Bruce Paton, untitled, no date, photograph on paper, 28 x 35.5 cm, 2022-0181
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Counterparts
March 16 to July 1, 2024
Bruce Paton, untitled, no date, photograph on paper, 28 x 35.5 cm, 2022-0113
Bruce Paton, untitled, no date, photograph on paper, 28 x 35.5 cm, 2022-0060
Exhibition documentation images
In 2022, the City of Ottawa Art Collection accepted a significant donation of over 150 photographs by acclaimed Canadian photographer Bruce Paton (1950–2002).
Counterparts showcases a selection of Bruce Paton’s work from the 1970s and early 1980s. These images focus on a specific period of Paton’s photography practice in which he documented his subjects using close-up portraiture and candid street photography techniques. The bustle of downtown streets, the comforting setting of a neighbourhood diner, and spontaneous moments from parties and festivals convey a recognizable feeling of place and time. The moments captured in these photographs may feel familiar to us as we relate our own lived experiences to the images: attending concerts, chatting with friends on the street, morning transit commutes and late-night shawarma runs. Paton’s photographs are displayed here as material counterparts to our contemporary lives – they are shaped by each viewer’s unique experiences. How are these photographs activated through the memories you carry?
Bruce Paton’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions. His works are part of the collections of the Canada Council Art Bank, National Gallery of Canada, and Global Affairs Canada. The City of Ottawa thanks the estate of Bruce Paton for their generosity and work to realize this donation.
2022 Donation Review Committee: David Barbour, Marisa Gallemit, Annie Thibault
Alisdair MacRae - Jane's Walk
July 13 to October 20, 2024
Alisdair MacRae, Pigiarvik (ᐱᒋᐊᕐᕕᒃ), 2023, mat board, 40 x 41 x 6 cm, photo : Patrick Lacasse, courtesy of the artist
Jane’s Walk references similarly named walking tours through urban settings for people to explore and learn more about them. Inspired by Jane Jacobs, the late urban activist who influenced development through writing and civic action, the exhibition aims to equally inspire people about their surroundings as they move through the city and LRT system. Like Jacobs, viewers may consider how individual actions determine shared spaces.
Jon Stuart – Stillwater
October 26, 2024 to March 16, 2025
Jon Stuart, New growth, 2022, archival inkjet print , 96 x 71 cm, courtesy of the artist
Stillwater depicts the rehabilitation of a wetland within the National Capital Greenbelt. Crucial to the health of our waterways, yet rarely seen, wetlands play a key role in countering climate change. The images are both a celebration of the re-emergence of ecology that was impacted by settlement and a display of the wildness that can be observed in the land that surrounds us, our home.
2024 Exhibitions Peer assessment committee members
Gabriela Avila-Yiptong, Claudia Gutierrez, Carl Stewart