dragomir
byAre these part of the works? Are we meant to wonder as much? Is this intrusion by the domestic onto the public space a matter of convenience or calibrated critique?
In Review of a pillow fort & other soft things
byAt scarcely thirty years old, Huhtala has proven a sophisticated command of material efficiency at the nexus of all the big (forgive me) post-modern themes—frustration, alienation, and impotence vis-à-vis ceaselessly absurd industrial momentum. But the genius of the work is its tragicomedy.
Blue Exhibition: Access & Metahistoricity in Beograd
byIndeed the guard almost seemed to have been hired by the curators to bring to the viewer’s awareness the context of an oppressive regime, on which the work with which the viewer is initially confronted, was designed to comment …
Um-World: Our Static Questions Need Organic Answers
byThe artworks found in the more-than-human exhibition at Onsite Gallery in Toronto are abbreviated—infinitesimally small, slow-moving, omni-synaptic—communities. Be careful where you put your hands; each movement of your body shifts something in the exhibition-space.
Sous ses yeux de pierre: Véronique Chagnon Côté and Élise Lafontaine
byThe everywhere filigree of enpencilled architectural guidelines throughout Côté’s work suggest the work is, in some ways—and in contrast to instances of exquisite, even masterful detail—half-imagined, or, if you’d prefer, half-dreamt, akin in space to the swirling translucence and precise geometry of a dream partially inhabited at waking.
Revelations: Gathie Falk
byIf there is a word in English that will do to describe existence at all it is perhaps miracle and it is perhaps the job of the artist to situate the miracle for us, as Falk does—to remind us of the miracle when the grooved fat of habit suppresses our appetite for it.
Original Sisters: 365 Portraits of Tenacity and Courage
byPaintings by Anita KunzTAP Centre for CreativityLondon, Ontario, CanadaNovember 3, 2022 – January 14, 2023 What an amazing experience to have at TAP, encountering…
Andrew Lewis Painting in the Mean Time – Artificial intelligence reviews an art exhibition (?!)
byLet Wednesday December 14th of the year 2022 go down in history. All over the news, first and foremost: Free energy for us…
Transcendence: Deanna Musgrave
byTo send light into the darkness of … [humanity’s] hearts – such is the duty of the artist. – Kandinsky from Concerning the Spiritual…
Ways of Seeing: Margaux Williamson’s Painterly Magic Tricks
byMy favourite measure of a worthy gallery exhibit, or worthy concert performance, or a film just viewed comes a few days later when, should…
NIIPA 20/20 – Celebrating the Collective
byIn 1985 a Hamilton-based group of Indigenous photographers and image makers came together to form NIIPA, the Native Indian/Inuit Photographer’s Association. The collective was…
The Ghost Paintings
byRosemary Sloot has worked as an artist in London for many years and is known as a ‘photo realist’. It was hard to imagine…
Continuing Accountability
byKelly Greene at the Art Lab Gallery April 21 – May 17, 2022 Visual Arts Building at Western University London Ontario For the past year, Kelly Greene…
20 Works: A Farewell Exhibition
byThere’s an unusual exhibit presently running at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Unusual, in that its focus is on who is doing the curating…
Thelma Rosner: Where Can I Go Now?
byEntering Thelma Rosner’s exhibition at the McIntosh Gallery at Western University, I immediately pause in reaction to the floor installation that extends…
“Greg Curnoe: What About Me?”: Sustaining A Legacy
by“You know, we had people, James Reaney Jr., for example, [come] in, and he and his wife are both art enthusiasts, and [they] said…
No Small Terror: Edward Burtynsky
by“For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.” – Edward Burtynsky. As the cliché goes, a picture says a…
Written on the Earth – McIntosh Gallery
byHannah Claus, Patrick Mahon, Ellen Moffat, Joel Ong, Eeva Siivonen, Matthew Trueman McIntosh Gallery London, Ontario March 4 – April 17, 2021 It…
Ko Bhamra at Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery | Galerie
byKo Bhamra Themes and Variations Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery | Galerie November 19–December 31, 2020 All through 2020 Ko Bhamra worked with ardent commitment on…
Art and Artefact Inform the History of Indigenous People
byGaawiin Ogiibagidenaawaasiiwaawan/ They Did Not Let It Go Museum London September 12 to December 25, 2020 Guest Co-curated by Summer Bressette and Monica Virtue …
A Fond Farewell to the Thielsen Gallery
byAs a certain imported virus has been poking a stick in the spokes of societies all around the world for more than a year…
A Mural From a Christmas Past Comes to Haunt This Holiday Season
byIt was during the first lockdown not so long ago that I rediscovered a painting that had been right in front of my eyes…
Michèle Pearson Clarke at Forest City Gallery
byMichèle Pearson Clarke Suck Teeth Compositions (After Rasheed Newsome) October 10 – November 21, 2020, Forest City Gallery 3-channel, HD video installation with sound…
Ron Kingswood as an Abstract Painter
byBecoming Pastoral – Ron Kingswood Excavo Gallery, London, Ontario, October 2, 2020 – November 14, 2020 “The less there is to look…
Messagers’ Forum: Patrick Mahon
byMessagers’ Forum: Patrick Mahon Thames Art Gallery Chatham, Ontario September 16, 2020 – January 10, 2021 Messagers’ Forum is in turns surprising, enchanting,…
Curating Before and After the Pandemic
byCurators and other cultural workers are seldom tasked with reflecting on previous exhibitions or projects that they’ve organized. I assume it’s because most of…
Slipstream – Jenn E. Norton
bySlipstream – Jenn E Norton Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, October 4, 2019 – January 5, 2020 Loïe Fuller. Not many people know…
Dreaming While Running: Libby Hague’s Human Arcade
byLibby Hague – Every Heart Can Grow Bigger Gallery Stratford May 25, 2019 – October 6, 2019 An apt approximation for conveying the feel…
Recipes from Auschwitz – Thelma Rosner
byRecipes from Auschwitz Loop Gallery, Toronto June 1-23, 2019 The work of artist Thelma Rosner has been a long-standing interest of mine. She is…
Vital Contents: Affective Process in Deborah Worsfold’s Renaissance
byVital Contents: Affective Process in Deborah Worsfold’s Renaissance St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre Nov 9 – Dec 29, 2018 In his recent book Strange…
Jill Price, Leslie Putnam, Morag Webster & Kim Wilkie – Unsettling Nature
byHow fragile is the nature around us. Walking through the woods to reach the Garage Gallery, I was taken with the carpet of white…
Erica Dornbusch – Paint and Prose
byby Alice Plummer Paint and Prose Exhibition & Book Launch Westland Gallery, April 30 – May 4, 2019 Joy’s Lifted Voice – Acrylic on canvas,…
Rita Letendre – Chasing Vibrato
byby Alice Plummer Rita Letendre – Chasing Vibrato Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, Sarnia March 1 – April 1, 2019 Walking into the…
Shannon Bool – Promiscuous Rooms
byPromiscuous Rooms Shannon Bool Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris February 8 – April 5, 2019 With Promiscuous Rooms, Shannon Bool’s focus is the masculine nature…
Helmut Becker at Westland Gallery
byby Alice Plummer Helmut Becker Woodcuts Relief Carved and Prints: A Retrospective Westland Gallery February 6 to February 16, 2019 On a blustering, cold…
Ana Mendieta – Covered in Time and History/Le Temps et L’Histoire Me Recouvrent
byAna Mendieta Covered in Time and History/Le Temps et l’Histoire Me Recouvrent Jeu de Paume, Paris, France 16 October 2018 – 27 January 2019…
James Kirkpatrick: To The Unseen Future
byJames Kirkpatrick: To The Unseen Future Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery, Sarnia November 2, 2018 – January 6, 2019 We all walk on…
/RUTS/ Satellite Project Space
byGroup Exhibition /RUTS/ Satellite Project Space December 1-8, 2018 The title of this timely exhibition reflects current concerns about a general lack of understanding…
Gary Spearin 401EXIT232
byGary Spearin 401EXIT232 Woodstock Art Gallery September 22, 2018 – January 25, 2019 What a surprise to discover that highway 401 inspired an art…
Georg Óskar Notes from the Underground
byIceland – in darkness for more than three months of the year, blanketed with snow for more than six, a landscape of wide open,…
Surface Tensions – Reaching Near Perfection
byTenably, Patrick Thibert’s exhibition at the DNA Artspace on Dundas Street (March 4 – April 16, 2016) could be viewed as an exacting combination of…
Gerald Pedros: Meditations on a Beach
byStanding among the drawings by Gerald Pedros on exhibit in the main gallery of the St Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre (May 30 – July…
Ed Zelenak: Grasping the Art of Divining
byFor those who are accustomed to the norm of viewing art in a museum, walking from canvas to canvas while admiring the technique of…
Aidan Urquhart: Uninhabited Canadian Cabins
byIt is a simple thought but one that in some ways is deeply unsettling: the world in which we live, the taken-for-granted world we…
Kim Moodie: The Art of Hair
byHello. I am Kim Moodie‘s hair. So what, you might say. Well, as fate would have it, I have suddenly been brought to life and made…
Laura Woermke: Posing Challenges to the Gallery Space
byLaura Woermke’s art exhibition (August 27th – September 10th), on display at the studio of another well-known local artist, Gerald Pedros, offers a number…
J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free
byFor most of us the words “I must” are invoked often. We utter these words as if standing back and looking over our lives….
Robert Mapplethorpe – The 0utsiders
byby Alice Plummer The name Robert Mapplethorpe evokes images of stylized, black and white photographs of celebrities and nudes of women and men. Mapplethorpe is…