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Past Exhibitions
Smashing Fashion! The 60’s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson
Dec 23, 2025 – Jan 10, 2026
in Lab 203
Opening reception Saturday, January 3, 2026
Opening reception Saturday, January 3,2026
About the Exhibition
Smashing Fashion!
The 60’s Illustrationof Bonnie Parkinson
Bonnie Parkinson burst onto the advertising scene in her early twenties during the height of the 60’s cultural revolution—the era when fashions rocked the world and creativity knew no bounds. As one of the few women navigating Canada’s male-driven world of fashion illustration, she captured this spirit through her work with Eaton’s, Simpson’s, and “Mad Men” ad agencies. Her drawings reflected the rhythm of the times—dreamin’, and hanging with the cool crowd while Carnaby Street set the trends. Now, sixty years later, Bonnie has picked up her pen once again. With a fresh spark she’s creating new illustrations that echo her early days yet speak to today—a vibrant bookend to a life steeped in style, imagination, and when Fashion was Art. Curated by Andrew Lewis.
in Lab 203
Opening reception Saturday, January 3, 2026
Opening reception Saturday, January 3,2026
About the Exhibition
Smashing Fashion!
The 60’s Illustrationof Bonnie Parkinson
Bonnie Parkinson burst onto the advertising scene in her early twenties during the height of the 60’s cultural revolution—the era when fashions rocked the world and creativity knew no bounds. As one of the few women navigating Canada’s male-driven world of fashion illustration, she captured this spirit through her work with Eaton’s, Simpson’s, and “Mad Men” ad agencies. Her drawings reflected the rhythm of the times—dreamin’, and hanging with the cool crowd while Carnaby Street set the trends. Now, sixty years later, Bonnie has picked up her pen once again. With a fresh spark she’s creating new illustrations that echo her early days yet speak to today—a vibrant bookend to a life steeped in style, imagination, and when Fashion was Art. Curated by Andrew Lewis.
Student Life: We All Have to Submit
December 4 - 20, 2025
in Lab 203
Student artwork takes on a wide variety of forms, styles, and concepts. Inevitably it is underlined by its context; the turbulent world that surrounds it. In a world that is uncertain and rapidly evolving, what does it mean to be a student? What does it mean to create art in the face of personal turmoil, climate cataclysms, and political upheaval? Through this exhibition, student artists seek to reconcile their creative existence with the demands of a greater world. You are invited to witness how these pieces, though different in origin and conceptualization, are in conversation with each other, academia, and the juxtaposition of stagnancy and chaos on the global stage.
Featuring work by Western University and Fanshawe College students, as a mobile project of SATELLiTE Project Space.
Opening Reception: Thursday December 4, 2025
in Lab 203
Student artwork takes on a wide variety of forms, styles, and concepts. Inevitably it is underlined by its context; the turbulent world that surrounds it. In a world that is uncertain and rapidly evolving, what does it mean to be a student? What does it mean to create art in the face of personal turmoil, climate cataclysms, and political upheaval? Through this exhibition, student artists seek to reconcile their creative existence with the demands of a greater world. You are invited to witness how these pieces, though different in origin and conceptualization, are in conversation with each other, academia, and the juxtaposition of stagnancy and chaos on the global stage.
Featuring work by Western University and Fanshawe College students, as a mobile project of SATELLiTE Project Space.
Opening Reception: Thursday December 4, 2025
Notes From The Mindfield: Andrew Lewis
Dec 04, 2025 – Jan 10, 2026
in the Main Gallery
Saturday Dec.6 : Artist Talk
Sunday Dec.14 : Live DJ (Apaull) + Live Painting
Thursday Jan.8 : Exhibit Tour + Art Crawl
About the Exhibition
Notes From The Mindfield presents a new series of paintings by Andrew Lewis that explores the psychological and social effects on our current era—an era that is simultaneously affected by the wake of the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence. The series reflects the artist's unfolding observations and evolving ideas around the complexity of today's shifting mental and societal landscape.
In this new series, Lewis favours a more spontaneous and intuitive approach to his artistic process which has resulted in work featuring abstract and biomorphic forms—a new direction in his practice. Drawing from a mix of historical and cultural influences, the work reflects a fragmented world where technology, memory, and human experience are deeply intertwined. The organic shapes in the pieces hint at both natural life and digital systems, showing how the boundaries between the two continue to blur.
About the Artist
Andrew Lewis is an internationally recognized Canadian artist and designer. His work is included in numerous international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the French National Library, the Permanent Collection of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the International Poster Biennial in Mexico City, and the Design Museum in London, England.
Follow Andrew on Instagram: @andrewlewisart
Featured Image: Andrew Lewis, detail of The Three Furies, 2025, acrylic on Canvas, 37" x 49"
in the Main Gallery
Saturday Dec.6 : Artist Talk
Sunday Dec.14 : Live DJ (Apaull) + Live Painting
Thursday Jan.8 : Exhibit Tour + Art Crawl
About the Exhibition
Notes From The Mindfield presents a new series of paintings by Andrew Lewis that explores the psychological and social effects on our current era—an era that is simultaneously affected by the wake of the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence. The series reflects the artist's unfolding observations and evolving ideas around the complexity of today's shifting mental and societal landscape.
In this new series, Lewis favours a more spontaneous and intuitive approach to his artistic process which has resulted in work featuring abstract and biomorphic forms—a new direction in his practice. Drawing from a mix of historical and cultural influences, the work reflects a fragmented world where technology, memory, and human experience are deeply intertwined. The organic shapes in the pieces hint at both natural life and digital systems, showing how the boundaries between the two continue to blur.
About the Artist
Andrew Lewis is an internationally recognized Canadian artist and designer. His work is included in numerous international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the French National Library, the Permanent Collection of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the International Poster Biennial in Mexico City, and the Design Museum in London, England.
Follow Andrew on Instagram: @andrewlewisart
Featured Image: Andrew Lewis, detail of The Three Furies, 2025, acrylic on Canvas, 37" x 49"
Causes, Convictions, and Cogitations: Ron Hawkins, David Ray Alexander and Greg Smith
November 4 - November 29, 2025
in the Main Gallery
About the Exhibition
Naturally attuned to and deeply influenced by life on stage and on the road, bandmates from Lowest of the Low — Hawkins, Alexander, and Smith — churn colour and movement into spirited constructions that arouse, prompt, and provoke.
The lads from the Low spin words and imagery, often pushing against accepted norms and the establishment, giving voice to their paintings with the same intensity and conviction their fans relish in their music. Exposing both the harsh and the beautiful, they have created points of entry for ideas, opinions, and rage. For this exhibition, the artists have traded their band gear for brushes and we are the beneficiaries of their expression.
Opening Reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artists
Ron Hawkins
Hawkins developed his visual art practice much the same way he became a musician, by absorbing and processing the art around him rather than taking formal lessons. When travelling, he is less likely to be found in a music venue and more likely to be spotted wandering through a gallery or art museum. A latecomer to painting, Hawkins began his practice at the age of 37 and dove in headfirst, painting daily and allowing it to consume him like a habit he couldn’t put down. His early works revealed a passion for portraiture, with Alice Neel the self-described “collector of souls” and Jenny Saville as particular influences. Just as his songwriting finds poetry in the everyday, his portraiture seeks the stories and mysteries held within the human face.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Hawkins shifted toward large-scale, quasi-abstract works he came to call “Punk Neo-Expressionism.” His Beer, Graffiti Walls and Go Rouse the Ghost series grapple with the politics and philosophies of the working class, exploring questions of authenticity within systems of corruption in late-stage capitalism.
Hawkins has exhibited his work in countless pubs and bars as well as galleries including The Haunt and Fountain Plaza in Buffalo, NY, and Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects in Toronto. His current work provokes a conversation between the street and the gallery. Where is the workers’ art? Who has the right to dominate the conversation? Who owns the means of distraction? What happens when a piece hanging on a pristine white wall gets “tagged” by the 16-year-old ghost of its own maker?
These multimedia pieces — acrylic, spray paint, collage, linen, wrenches, electrical tape, and gears — are at once a eulogy for dead empires and a call to arms. Here, the sixty-year-old artist meets his sixteen-year-old self in a fight to the death.
Follow Ron on Instagram: @supersoundsystemsoul
David Ray Alexander
Alexander is a multimedia artist and musician based in Toronto, Canada. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (Everything Studies) and Sheridan College (3D Special Effects and Animation). Known for his no-stone-unturned approach to creativity, his work in visual effects has earned him Emmy and Gemini award nominations for Best or Outstanding Special Effects in Post Production.
As a founding member of the long-running band Lowest of the Low, Alexander has been inducted into the Canadian Independent Music Awards’ Indie Hall of Fame, and the band’s critically acclaimed album Shakespeare... My Butt achieved Gold Record status.
His visual art is a buffet of lesser-known characters, collage fry-ups, wherever places, and retrospections on the road to rock 'n' roll. His current series, Misrepresentations, explores the confused, messy, and unstable nature of communication. Messages half-heard, ideas misremembered, and conversations twisted by translation.
The artist paints in the gaps where language falters, where meanings slip sideways. Using a cartoon-inspired style of flat colors, elastic forms, and graffiti-like marks he interrupts and layers the surface to build a visual language for confusion. Text appears fragmented, misspelled, or abstracted like a thought struggling to be understood. Landscapes warp, symbols glitch, identities flicker and shift. Rather than chasing clarity, Misinterpretations finds beauty in the wrong. What if getting it wrong is a way of getting it right?
Follow David on Instagram: @lowdrummer
Greg Smith
Smith is a self-taught visual artist from Woodstock, Ontario, now living in Toronto. He first made furtive gestures toward visual art in high school and later enrolled in graphic design at George Brown College, though he left before finishing his first year. Choosing to follow his passion for music instead, Greg toured Canada and the world with various artists. In 2004, while on the road with The Weakerthans, he began sketching vivid scenes that later inspired a growing body of paintings. For the past five years, he has been exhibiting this work.
Smith’s early pieces were informed both by necessity and by a fascination with our culture of obsolescence. His first works were painted on discarded lumber off-cuts and found wood. The natural grain, rich in texture, shaped his approach to both design and execution. While he still paints predominantly on wood, larger works have led him to experiment with canvas. His resourceful approach extends to his palette, often repurposing leftover acrylic house paints and off-tints from local shops. For application, he makes use of whatever is at hand — brushes, knives, cloth, spray bottles, even his own hands.
Alongside his fine art practice, Smith has designed album covers and was nominated in 2008 for a West Coast Music Award for Best Album Art for The Weakerthans’ Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
The current series of paintings, "Potential Food", feature a variety of vegetables in their flowering stage. The environments they occupy are portrayed as possibly hostile or volatile, diminished in some way and arguably unnatural or prescient. The works suggest environmental concerns while highlighting the beauty and resilience of nature. They are ultimately hopeful. The potential for fruit has been illustrated, though the essential pollinators have been left out. The paintings themselves contain actual seeds of the vegetables represented. If need be, one could pry them off and germinate them. Potential food.
Follow Greg on Instagram: @HEREgregsmithsounds
Featured Image: Ron Hawkins, Art Cult, 2025, acrylic, spray paint, charcoal and marker on birch panel , 36" x 36"
in the Main Gallery
About the Exhibition
Naturally attuned to and deeply influenced by life on stage and on the road, bandmates from Lowest of the Low — Hawkins, Alexander, and Smith — churn colour and movement into spirited constructions that arouse, prompt, and provoke.
The lads from the Low spin words and imagery, often pushing against accepted norms and the establishment, giving voice to their paintings with the same intensity and conviction their fans relish in their music. Exposing both the harsh and the beautiful, they have created points of entry for ideas, opinions, and rage. For this exhibition, the artists have traded their band gear for brushes and we are the beneficiaries of their expression.
Opening Reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artists
Ron Hawkins
Hawkins developed his visual art practice much the same way he became a musician, by absorbing and processing the art around him rather than taking formal lessons. When travelling, he is less likely to be found in a music venue and more likely to be spotted wandering through a gallery or art museum. A latecomer to painting, Hawkins began his practice at the age of 37 and dove in headfirst, painting daily and allowing it to consume him like a habit he couldn’t put down. His early works revealed a passion for portraiture, with Alice Neel the self-described “collector of souls” and Jenny Saville as particular influences. Just as his songwriting finds poetry in the everyday, his portraiture seeks the stories and mysteries held within the human face.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Hawkins shifted toward large-scale, quasi-abstract works he came to call “Punk Neo-Expressionism.” His Beer, Graffiti Walls and Go Rouse the Ghost series grapple with the politics and philosophies of the working class, exploring questions of authenticity within systems of corruption in late-stage capitalism.
Hawkins has exhibited his work in countless pubs and bars as well as galleries including The Haunt and Fountain Plaza in Buffalo, NY, and Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects in Toronto. His current work provokes a conversation between the street and the gallery. Where is the workers’ art? Who has the right to dominate the conversation? Who owns the means of distraction? What happens when a piece hanging on a pristine white wall gets “tagged” by the 16-year-old ghost of its own maker?
These multimedia pieces — acrylic, spray paint, collage, linen, wrenches, electrical tape, and gears — are at once a eulogy for dead empires and a call to arms. Here, the sixty-year-old artist meets his sixteen-year-old self in a fight to the death.
Follow Ron on Instagram: @supersoundsystemsoul
David Ray Alexander
Alexander is a multimedia artist and musician based in Toronto, Canada. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (Everything Studies) and Sheridan College (3D Special Effects and Animation). Known for his no-stone-unturned approach to creativity, his work in visual effects has earned him Emmy and Gemini award nominations for Best or Outstanding Special Effects in Post Production.
As a founding member of the long-running band Lowest of the Low, Alexander has been inducted into the Canadian Independent Music Awards’ Indie Hall of Fame, and the band’s critically acclaimed album Shakespeare... My Butt achieved Gold Record status.
His visual art is a buffet of lesser-known characters, collage fry-ups, wherever places, and retrospections on the road to rock 'n' roll. His current series, Misrepresentations, explores the confused, messy, and unstable nature of communication. Messages half-heard, ideas misremembered, and conversations twisted by translation.
The artist paints in the gaps where language falters, where meanings slip sideways. Using a cartoon-inspired style of flat colors, elastic forms, and graffiti-like marks he interrupts and layers the surface to build a visual language for confusion. Text appears fragmented, misspelled, or abstracted like a thought struggling to be understood. Landscapes warp, symbols glitch, identities flicker and shift. Rather than chasing clarity, Misinterpretations finds beauty in the wrong. What if getting it wrong is a way of getting it right?
Follow David on Instagram: @lowdrummer
Greg Smith
Smith is a self-taught visual artist from Woodstock, Ontario, now living in Toronto. He first made furtive gestures toward visual art in high school and later enrolled in graphic design at George Brown College, though he left before finishing his first year. Choosing to follow his passion for music instead, Greg toured Canada and the world with various artists. In 2004, while on the road with The Weakerthans, he began sketching vivid scenes that later inspired a growing body of paintings. For the past five years, he has been exhibiting this work.
Smith’s early pieces were informed both by necessity and by a fascination with our culture of obsolescence. His first works were painted on discarded lumber off-cuts and found wood. The natural grain, rich in texture, shaped his approach to both design and execution. While he still paints predominantly on wood, larger works have led him to experiment with canvas. His resourceful approach extends to his palette, often repurposing leftover acrylic house paints and off-tints from local shops. For application, he makes use of whatever is at hand — brushes, knives, cloth, spray bottles, even his own hands.
Alongside his fine art practice, Smith has designed album covers and was nominated in 2008 for a West Coast Music Award for Best Album Art for The Weakerthans’ Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
The current series of paintings, "Potential Food", feature a variety of vegetables in their flowering stage. The environments they occupy are portrayed as possibly hostile or volatile, diminished in some way and arguably unnatural or prescient. The works suggest environmental concerns while highlighting the beauty and resilience of nature. They are ultimately hopeful. The potential for fruit has been illustrated, though the essential pollinators have been left out. The paintings themselves contain actual seeds of the vegetables represented. If need be, one could pry them off and germinate them. Potential food.
Follow Greg on Instagram: @HEREgregsmithsounds
Featured Image: Ron Hawkins, Art Cult, 2025, acrylic, spray paint, charcoal and marker on birch panel , 36" x 36"
stitched fossils: a domestic installation: Kers McLeod
November 4 - November 29, 2025
in LAB 203
About the Exhibition
Using raw and hand-dyed string with found materials, stitched fossils are distilled poems. Working with a big carpet needle, the stitching into the canvas is slow and percussive – an incantation. A ritualistic phonetic memory, a written language remembered and mis-remembered, an intrapersonal cartography, remnants of the anthropocene. Through backwards journalling, the artist creates a wry and poignant commentary on our times.
Opening reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artist
Kers McLeod is self taught with no credentials and is compelled to make art.
Follow Kers on instagram at @stitchedfossils
Featured Image: Laundry, 2023, raw string and sticks, 16" x 16"
in LAB 203
About the Exhibition
Using raw and hand-dyed string with found materials, stitched fossils are distilled poems. Working with a big carpet needle, the stitching into the canvas is slow and percussive – an incantation. A ritualistic phonetic memory, a written language remembered and mis-remembered, an intrapersonal cartography, remnants of the anthropocene. Through backwards journalling, the artist creates a wry and poignant commentary on our times.
Opening reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artist
Kers McLeod is self taught with no credentials and is compelled to make art.
Follow Kers on instagram at @stitchedfossils
Featured Image: Laundry, 2023, raw string and sticks, 16" x 16"
Love on a Tuesday:
Sandra De Salvo
November 4 - November 29, 2025
in LAB 203
About the Exhibition
Driven by grief and the confluence of deep sorrow and beauty, through line and text, self-portrait and poetic pairings, I navigate the teetering landscape of loss. What is seen, unseen or unspoken. In this process, confronting my anger, tears, and false starts; I abandoned much and still came up with loose ends.
This installation is dedicated to Bill who will always live in my heart. And to our Mackenzie who is ever present in my process and the words inscribed on these surfaces.
Opening reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artist
Working primarily in lithography and mixed-media installation, upon completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honors Specialization in Studio Arts at Western University, Sandra accepted a position as Studio Technician for the printmaking and photography departments at Western. While working at Western, she also freelanced as an editor and illustrator for editorial and poetry publications, and was co-founder of an arts collaborative, before finding her passion in mentoring, developing and overseeing programs as the Director at TAP Centre for Creativity.
This project marks a return to a love of drawing and words after a long period without pencil in hand.
Featured image: Black Urn, 2025, graphite and 30" x 30" birch panel installation.
in LAB 203
About the Exhibition
Driven by grief and the confluence of deep sorrow and beauty, through line and text, self-portrait and poetic pairings, I navigate the teetering landscape of loss. What is seen, unseen or unspoken. In this process, confronting my anger, tears, and false starts; I abandoned much and still came up with loose ends.
This installation is dedicated to Bill who will always live in my heart. And to our Mackenzie who is ever present in my process and the words inscribed on these surfaces.
Opening reception was held on Wednesday November 5, 6PM-9PM.
About the Artist
Working primarily in lithography and mixed-media installation, upon completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honors Specialization in Studio Arts at Western University, Sandra accepted a position as Studio Technician for the printmaking and photography departments at Western. While working at Western, she also freelanced as an editor and illustrator for editorial and poetry publications, and was co-founder of an arts collaborative, before finding her passion in mentoring, developing and overseeing programs as the Director at TAP Centre for Creativity.
This project marks a return to a love of drawing and words after a long period without pencil in hand.
Featured image: Black Urn, 2025, graphite and 30" x 30" birch panel installation.
RAW | RELEASE: Oliver P.
October -7 November 1, 2025
A solo exhibition exploring themes of the difficulties, celebrations and complexity of navigating trauma and mental illness. ‘RAW | RELEASE’ features installation work, paintings and ceramics. The works displayed reflect the consuming nature of thoughts and feelings of drowning in rumination. Utilizing visceral imagery, and birds as place holders for parts of himself, the artist hopes to communicate the severity and isolation often felt by someone dealing with chronic mental health problems.
“My work has always served as a safe place for me to investigate complex and heavy feelings. I am interested in creating work that can bring people together for deeper discussion. While society as a whole is becoming better at discussing mental health, I find people still shy away from talking about the ‘darker’ aspects. How it often feels like this consuming, life-altering being that grabs hold of you and won’t set you free. I want to inspire people, have them understand that despite the fact I’ve lived this life of hardship, of anguish, of trauma, I was able to take my experience and not only overcome them, but make something significant from them.”
This exhibition takes place in LAB 203 and will run from October 7 until November 1. The opening reception will take place on Friday, October 10 from 5PM until 7PM.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Oliver’s work has always served as a safe place for him to investigate his complex and heavy feelings. He is interested in creating work that can bring people together and hold deeper discussions about it. While society as a whole is becoming better at discussing mental health, he still finds people shy away from talking about the ‘darker’ aspects of it and how it often feels like this consuming, life altering being that grabs ahold of yourself and won’t set you free. Oliver wants to ideally inspire people too, have them walk away from viewing his work and seeing despite the fact he’s lived this life of hardship, of anguish, of trauma, he was able to take his experiences and not only overcome them, but make something significant from them.
A solo exhibition exploring themes of the difficulties, celebrations and complexity of navigating trauma and mental illness. ‘RAW | RELEASE’ features installation work, paintings and ceramics. The works displayed reflect the consuming nature of thoughts and feelings of drowning in rumination. Utilizing visceral imagery, and birds as place holders for parts of himself, the artist hopes to communicate the severity and isolation often felt by someone dealing with chronic mental health problems.
“My work has always served as a safe place for me to investigate complex and heavy feelings. I am interested in creating work that can bring people together for deeper discussion. While society as a whole is becoming better at discussing mental health, I find people still shy away from talking about the ‘darker’ aspects. How it often feels like this consuming, life-altering being that grabs hold of you and won’t set you free. I want to inspire people, have them understand that despite the fact I’ve lived this life of hardship, of anguish, of trauma, I was able to take my experience and not only overcome them, but make something significant from them.”
This exhibition takes place in LAB 203 and will run from October 7 until November 1. The opening reception will take place on Friday, October 10 from 5PM until 7PM.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Oliver’s work has always served as a safe place for him to investigate his complex and heavy feelings. He is interested in creating work that can bring people together and hold deeper discussions about it. While society as a whole is becoming better at discussing mental health, he still finds people shy away from talking about the ‘darker’ aspects of it and how it often feels like this consuming, life altering being that grabs ahold of yourself and won’t set you free. Oliver wants to ideally inspire people too, have them walk away from viewing his work and seeing despite the fact he’s lived this life of hardship, of anguish, of trauma, he was able to take his experiences and not only overcome them, but make something significant from them.
Forest City Fusion Art Exhibition
October 15 - November 1, 2025
Simple Reflections for Artists proudly presents the Forest City Fusion Art Exhibition, a vibrant and diverse showcase featuring the works of a number of talented London-based artists from many different countries of origin.
The curated collection features digital, acrylic, watercolour, oil, mixed media, and photographic works, each telling a unique story. Subjects explored by the artists include landscapes, cityscapes, female forms, geometric shapes, and light. This exhibit showcases the depth and breadth of creative perspectives within the London community.
ABOUT THE OPENING RECEPTION
The public is invited to join Simple Reflections for Artists for the opening reception on October 16th, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This event will offer art enthusiasts, collectors, and the general public the chance to meet the featured artists, enjoy live music, and be among the first to experience the diverse and inspiring collection.
ABOUT SIMPLE REFLECTIONS FOR ARTISTS
Simple Reflections for Artists is a collective of diverse artists and art enthusiasts based in London, Ontario. The mandate of the collective is fusion of culture and community through visual and performing arts. More than 120 local visual and performing artists participate in Simple Reflections cultural events each year.
Simple Reflections for Artists proudly presents the Forest City Fusion Art Exhibition, a vibrant and diverse showcase featuring the works of a number of talented London-based artists from many different countries of origin.
The curated collection features digital, acrylic, watercolour, oil, mixed media, and photographic works, each telling a unique story. Subjects explored by the artists include landscapes, cityscapes, female forms, geometric shapes, and light. This exhibit showcases the depth and breadth of creative perspectives within the London community.
ABOUT THE OPENING RECEPTION
The public is invited to join Simple Reflections for Artists for the opening reception on October 16th, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This event will offer art enthusiasts, collectors, and the general public the chance to meet the featured artists, enjoy live music, and be among the first to experience the diverse and inspiring collection.
ABOUT SIMPLE REFLECTIONS FOR ARTISTS
Simple Reflections for Artists is a collective of diverse artists and art enthusiasts based in London, Ontario. The mandate of the collective is fusion of culture and community through visual and performing arts. More than 120 local visual and performing artists participate in Simple Reflections cultural events each year.
Upstairs Downstairs: 2025 Resident Artist Exhibition
September 16 - October 11, 2025
It’s that time of year where we get to celebrate TAP’s creative core: our resident artists. Upstairs Downstairs is an annual exhibition that highlights the community of resident artists who work in our studios. These artists represent various disciplines including ceramics, mixed media, drawing, and painting. The event this year is particularly exciting as our organization celebrates 25 years at our Dundas Street location. During this time we have provided 77 resident artists with dedicated studio space to help them develop their creative practice.
It’s that time of year where we get to celebrate TAP’s creative core: our resident artists. Upstairs Downstairs is an annual exhibition that highlights the community of resident artists who work in our studios. These artists represent various disciplines including ceramics, mixed media, drawing, and painting. The event this year is particularly exciting as our organization celebrates 25 years at our Dundas Street location. During this time we have provided 77 resident artists with dedicated studio space to help them develop their creative practice.
....from the twenty-two states of matter: Jo Percival
September 9 - October 4, 2025
Exploring the complexities of materiality through the entangled fields of science, philosophy and art, I see drawing as a way of putting thoughts down on paper, tracing sensations of the world’s immensity and intimacy.
My work is rooted in the landscape tradition, drawing not only with traditional landscape colours in a variety of media but also with elemental materials : graphite, chalk, water, and earth. At the same time, I’m interested in expanding the idea of landscape beyond representation — toward a more speculative and dynamic notion of nature and matter. A central aspect of my practice is an interest in drawing’s diagrammatic potential—its capacity to exist halfway between concept and image, gesture and system. Working across scales — from the molecular to the cosmic— allows me to question fixed boundaries between body, world and matter.
Traditionally, matter was categorized into three classical states—solid, liquid, and gas—but contemporary physics complicates this view. Some now propose over twenty states of matter, ranging from plasmas to Bose-Einstein condensates to strange quark matter. These aren’t just scientific curiosities; they suggest a world far more unstable, entangled, and fluid than fixed categories allow. Furthermore, matter is no longer seen as inherently “substantial,” but as emergent from fields, probabilities, and patterns of energy.
In my drawings, I try to evoke this constant flux—the coming-together and falling-apart that shapes our perception of material reality.
The philosopher-ecologist, Tim Morton, talks about how strange it is that we’re losing solid ground under our feet at the exact same moment that we’re figuring out just how dependent upon that ground we are. Ultimately, I view my work as a kind of ode to the disordered beauty of the world we’re in and of. In a time of ecological uncertainty and conceptual fragmentation, I turn to drawing as a means of attunement—an intimate, open-ended way of being with the complexity, vulnerability, and interrelation of all things.
Exploring the complexities of materiality through the entangled fields of science, philosophy and art, I see drawing as a way of putting thoughts down on paper, tracing sensations of the world’s immensity and intimacy.
My work is rooted in the landscape tradition, drawing not only with traditional landscape colours in a variety of media but also with elemental materials : graphite, chalk, water, and earth. At the same time, I’m interested in expanding the idea of landscape beyond representation — toward a more speculative and dynamic notion of nature and matter. A central aspect of my practice is an interest in drawing’s diagrammatic potential—its capacity to exist halfway between concept and image, gesture and system. Working across scales — from the molecular to the cosmic— allows me to question fixed boundaries between body, world and matter.
Traditionally, matter was categorized into three classical states—solid, liquid, and gas—but contemporary physics complicates this view. Some now propose over twenty states of matter, ranging from plasmas to Bose-Einstein condensates to strange quark matter. These aren’t just scientific curiosities; they suggest a world far more unstable, entangled, and fluid than fixed categories allow. Furthermore, matter is no longer seen as inherently “substantial,” but as emergent from fields, probabilities, and patterns of energy.
In my drawings, I try to evoke this constant flux—the coming-together and falling-apart that shapes our perception of material reality.
The philosopher-ecologist, Tim Morton, talks about how strange it is that we’re losing solid ground under our feet at the exact same moment that we’re figuring out just how dependent upon that ground we are. Ultimately, I view my work as a kind of ode to the disordered beauty of the world we’re in and of. In a time of ecological uncertainty and conceptual fragmentation, I turn to drawing as a means of attunement—an intimate, open-ended way of being with the complexity, vulnerability, and interrelation of all things.
The Shady Artists 2025 Show
September 3 - September 13, 2025
The Shady Artist consists of Sandi McCabe, Janice Howell, Michele Haley and guest Shady Anne McLean.
There will be over 100 pieces, many depicting London and surrounding area scenes. 20% of the proceeds of art sales will help support a number of programs for the women at the drop-in centre.
The show will run for two weeks, with an opening reception (Thursday September 4, 4-7pm) welcoming friends and supporters of My Sisters’ Place.
It is a great opportunity for visitors to see local art, meet the artists, watch them at work and, at the same time, support a good cause.
The Shady Artist consists of Sandi McCabe, Janice Howell, Michele Haley and guest Shady Anne McLean.
There will be over 100 pieces, many depicting London and surrounding area scenes. 20% of the proceeds of art sales will help support a number of programs for the women at the drop-in centre.
The show will run for two weeks, with an opening reception (Thursday September 4, 4-7pm) welcoming friends and supporters of My Sisters’ Place.
It is a great opportunity for visitors to see local art, meet the artists, watch them at work and, at the same time, support a good cause.
Chronically Online: a solo exhibition by Kieran Belanger
August 5 - September 6, 2025 in LAB 203
“Chronically Online” is a solo exhibition by London, Ontario based artist, Kieran Belanger. These works were created between 2021 - 2024 by combining photography, scanography, and digital painting. With this method, Kieran has created a series of work that toes the line between digital and traditional. His love for technology and the human form come together to create abstract pieces that challenge the viewer to appreciate digital works through a different perspective. Drawing inspiration from self taught artists such as Etienne Crauss, Femzor, and Jordan Devant, he aims to encourage others to explore their creative voice and take risks through different digital media methods.
The period in which this body of work was created was incredibly transformative to Kieran’s creative career. During this time, he formed relationships with and showcased alongside numerous influential artists from around the world. The community that was formed during this time helped develop the style that he still hones to this day.
“The works are all heavily inspired by the bonds created with artists, creatives, and eccentrics I’ve had the privilege to befriend. These are the people who stayed up with me at all hours creating, the people who encouraged me to take more creative risks, and the people who I’m proud to call my family now. This exhibition is a ‘thank you’ to them, for their inspiration, encouragement, acceptance, and kindness.”
“Chronically Online” is a solo exhibition by London, Ontario based artist, Kieran Belanger. These works were created between 2021 - 2024 by combining photography, scanography, and digital painting. With this method, Kieran has created a series of work that toes the line between digital and traditional. His love for technology and the human form come together to create abstract pieces that challenge the viewer to appreciate digital works through a different perspective. Drawing inspiration from self taught artists such as Etienne Crauss, Femzor, and Jordan Devant, he aims to encourage others to explore their creative voice and take risks through different digital media methods.
The period in which this body of work was created was incredibly transformative to Kieran’s creative career. During this time, he formed relationships with and showcased alongside numerous influential artists from around the world. The community that was formed during this time helped develop the style that he still hones to this day.
“The works are all heavily inspired by the bonds created with artists, creatives, and eccentrics I’ve had the privilege to befriend. These are the people who stayed up with me at all hours creating, the people who encouraged me to take more creative risks, and the people who I’m proud to call my family now. This exhibition is a ‘thank you’ to them, for their inspiration, encouragement, acceptance, and kindness.”
Art Speaks: Across Languages
August 18 - August 24, 2025
Where Art Transcends Language and Builds Community!
Art has the extraordinary power to communicate beyond words, to touch hearts across cultural boundaries, and to create understanding where language might otherwise divide us. Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures celebrates this universal language while supporting the vital work of breaking down communication barriers for those in need in our community through interpretation and translation.
Join us for a week-long celebration of art, culture, and connection at TAP Centre for Creativity in downtown London. This unique exhibition showcases a curated collection of artwork that speaks to the human experience of bridging cultures, finding voice, and building understanding.
Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures is more than an art exhibition—it's a fundraising partnership between Embassy Cultural House and Across Languages that directly supports artists and community members who face language barriers while accessing essential services, employment opportunities, and community connections.
Online Auction : August 14 - 24, 2025: Participate in our online silent auction and with every bid support programs that help build stronger, more creative and inclusive communities. Bidding details and auction link will be available in Artspeaks – Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures through Creativity. The bidding begins on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. and concludes on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Whether you are an art enthusiast, a community supporter, or someone who believes in the power of communication to transform lives, we invite you to experience Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures. Come see how art can celebrate diversity and support the essential work of ensuring everyone has a voice in our community!
Donations are welcome and directly support Embassy Cultural House and Across Languages.
Where Art Transcends Language and Builds Community!
Art has the extraordinary power to communicate beyond words, to touch hearts across cultural boundaries, and to create understanding where language might otherwise divide us. Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures celebrates this universal language while supporting the vital work of breaking down communication barriers for those in need in our community through interpretation and translation.
Join us for a week-long celebration of art, culture, and connection at TAP Centre for Creativity in downtown London. This unique exhibition showcases a curated collection of artwork that speaks to the human experience of bridging cultures, finding voice, and building understanding.
Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures is more than an art exhibition—it's a fundraising partnership between Embassy Cultural House and Across Languages that directly supports artists and community members who face language barriers while accessing essential services, employment opportunities, and community connections.
Online Auction : August 14 - 24, 2025: Participate in our online silent auction and with every bid support programs that help build stronger, more creative and inclusive communities. Bidding details and auction link will be available in Artspeaks – Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures through Creativity. The bidding begins on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. and concludes on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Whether you are an art enthusiast, a community supporter, or someone who believes in the power of communication to transform lives, we invite you to experience Art Speaks: Bridging Cultures. Come see how art can celebrate diversity and support the essential work of ensuring everyone has a voice in our community!
Donations are welcome and directly support Embassy Cultural House and Across Languages.
Bright Things from Dark Places: the art of Dave Schultz
August 5 - August 17, 2025
About the Exhibition
Dave Schultz is a prolific artist from London Ontario with 20 years tattooing at Hanger 18 and a lifetime of painting. Dave focuses on bold and bright images with heavy contrast. “Artistically I’m inspired by my mentor Sean Strouse, the work of Glen Paradis, James Tex, John Dyer Baizley, and the paintings of Jack Winn and Nicole Schultz.”
Bright things from dark places is Dave’s work from 2018 to 2025. During the covid years Dave struggled with addiction, some of the work in this show reflects the pain and feelings of desperation addiction can bring. In the spring of 2024 Dave got clean and his work subtly reflects that transition. “I return to similar subjects often. My mind is a busy place and I find comfort in certain imagery. It is also challenging to keep taking new perspectives of the same things. Creating something new from familiar ideas keeps me at ease. No matter how dark life gets, light will shine through if you let it.”
About the Exhibition
Dave Schultz is a prolific artist from London Ontario with 20 years tattooing at Hanger 18 and a lifetime of painting. Dave focuses on bold and bright images with heavy contrast. “Artistically I’m inspired by my mentor Sean Strouse, the work of Glen Paradis, James Tex, John Dyer Baizley, and the paintings of Jack Winn and Nicole Schultz.”
Bright things from dark places is Dave’s work from 2018 to 2025. During the covid years Dave struggled with addiction, some of the work in this show reflects the pain and feelings of desperation addiction can bring. In the spring of 2024 Dave got clean and his work subtly reflects that transition. “I return to similar subjects often. My mind is a busy place and I find comfort in certain imagery. It is also challenging to keep taking new perspectives of the same things. Creating something new from familiar ideas keeps me at ease. No matter how dark life gets, light will shine through if you let it.”
LIFE STUDY: from pose to page
July 22 - August 3, 2025 in the Main Gallery
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Figure drawing is difficult for many but it is so rewarding when it has been mastered; it requires focus, hours of practice, and it demands respect for the model and the other students studying the human form. It is the foundational skill that anchors every artist’s creative practice. The works in this exhibit range from gesture drawings to more detailed renderings that capture the likeness or movement of the subject.
TAP provides figure study sessions to participants at all skill levels every Monday night and Tuesday afternoon all year long, in addition to monthly costumed figure study sessions. These sessions would not be possible without the talented and dedicated life models who have posed for countless hours; their professionalism and commitment to this program is outstanding. We are also grateful to the costume designers who create and produce the attire for our clothed model sessions. To highlight their work, the exhibit features a number of these unique handmade designs.
We hope you enjoy the drawings created by our instructors, session coordinators, and dedicated attendees –these are the individuals who make us passionate about delivering this program.
Exhibition image: Fan Yang’s drawing of Mackenzie in an Erica Batten original (July 2025).
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Figure drawing is difficult for many but it is so rewarding when it has been mastered; it requires focus, hours of practice, and it demands respect for the model and the other students studying the human form. It is the foundational skill that anchors every artist’s creative practice. The works in this exhibit range from gesture drawings to more detailed renderings that capture the likeness or movement of the subject.
TAP provides figure study sessions to participants at all skill levels every Monday night and Tuesday afternoon all year long, in addition to monthly costumed figure study sessions. These sessions would not be possible without the talented and dedicated life models who have posed for countless hours; their professionalism and commitment to this program is outstanding. We are also grateful to the costume designers who create and produce the attire for our clothed model sessions. To highlight their work, the exhibit features a number of these unique handmade designs.
We hope you enjoy the drawings created by our instructors, session coordinators, and dedicated attendees –these are the individuals who make us passionate about delivering this program.
Exhibition image: Fan Yang’s drawing of Mackenzie in an Erica Batten original (July 2025).
34th Annual Pride London Festival Art Show
July 8 - July 19, 2025
34th Annual Pride London Festival Art Show Celebrates Diversity and Creativity
The 34th Annual Pride London Festival Art Show returns this summer with a vibrant exhibition featuring works from over 45 talented artists across a wide range of mediums including drawing, painting, photography, digital art, sculpture, textiles, pottery, and mixed media.
Running from July 8 to 19, 2025 at TAP Centre for Creativity, the exhibition highlights submissions in three categories—Student/Novice, Emerging, and Professional—showcasing the dynamic artistic voices within our community.
34th Annual Pride London Festival Art Show Celebrates Diversity and Creativity
The 34th Annual Pride London Festival Art Show returns this summer with a vibrant exhibition featuring works from over 45 talented artists across a wide range of mediums including drawing, painting, photography, digital art, sculpture, textiles, pottery, and mixed media.
Running from July 8 to 19, 2025 at TAP Centre for Creativity, the exhibition highlights submissions in three categories—Student/Novice, Emerging, and Professional—showcasing the dynamic artistic voices within our community.
LIDO PIMIENTA: PORTRAITS/RETRATOS
June 5 - July 5, 2025
About the Exhibition:
The urge to create is a compulsion for Lido, through which she delivers a continuous flow of music, performance, and visual artwork. Her work reflects the influences of her environment and the time spent on the road, or in the studio. Utilizing a variety of surfaces and material choices, each of the paintings, works on paper, and tapestries in this exhibition document this personal experience; the common thread is the reflection of self in each of the portraits.
The act of creating and sharing is the impetus for her practice, and the relationship to family and her Colombian community drives her passion. The artist feels it is important that her art is accessible to everyone and as such she searches for opportunities to provide points of entry through materials, style or subject matter. “All the work created is equally important.”
About the Artist:
Lido Pimienta is a multidisciplinary visual artist, art critic, curator and resident artist here at TAP. She is a composer and musical producer of Afro Indigenous (Wayuu) Ancestry from Colombia. Pimienta resides in London, Canada, and has been performing live and exhibiting her work worldwide since 2010. She was the first female of colour to compose an original score for the New York City Ballet Orchestra. As well, she is the first black and indigenous woman to debut as a TV host, writer and creator of a network show in Canada. LIDO TV is a variety show that explores themes like Feminism, Colonialism and Success, with hilarious twists and the inclusion of puppets!
Pimienta’s music and visual work navigates politics of gender, race, motherhood and the construct of the Canadian Landscape within the South American diaspora and vernacular.
Lido Pimienta aims to create a sense of belonging and strength through diversity. Diversity as a feeling and Diversity as a verb. Born and raised in the Caribbean North Coast of Colombia, she draws and creates portraits of the familiar faces found in big crowds going about their day in a beautifully synchronized chaos of the places she calls home. These compositions all exist in what Pimienta calls CARIBE SUBLIME, in which she identifies the Caribbean coast of Colombia and peoples from African diasporas, their cultures and identities, not as exotic but Sublime.
An international artistic referent in her own right, Pimienta’s point of view and resistance to follow trends or participate in a narrative that demands racialized women to be a trope, has earned Pimienta a loyal following in both the mainstream and artistic arenas. With humor, irreverence and the tenderness that comes from her singing voice, Pimienta has positioned herself as a true Renaissance Woman.
About the Exhibition:
The urge to create is a compulsion for Lido, through which she delivers a continuous flow of music, performance, and visual artwork. Her work reflects the influences of her environment and the time spent on the road, or in the studio. Utilizing a variety of surfaces and material choices, each of the paintings, works on paper, and tapestries in this exhibition document this personal experience; the common thread is the reflection of self in each of the portraits.
The act of creating and sharing is the impetus for her practice, and the relationship to family and her Colombian community drives her passion. The artist feels it is important that her art is accessible to everyone and as such she searches for opportunities to provide points of entry through materials, style or subject matter. “All the work created is equally important.”
About the Artist:
Lido Pimienta is a multidisciplinary visual artist, art critic, curator and resident artist here at TAP. She is a composer and musical producer of Afro Indigenous (Wayuu) Ancestry from Colombia. Pimienta resides in London, Canada, and has been performing live and exhibiting her work worldwide since 2010. She was the first female of colour to compose an original score for the New York City Ballet Orchestra. As well, she is the first black and indigenous woman to debut as a TV host, writer and creator of a network show in Canada. LIDO TV is a variety show that explores themes like Feminism, Colonialism and Success, with hilarious twists and the inclusion of puppets!
Pimienta’s music and visual work navigates politics of gender, race, motherhood and the construct of the Canadian Landscape within the South American diaspora and vernacular.
Lido Pimienta aims to create a sense of belonging and strength through diversity. Diversity as a feeling and Diversity as a verb. Born and raised in the Caribbean North Coast of Colombia, she draws and creates portraits of the familiar faces found in big crowds going about their day in a beautifully synchronized chaos of the places she calls home. These compositions all exist in what Pimienta calls CARIBE SUBLIME, in which she identifies the Caribbean coast of Colombia and peoples from African diasporas, their cultures and identities, not as exotic but Sublime.
An international artistic referent in her own right, Pimienta’s point of view and resistance to follow trends or participate in a narrative that demands racialized women to be a trope, has earned Pimienta a loyal following in both the mainstream and artistic arenas. With humor, irreverence and the tenderness that comes from her singing voice, Pimienta has positioned herself as a true Renaissance Woman.
Community Portraits 2023-2024 Garry and Milos: Wyn Geleynse
April 29 - May 31, 2025 in LAB 203
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
About the Artist
Wyn is a multimedia artist living and working in London, Ontario. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1947, Geleynse moved to Canada as a child and was raised in London, Ontario. Since 1969, he has exhibited extensively both in Canada and Europe and is considered one of Canada's pioneer film and video projection artists.
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
About the Artist
Wyn is a multimedia artist living and working in London, Ontario. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1947, Geleynse moved to Canada as a child and was raised in London, Ontario. Since 1969, he has exhibited extensively both in Canada and Europe and is considered one of Canada's pioneer film and video projection artists.
Tempest: Taryn Elizabeth Henry
May 13 - May 31
About the Artist:
Taryn Elizabeth is a visual artist, mother and spiritual practitioner based in Sarnia, ON. She holds an advanced Diploma in Fine Art from Fanshawe College and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from NSCAD University. Taryn’s work is inspired by her home along the shores of Lake Huron.
Taryn’s moody Turneresque landscapes spark a visceral reaction with the landscape as common ground that holds so much memory. Her paintings capture the atmospheric skies, rough and choppy waters, and violently coloured landscapes that inspire her process.
“I love to paint the beauty of a storm; the clouds remind me of the challenges we all face every day, our individuality and the power of surrendering and persevering”.
— Taryn Elizabeth Henry
About the Artist:
Taryn Elizabeth is a visual artist, mother and spiritual practitioner based in Sarnia, ON. She holds an advanced Diploma in Fine Art from Fanshawe College and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from NSCAD University. Taryn’s work is inspired by her home along the shores of Lake Huron.
Taryn’s moody Turneresque landscapes spark a visceral reaction with the landscape as common ground that holds so much memory. Her paintings capture the atmospheric skies, rough and choppy waters, and violently coloured landscapes that inspire her process.
“I love to paint the beauty of a storm; the clouds remind me of the challenges we all face every day, our individuality and the power of surrendering and persevering”.
— Taryn Elizabeth Henry
Ting Comic & Graphic Arts Festival
April 15 - May 10 in the Main Gallery
The opening Reception was held on April 19, from 6PM-9PM, with a special performance by Willow Switch.
About the Festival
Named after Merle “Ting” Tingley, London Free Press’ editorial cartoonist from 1948 to 1986, Tingfest is an annual celebration curated by TAP Centre for Creativity that showcases the work of past, present and future comic and graphic artists from Southwestern Ontario.
While this festival is an homage to Ting’s work and influence on generations of artists, Tingfest is a rare forum for emerging and established artists to present their work to the public through a gallery show that is complemented with free events and programs.
2025 Featured Artists
Archie Cromwell, Craig Sellars, Dave Lapp, Emmanuelle Chateauneuf, James Collier, Jenna James, Merle “Ting” Tingley, Robin Henry, Tanner Fisher. To Learn more about the artists go HERE
Ting Festival has events and activities for all ages.
This festival was made possible with the generous support of Ontario Arts Council, The Government of Ontario, Downtown London, Heroes Comics, Tourism London, Western Libraries Archives and Special Collections, Chops Framing Supplies, Dundas Place, and London Public Library Central Branch.
The opening Reception was held on April 19, from 6PM-9PM, with a special performance by Willow Switch.
About the Festival
Named after Merle “Ting” Tingley, London Free Press’ editorial cartoonist from 1948 to 1986, Tingfest is an annual celebration curated by TAP Centre for Creativity that showcases the work of past, present and future comic and graphic artists from Southwestern Ontario.
While this festival is an homage to Ting’s work and influence on generations of artists, Tingfest is a rare forum for emerging and established artists to present their work to the public through a gallery show that is complemented with free events and programs.
2025 Featured Artists
Archie Cromwell, Craig Sellars, Dave Lapp, Emmanuelle Chateauneuf, James Collier, Jenna James, Merle “Ting” Tingley, Robin Henry, Tanner Fisher. To Learn more about the artists go HERE
Ting Festival has events and activities for all ages.
This festival was made possible with the generous support of Ontario Arts Council, The Government of Ontario, Downtown London, Heroes Comics, Tourism London, Western Libraries Archives and Special Collections, Chops Framing Supplies, Dundas Place, and London Public Library Central Branch.
Community Portraits 2023-2024: Julli and Vince: Wyn Geleynse
Community Portraits 2023-2024 Julli and Vince: Wyn Geleynse
April 1 - April 26, 2025 in LAB 203
Opening Reception was on April 3, 5PM-7PM - This event was part of Art Crawl Thursdays
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
About the Artist
Wyn is a multimedia artist living and working in London, Ontario. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1947, Geleynse moved to Canada as a child and was raised in London, Ontario. Since 1969, he has exhibited extensively both in Canada and Europe and is considered one of Canada's pioneer film and video projection artists.
April 1 - April 26, 2025 in LAB 203
Opening Reception was on April 3, 5PM-7PM - This event was part of Art Crawl Thursdays
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
About the Artist
Wyn is a multimedia artist living and working in London, Ontario. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1947, Geleynse moved to Canada as a child and was raised in London, Ontario. Since 1969, he has exhibited extensively both in Canada and Europe and is considered one of Canada's pioneer film and video projection artists.
In Flux: Jessica Kliza
March 11 to April 12, 2025 in LAB 203
The opening reception of In Flux was on March 13, 5pm-7pm. The artist was present.
About the exhibition:
Jessica Kliza is a trained photographer and studio resident artist at TAP Centre for Creativity. In “In Flux” she sources photographs from newspapers and magazines and uses them to create representational drawings and paintings that explore the power and beauty of the human body in motion.
“Photography has the unique power to capture subjects mid-motion. These dramatic forms are made all the more enthralling by their brevity. Through repetition, I have expanded these fleeting images into something much more tangible, anchoring them in the here and now and calling into question the uniqueness of a moment. I selected these subjects because of the emotions each evokes in me, both as an artist and as an athlete. I have used colour and technique as a way to convey these responses."
—Jessica Kliza, TAP Studio 2D
The opening reception of In Flux was on March 13, 5pm-7pm. The artist was present.
About the exhibition:
Jessica Kliza is a trained photographer and studio resident artist at TAP Centre for Creativity. In “In Flux” she sources photographs from newspapers and magazines and uses them to create representational drawings and paintings that explore the power and beauty of the human body in motion.
“Photography has the unique power to capture subjects mid-motion. These dramatic forms are made all the more enthralling by their brevity. Through repetition, I have expanded these fleeting images into something much more tangible, anchoring them in the here and now and calling into question the uniqueness of a moment. I selected these subjects because of the emotions each evokes in me, both as an artist and as an athlete. I have used colour and technique as a way to convey these responses."
—Jessica Kliza, TAP Studio 2D
In Flux: Jessica Kliza
March 11 to April 12, 2025 in LAB 203
The opening reception of In Flux was on March 13, 5pm-7pm. The artist was present.
About the exhibition:
Jessica Kliza is a trained photographer and studio resident artist at TAP Centre for Creativity. In “In Flux” she sources photographs from newspapers and magazines and uses them to create representational drawings and paintings that explore the power and beauty of the human body in motion.
“Photography has the unique power to capture subjects mid-motion. These dramatic forms are made all the more enthralling by their brevity. Through repetition, I have expanded these fleeting images into something much more tangible, anchoring them in the here and now and calling into question the uniqueness of a moment. I selected these subjects because of the emotions each evokes in me, both as an artist and as an athlete. I have used colour and technique as a way to convey these responses."
—Jessica Kliza, TAP Studio 2D
The opening reception of In Flux was on March 13, 5pm-7pm. The artist was present.
About the exhibition:
Jessica Kliza is a trained photographer and studio resident artist at TAP Centre for Creativity. In “In Flux” she sources photographs from newspapers and magazines and uses them to create representational drawings and paintings that explore the power and beauty of the human body in motion.
“Photography has the unique power to capture subjects mid-motion. These dramatic forms are made all the more enthralling by their brevity. Through repetition, I have expanded these fleeting images into something much more tangible, anchoring them in the here and now and calling into question the uniqueness of a moment. I selected these subjects because of the emotions each evokes in me, both as an artist and as an athlete. I have used colour and technique as a way to convey these responses."
—Jessica Kliza, TAP Studio 2D
Community Portraits 2023-2024: Cory and Madeline: Wyn Geleynse
March 4 - March 29, 2025 in LAB 203
Th Opening Reception was held on March 13, 5PM-7PM
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
Th Opening Reception was held on March 13, 5PM-7PM
About the Exhibition
Originally conceived as a simple exercise in painting the portrait of a close friend and fellow artist, Geleynse saw a bigger project as more friends and acquaintances from his walk in life — from the person who prepares and serves his coffee, colleagues from the arts community, a shop keeper at his local stereo shop, co-workers at the Mission Store where Geleynse volunteers twice a week, the woman who cleans the building that houses his studio — various members of Geleynse’s community stepped forward to be caught in paint on his paper canvas. With forty-one portraits, a series was born from that simple exercise.
This series of portraits is presented one or two at a time for a month, beginning at Milos Craft Beer Emporium last September to December and now at TAP Centre for Creativity. It’s an unusual method to display an exhibit but one that almost mimics the way we encounter our friends and cohorts and acquaintances in daily life, a pleasant reminder that our communal time together is slightly fragmented.
Excerpted from the exhibition write-up by Vince Cherniak, Dec.14, 2024.
Somethin’ Ain’t Right
March 26 - April 5, 2025 in the Main Gallery
The Opening Reception was held on March 29, 7PM-9PM with remarks from Graduation Speaker: Adi Berardini, Director, Forest City Gallery
Somethin’ Ain’t Right is the 53rd graduating class exhibition of the Fanshawe Fine Art Advanced Diploma program. In their third and final year, students produce an independent body of work; this exhibition features selected artworks from the final term of study for each of these twenty diverse students about to embark on their professional careers. The eclectic works span a broad range of media, processes, concepts, and subjects. Created against a backdrop of political turmoil, social unrest, environmental crises, economic disparity, and technological disruptions, each student strives to find their unique voice. The works in this exhibition reflect on these pressing issues, either highlighting the pervasive sense of unease or celebrating the beauty and respite that can still be found around us.
Professors: Marla Botterill, Philip Gurrey, Mike Pszczonak
Artists in the exhibition:
Erika Aarsteinsen, Nadia Ahmed, Dayanna Alarcon Recinos, Emma Barnes, Mackenzie Beirnes-Daniels, Nolan Burridge, Natasha Dufresne. Ryleigh Gaudreau, Jason Gillis, Heather Hachey, Nicole Hill, Cecil Klassen, Greg Krupa, Kate Miazga, Mncedisi Clinton, Ncube, Natalie Pieterman, Sadie Pollock, Amelia Quenneville, Kassidy Toner-Tait, Camille Vanstone
The Opening Reception was held on March 29, 7PM-9PM with remarks from Graduation Speaker: Adi Berardini, Director, Forest City Gallery
Somethin’ Ain’t Right is the 53rd graduating class exhibition of the Fanshawe Fine Art Advanced Diploma program. In their third and final year, students produce an independent body of work; this exhibition features selected artworks from the final term of study for each of these twenty diverse students about to embark on their professional careers. The eclectic works span a broad range of media, processes, concepts, and subjects. Created against a backdrop of political turmoil, social unrest, environmental crises, economic disparity, and technological disruptions, each student strives to find their unique voice. The works in this exhibition reflect on these pressing issues, either highlighting the pervasive sense of unease or celebrating the beauty and respite that can still be found around us.
Professors: Marla Botterill, Philip Gurrey, Mike Pszczonak
Artists in the exhibition:
Erika Aarsteinsen, Nadia Ahmed, Dayanna Alarcon Recinos, Emma Barnes, Mackenzie Beirnes-Daniels, Nolan Burridge, Natasha Dufresne. Ryleigh Gaudreau, Jason Gillis, Heather Hachey, Nicole Hill, Cecil Klassen, Greg Krupa, Kate Miazga, Mncedisi Clinton, Ncube, Natalie Pieterman, Sadie Pollock, Amelia Quenneville, Kassidy Toner-Tait, Camille Vanstone
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