Colin Campbell, True / False, 1971, video still, image courtesy of Vtape


Visual Arts Department, Western University and the McIntosh Gallery present a Ph.D. thesis exhibition featuring the work of Colin Campbell, Lisa Steele, Jaret Belliveau, Barbara Astman, Peter Kingstone and Suzy Lake.

Matthew Ryan Smith

Some Things Last a Long Time

July 19 - August 11, 2012

Opening reception: Thursday July 19 > 7:30 - 9:30PM

In many ways we relate to artwork like we relate to other people. During conversation, cognitive processes like memory and identification trigger powerful affects that negotiate how the discussion will proceed. Arguably, our engagement with autobiographical artwork operates in a similar way. However the relational maneuvers enacted between the artwork and the audience is a conversation dependent upon many factors. First and foremost, the audience's lived experience and personal history determine the route of exchange.

This exhibition investigates the manner in which our private lives precondition the act of seeing. In these selected works, the artist's mode of address is predominantly communicative in both a literal and figurative sense. By candidly expressing events from their private lives, these artists encourage audiences to respond using their own history. Rooted in self-reflection, this internal dialogue is a powerful instrument for critically examining the visual sphere. By engaging with the artist's personal lives, the audience may come to better understand their own repsonses.


McIntosh Gallery, Western University, London, Ontario Canada
Gallery Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 10 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Thursday: 10A.M. - 8 P.M. / Saturday: noon - 4 P.M.

For more information contact: James Patten, Director/ Chief Curator: jpatten2@uwo.ca