(
)

UPCOMING EXHIBITION

Artwork made out of collaged images on paper featuring a rustic cabin surrounded by flora, fauna, birds, whales, fish and to the right a guitar playing musician. Artwork made out of collaged images on paper featuring a rustic cabin surrounded by flora, fauna, birds, whales,

The Great Unseen

Museums house large collections, yet only approximately 2.1% of them are on display to the public. The Great Unseen brings rarely viewed pieces from the McMaster Museum of Art’s collection to the forefront, transforming absence into opportunity.

The exhibition, curated from a personal Caribbean heritage and diasporic perspective, focuses on Black, Caribbean, and diasporic artists—communities that have historically been excluded from dominant art historical paradigms. It includes seldom seen artworks from the Museum’s vaults, recent acquisitions by Black artists, and new pieces by invited contemporary Black artists who are not yet part of the collection.

These works together challenge representational gaps and investigate how institutions influence our perceptions of identity, cultural value, and visibility. They reflect lived experience, material innovation, and powerful expressions of presence and resistance.

The Great Unseen represents an evolving curatorial approach and commitment at the McMaster Museum of Art that prioritizes equity, inclusivity, and cultural awareness. Visitors are invited to engage with the collection in new ways through recognition, rediscovery, and the transforming power of visibility.

Exhibition Preview: Thursday, May 15th, 5 – 8pm

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 18th, 5 – 8pm

Artists in the collection:

Karel Appel, Elvira Bach, Radcliffe Bailey, Peter Blake, June Clark, Henry Cliffe, Erika Defreitas, André Derain, Kareem-Anthony Ferreira, Eric Freifeld, Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero, Aaron Jones, Tadashi Kawamata, James Ritchie, Jack Shadbolt, Richard Tompson, Hilda Woolnough

Invited Artists:

Delali Cofie, Kwame Delfish, Janice Reid

_______________________________________________________________

Curator’s Biography:

Christina Leslie is a Toronto-based artist whose lens-based practice explores themes of decolonization, identity, migration, marginalization, and her West Indian heritage. Through experimental photography and text, she examines the intersections of history, memory, and race to craft thought-provoking visual narratives.

She holds a B.F.A. from OCAD University (2006) and an M.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2022). Leslie has delivered notable talks at prominent venues, including the SPE Conference in Philadelphia (2010), the Position as Desired symposium at the Royal Ontario Museum (2011), the McMaster Museum of Art (2022, 2023,) and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (2021, 2025). Most recently, she was a featured speaker at the Caribbean Art Meet-Up at the National Gallery West in Jamaica (2025).

Her recent series, Sugar Coat, received critical acclaim from online platforms such as Ain’t Bad Magazine, Feature Shoot, and PetaPixel. The series was exhibited at BAND Gallery with support from the Honda Canada Foundation (2023), RIT City Art Space in Rochester, NY (2023), and the Exposure Festival in Calgary (2024). Leslie’s photographs have been featured in exhibitions at major institutions worldwide, including GAMU in Prague, Oakland University in Michigan, the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada’s Pier 21, the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Caribbean Art Fair in Jamaica, the McMaster Museum of Art, Paris Photo, Smokestack Gallery, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Toronto.

She served as interim assistant and guest curator for the McMaster Museum of Art’s exhibitions SUMMA: Yearbook (2024) and SUMMA: Affirmations (2025).

She currently serves as a mentor for VIBE Arts’ emerging artists mentorship program.

Leslie’s recent solo exhibition, Likkle Acts, supported by Partners in Art, received rave reviews and was on view at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa through April 2025. She has two upcoming solo exhibitions: one at the Stephen Bulger Gallery in May 2025 as part of the CONTACT Photography Festival, and another at the Ottawa School of Art in July 2025.

Her artwork is part of Dr. Kenneth Montague’s Wedge Collection and is included in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario and TD Bank.

Christina Leslie is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.

 

Image credit:

Aaron Jones (Canadian, b. 1993)
This Place, 2023, paper collage
Museum of Art Collection Trust, 2024, McMaster Museum of Art
Image courtesy of Zalucky Contemporary

Curated by : Christina Leslie

May 16, 2025 – October 31, 2025

VIEW ARCHIVE
Link to Exhibitions Archive for a complete list of past exhibitions

PAST EXHIBITIONS

SUMMA 2025: Affirmations

SUMMA 2025: Affirmations

Read More
A series of small ceramics and pottery arranged neatly in rows on a 6-stepped white platform.

Sameer Farooq: The Fairest Order in the World

Read More
A blurred person walks in front of a wall featuring the photographic series Grace (2006). The artworks on display are photos of figures with hands covering their faces. Installation view of I'm Not Your Kinda Princess at Plug In ICA.

Lori Blondeau: I’m Not Your Kinda Princess

Read More
A photo of The Clichettes dressed as muscular men with wild hair, they are jumping mid-air holding colourful guitars.

The Clichettes: Lips, Wigs, and Politics

Read More
Faded title

SUMMA 2024: Yearbook

Read More
Detail of Rajni Perera, Storm, 2020.

Rajni Perera: Futures

Read More
A collaged and layered photograph of the Grand River floats in the centre of a black background, along with the words: Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s Image courtesy of Courtney Skye. The list of artists is displayed along the bottom: Dakota Brant, Denny Doolittle, Elizabeth Doxtater, Kaya Hill, Rick Hill, Arnold Jacobs, Ken Maracle, Shelley Niro, Protect The Tract Artist Collective, Steve Smith, Greg Staats, Kristen E. Summers, Jeff Thomas

We Remain Certain
Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s

Read More
Two artworks suspended in a grey background; Nicholas Baier's Octobre, and Shelley Niro's Nature's Wild Children.

Chasm

Read More

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