PAST EXHIBITION
The Visible Universe, Including the Fires of Hell
The Visible Universe, Including the Fires of Hell, is a selection of recent works by Brad Isaacs that, as the artist noted, operate around themes of invisibility, simulation, and the function of nature as a construction within a Western perspective. Through photography, collage and video, the exhibition highlights a complex array of relationships between animal research, hunting, colonialism, and masculinity. Isaacs wrote, the works “demonstrate my concern with how the scientific study of nature sets up a specific configuration of relationships between people and nature, and how those relationships are used as the foundation for the larger social structures and systems of domination that govern our lives in the West. Referencing seemingly disparate subjects such as religious painting and Rorschach cards, animals are shown as museum objects, as figures with a divine presence, and as psychological tropes.”
A concurrent installation was an invitation for Isaacs to work with the McMaster Museum of Art collection. His selection is “A gesture to bring together two works, by Carl Beam and Richard Long, which renew questions about land, place, relationships to nature in an art historical context, and the space for indigenous art within the broader contemporary art world.” Titled Waking the Magicians, it is a reference to the controversial juxtaposition of work by Richard Long and the Yuendumu language group (Northern Territories, Australia) in the 1989 “global cultures” exhibition Magiciens de la Terre at the Centre Georges Pompidou.
Brad Isaacs is an artist and independent curator, born in Hamilton and currently based in London, Ontario. He holds an MFA from the University of Western Ontario and has exhibited at galleries such as the Ottawa Art Gallery, Katzman Kamen Gallery, and Hamilton Artists Inc. His work in photography, video, collage and installation investigates the complex relationships between people and nature.
Image: Brad Isaacs, Tell Me About Your Mother #9 (detail), 2014. Courtesy of the artist.
Curated by: McMaster Museum of Art
May 30, 2015 – November 12, 2015
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
MORE PAST EXHIBITIONS
We Remain Certain
Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s
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The Clichettes: Lips, Wigs, and Politics
Published on the occasion of the exhibition The Clichettes: Lips, Wigs, and Politics held at the McMaster Museum of Art (M(M)A) in Hamilton, Ontario in 2024. With essays by Ivana Dizdar, Marni Jackson, John Greyson, Alexandra Schwartz, Mark Kingwell, rl Goldberg, Lillian Allen, and Wanda Nanibush. Bridging theatre, lip-sync, dance, drag, costume, and comedy, the […]
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self/same/other
Barbara Astman, Carl Beam, Meryl McMaster, Sorel Cohen, Joseph Beuys, Bidemi Oloyede, Christina Leslie, Jeff Thomas, Micah Lexier, László Moholy-Nagy This exhibition brings together artworks drawn from the M(M)A permanent collection that present diverse ways of exploring self-imaging and subjectivity through different types of photo-based media. Expanding the genres of portraiture and self-portraiture, selected works […]
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Ancient Greek and Roman coinage represents the intersection of politics, economics, and art; no other medium in the ancient world more closely reflects the decisions of administrations, the expectations of civic bodies, and detailed craftspersonship. Coins are among the most ubiquitous artifacts from Classical antiquity and despite their small size, are among the most instructive […]
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This catalogue documents a multi-year art-science project called Immune Nations, produced on the occasion of its exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Initiated in 2014 and co-led by Steven Hoffman (York University), Sean Caulfield (University of Alberta), and Natalie Loveless (University of Alberta), Immune Nations brought together scientists, policy experts, […]
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SUBMISSIONS & ASSISTANCE
SUBMISSIONS:
The McMaster Museum of Art is presently not accepting artists’ submissions for exhibitions at this time of leadership change at the museum. Our Interim Director will be undertaking a review of the museum’s forward exhibition schedule, as well as our policies and procedures, in the coming months. Our present focus is the ongoing maintenance of our permanent collection and storage needs for future collection activities.
The museum remains committed to our collecting priority in the continued support of early career, mid-career and established Indigenous artists, artists of the Black diaspora and racialized artists through purchases and commissions. Donations will be welcomed and reviewed at a future date which will be posted on our website.
ASSISTANCE:
The McMaster Museum of Art is a third party recommender for Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Exhibition Assistance Grants.
Please note that there has been a delay in the OAC opening the 2024-2025 program. This webpage will be updated with our deadlines as soon as possible.
Priorities:
Artists who demonstrate an interest and consideration of art as a medium for social change and action.
Please follow the guidelines established by the Ontario Arts Council, apply directly through their website, and submit the following with your applications:
Brief artist statement
Confirmation letter from the gallery/museum/venue
Budget
CV
Digital images of work
