PAST EXHIBITION
Shelagh Keeley
This exhibition presents a twenty-five year retrospective look at the work of Canadian artist Shelagh Keeley. Beginning with work from 1984; including drawings from the 1990s and 2000s; bookworks from throughout the 25 year period in review; as well as a steel wall work from the early 2000s; the exhibition closes with a work from the artist’s 2009 residency in Shanghai, China.
The exhibition provides a view to Keeley’s contribution to the discourse on art in this country and seeks to position her practice within a global view. Her work reveals a record of themes that have pervaded artistic practice in the art world during the past two and a half decades: diversity, history, representation, the body and, in general, that which is political and social. What had previously been considered external to the museum and to an artist’s practice, came to the forefront of artistic discourse in Canada during Keeley’s entrée to the scene. Her work has had a significant impact, nationally and internationally, for its thematic interests, as well as for the way she handles the materials—the hand of the artist is evident throughout her production, from small scale drawings and bookworks to large wall-scaled works.
An award winning exhibition catalogue, with essays by Peggy Gale and Christopher Dewdney, accompanies the exhibition.
The exhibition and catalogue were produced in collaboration with The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa.
Venues for this travelling exhibition include: The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa; McMaster Museum of Art; Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and the Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan.
Image: Shelagh Keeley, detail from A Space for Breathing 1992-1997, series of ten works on paper.Collection of McMaster Museum of Art
List of Works in Exhibition:
(in chronological order)
Dogon World of Spirits, 1984
mixed media & collage on Fabriano paper
70.7 x 100 cm each of 20
Collection of the Artist
Traces of the Body, 1986
original artist book: graphite, collage, ink, oil stick, crayon, gouache, wax and pigment on paper
27.1 x 35.7 x 1.4 cm
Collection of the Artist
Objects of Daily Use, 1987
black oil stick on waxed Japanese masa paper
79 x 54.3 cm each of 11
Collection of the Artist
And this goodness of things, 1988
original artist book: graphite, collage, wax, pigment, ink and gouache on paper
25 x 37.8 x 2.1 cm
Collection of the Artist
The Five Viscera, 1990
book, bound in beige cloth-covered covers, containing 32 pages of handmade wove paper, bearing 32 drawings and 4 collages of printed papers, graphite, gouache, oil, oil pastel, and wax
40.8 x 30.8 x 2.5 cm
Collection of the National Gallery of Canada
Notes on the Body, 1991
color photographic transfers with original drawings in pencil, pigment, gouache and wax (edition 17) Granary Books, New York
38.2 x 27.4 x 3.7 cm
Collection of the National Gallery of Canada
A Space for Breathing, 1992-97
graphite, wax, pigment, crayon, gouache and transfers on BFK paper
113 x 76.2 cm each of 20
Collection of the McMaster Museum of Art, purchased with funds from the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation and ten works donated by the Artist
A Space for Breathing, 1992
colour photographic transfers with original drawings in pigment, gouache and wax (edition 22) Granary Books, New York
37.8 x 27.4 x 4.2 cm
Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Computation Book, India, 2004-05
original artist book: collage, ink, photographs, oil stick, graphite, gouache, watercolour on paper
29.8 x 23.2 x 1.7 cm
Collection of the Artist
Steel Notebook, New Delhi, India, 2004
oil stick on rusted steel
240 x 120 cm each of 8
Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, purchased with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, 2008
Workers’ Pavilion: Shanghai Project, China, 2009
gouache, ink, crayon, photo collage on paper
76.x 2 x 55.9 cm, each of 13
Collection of the Artist
Curated by: Linda Jansma and Carol Podedworny
September 10, 2010 – October 30, 2010
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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.
The museum is currently accepting applications. Our next program deadline is: December 16, 2024.
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
