This video about the work of Nigerian-Canadian sculptor Oluseye is a must-watch. The video provides an unusual opportunity to go with the artist on a walk-through of his powerful works about the African diaspora, and his own personal journey. Talismans from African migrations These objects are Oluseye’s “reimaginations of the talismans that Africans past and present have carried on journeys aross the Atlantic,” including on slave ships (one of them built in Canada). Video on Vimeo The sculpture at the top of this post is “Mighty Peter,” Oluseye’s interpretation of the iconic, American image ..read more

Chrystal Phan, the child of Vietnamese boat people, paints realistic scenes and creates multi-faceted installations that tell stories about second-generation Asian life in Canada. Pool Party, a finalist for the Boynes Art Prize Pool Party (oil on canvas, 48 x72″) and My Still Life were recently acquired by the Royal BC Museum My Still Life, oil on canvas, 36 x 48″ Phan is currently in a group exhibition (below) called Crossing: Art, Heritage, and Personal Journeys, which explores the stories of three British Columbia artists, whose families embarked on transformative journeys from Asia to Can ..read more

Hundreds of thousands of tiny glass beads placed to catch the sun cover the entire Canadian pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious art fairs.  Kapwani Kiwanga, the Hamilton-born, Paris-based creator of the work, titled “Trinket,” used beads made on the nearby Venetian island of Murano. Centuries ago, similar beads were used all over the world as both desirable trade goods and currency in themselves. More on the installation here. Kiwanga’s installation also involves beads strung gently on the exteriorPavilion has a heritage: more in this documentar ..read more

What better way to underscore the importance of the environment than to explore these large-scale photographs of the thriving night world below us in the garden, field or forest. Developed over the past six years, the series Nocturnal Botanical by Ontario-based artist Sara Angelucci embraces “what it means to mourn that which is disappearing, but also to celebrate that which endures.” (Above: October 14, Milkweed No. 3 – images from the Nocturnal series are on her website here) June 5 (Ribwort Plantain, Dock, Salsify, Italian Arum, Hairy Tare), 2023The series began out of grief Ange ..read more

The inventive sketches of French fashion illustrator Jérémy Combot are irresistible. Above, Versace Queen, here. Sunset RinnaAlma Combot, who does freelance illustration, is a self taught artist, “guided by passion: my work could be defined as a mixture of crazy colors / Fashion / 90’s / Pop culture / Youth & Airiness / Beauty & Ugliness.” “All my illustrations are handmade: I like to use inks, ProMarkers, very thin pens, watercolor. I sometimes add collages or graphic lines with Photoshop.” See more on his Instagram here. His website, here ..read more

Hayley Chiu’s paintings reflect her experiences as a second generation Chinese Canadian, a style that led to her recognition for a people’s choice award at the 2024 Artist Project in Toronto. Combining the colourful and historically rich imagery of Chinese culture with the motifs of my own life as a Canadian, I document the constantly shifting relationship between my surroundings, my identity and my body – Toronto Star interview here. See larger images on Hailey Chiu’s website, here. Her bright, polished combos of realism and surrealism attracted wide attention, prompting visitors to the m ..read more

Gary Pearson’s solo show at Gallery Jones in Vancouver demonstrates his strong graphic sensibility and his stark, spare, linear style. Portrait of a Man who loved Plants, 2021, Oil on canvas, 46 × 42 in | 116.8 × 106.7 cm Pearson paints characters and scenes that reflect his interest in the transitional nature of life. Lovers of Literature, 2022, Oil on canvas, 54 × 54 in | 137.2 × 137.2 cm Urban spaces such as cafes, bars, hotel lobbies and city parks are presented as generic and unremarkable, apt backdrops for the mundane moments unfolding for the characters on his canvases. Executed in a ..read more

Cybèle Young’s Japanese paper sculptures and her award winning illustrations deserve an update from the last time the Toronto artist was featured on the Art Junkie (here). These are some of her recent works. ‘Waiting for the Next Move’ (larger image here) Japanese Paper Sculpture, Pigment Ink, 62 x 27 x 3” Young is a renowned artist and author, whose work is exhibited and collected internationally. She spends her days creating miniature worlds from fine Japanese papers. ‘I Left it on the Porch’ Japanese Paper Sculpture 28 x 42 x 5” Since graduating from sculpture and printmaking at the Ontario ..read more

In collaboration with the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, S16 gallery is exhibiting works from the Festival archives, alongside some Montreal contemporary artists who are inspired by music. Jimi Hendrix Drifter’s Escape (/125), 2014 (/125), 2014 Silkscreen on paper 28 x 22 x 1.50 in Some big names and a lot of contemporary poster art at the exhibition site, here. Robert LaPalme Jazz (/125), 2007 (/125), 2007 Silkscreen on paper 25 x 25 x 1.50 Richard Séguin Riff de Guit (/200), 2012 (/200), 2012 Silkscreen on paper 29.50 x 22.50 x 1.50 in Armand Vaillancourt La Révolution du Coeur ..read more

What a gift. This superb painting of a family vacation home was given by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris to his daughter Margaret “Peggie” Harris Knox. (circa 1918, 10 5/8 x 12 3/8 in. oil on board) Detail, Red House Barrie “Here, though more decorative in style than his later phases, he has captured a country home in the midsummer afternoon with the same perceptive eye that would later allow him to paint the essence of the remote Arctic, ” writes Alec Blair, Director/Lead Researcher, Lawren S. Harris Inventory Project (essay here) The same Red House in winter, gouache, 1924 via Mutual Ar ..read more