
Must-see Exhibitions Across Canada
Add these anticipated arts and culture happenings to your 2024 calendar.
Brenda Draney: Drink from the River
Edmonton, AB
Draney’s stark yet intimate paintings blur the boundary between personal and collective memory in this solo show at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Everyday scenes, drawn from her experience as a member of Sawridge First Nation, reverberate between brushstrokes and blank space.
Until May 5
Rooted Here: Woven from the Land
Vancouver, BC
Past, present and future intertwine in the works of four Salish weavers who give shape to traditional tapestries as well as architectural inspiration for the new Vancouver Art Gallery building (set to open in 2028).
Until May 12
ᓯᑯ ᕿᕐᓂᖅᓯᓯᒪᔪᖅ | Dark Ice
Winnipeg, MB
Conceived by painter and photographer Leslie Reid and photographer Robert Kautuk, Dark Ice examines the impacts of climate change through aerial paintings, images and films of ice formations in northern Canada. The touring exhibition, organized by the Ottawa Art Gallery, is now at the Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq.
Until May 26
Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch
Hamilton, ON
The first major retrospective of Mohawk artist Shelley Niro, at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, celebrates four decades of her paintings, photographs, mixed-media works and films in more than 70 works from public and private collections – including the debut of new pieces.
Until May 26
Giants of Modern Art
Montreal, QC
Natural forms by British sculptor Henry Moore contrapose against the surreal landscapes of American painter Georgia O’Keeffe at this groundbreaking exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Until June 2
Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot’s Russia
Vancouver, BC
The Polygon is the latest gallery to host the first survey exhibition by the Russian feminist art collective Pussy Riot. The scrappy and vivid exhibit documents a decade’s worth of activism through a clash of mediums, from videos of guerilla performances to handwritten texts.
Until June 2
Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama
Vaughn, ON
Marcel Dzama’s solo show at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the first major exhibition of his work in Canada in nearly a decade, draws inspiration from the mysterious death of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven and Dzama’s childhood in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Until June 9
Greater Toronto Art 2024 (GTA24)
Toronto, ON
The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) has launched the second edition of the museum’s triennial exhibition. GTA24 will feature a curated selection of works made between the 1960s and today by 25 intergenerational artists, duos, and collectives.
Until July 28
Shary Boyle: Outside the Palace of Me
Regina, SK
The latest major exhibition by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Shary Boyle makes its last and final stop at the Mackenzie Art Gallery. The multisensory installation – complete with two-way mirrors, coin-operated sculpture and an interactive score – dares audiences to explore how we see ourselves and each other.
Until September 9
Bonus
A New Opening
Sam Centre
Calgary, AB
Immerse yourself in over a century of Stampede history at Sam Centre. From a 360-degree, wildly interactive show (complete with vibrating floors) to a permanent art gallery chronicling the evolution of the Calgary Stampede since its inception in 1912, this new ode to Western culture has Albertans abuzz.
Opening Spring 2024