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 15^th, 5 – 8pm

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 18^th, 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

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Public Programming

From Storage to Spotlight: Lunchtime Panel
Date: Friday, September 19, 2025
Time: 12–2 p.m.
Location: TSH 118, Togo Salmon Hall, McMaster University

Did you know most of what museums hold in their vaults is never put on display in exhibition galleries to be viewed by the public? The Great Unseen, a new exhibition presented by the McMaster Museum of Art, changes that by bringing rarely shown works, new acquisitions, and contemporary Black and diasporic voices into view.

As part of the Africa and Black Diaspora Studies Seminar Series and in partnership with the McMaster Museum of Art, join curator Christina Leslie, artists Aaron Jones and Janice Reid and moderator Stacy Creech de Castro for a lunchtime panel on what it means to make the unseen visible. Together, they’ll share stories, ideas, and perspectives that expand how we think about art, identity, and creativity. Lunch is provided—feed your curiosity, and be part of the conversation.

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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