VISUAL ARTS
BRENDAN FERNANDES: LOST BODIES brings a world-renowned Canadian artist’s work into dialogue with two of the country’s most distinctive collections of African art: The Justin and Elisabeth Lang Collection of African Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario, and the collection of the Textile Museum of Canada. Brendan Fernandes offers multiple points of connection that draw upon traditional African textiles, costume and masks, gestures of Western ballet and elegant, poetic dance choreographies within the museum vault, filmed in the archive of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Ave., 416-599-5321). Until March 19.
CONNECTIONS — CONSIDERING LINKS BETWEEN US AND THE FOREST Artist Lynn Christine Kelly states that she has learned for herself the need to be in nature more and the last few years have really brought that home to her. “Many may laugh at the idea put forth by Richard Louv when he coined the phrase ‘nature deficit disorder,’ “she says, but for her, it felt exactly right and she is happy to have a name for it. Red Head Gallery (401 Richmond St. W., 416-504-5654). Until Feb. 25.
DAVE MELNYCHUK Admirers of all things beautiful will be drawn to this new exhibit filled with ancient contemporary symbolic forms of Ukrainian tradition. This show features Dave Melnychuk’s paintings, drawings, computer graphics, embroidery, decorated Easter eggs (pysanky), paper printing and furniture, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Ukrainian Museum of Canada (620 Spadina Ave., 416-912-3766). Until Sunday.
ENCOUNTERS WITH THE SUBLIME: KLUANE NATIONAL PARK EXHIBIT IN TORONTO This outstanding exhibit is by Sebastiao Salgado, one of the world’s greatest photographers, and Bradford Washburn, explorer, geographer and mountaineer. This series of photographs is devoted to Kluane National Park and Reserve, as well as three other protected areas: Wrangell-St. Elias, Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek, all designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Partners include Parks Canada and the Yukon Arts Centre. Alliance Francaise de Toronto (24 Spadina Rd., 416-922-2014). Until March 4.
FRANCIS ALYS: A STORY OF NEGOTIATION Creating art that is equal parts poetic, political, beautiful and absurd, Francis Alys (Belgian, born 1959) engages directly with urgent social issues, from the war in Afghanistan to border politics around the world. Organized in conjunction with the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City and making its only Canadian stop in Toronto, this exhibition surveys some of Alys’s most significant projects of the last two decades. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648). Until April 2.
LEGENDARY LOYALTY: THE 47 RONIN IN JAPANESE PRINTS The Japan Foundation with the Stuart Jackson Gallery is proud to co-present original 18th to 19th-century woodblock print illustrations of theatrical performances of the story of Chushingura and artistic depictions of the actual Ronin (masterless samurai). Japan Foundation (2 Bloor St. E., 416-966-1600). Until March 4.
MOMENTS OF VISION: THE ONE WHO KEEPS ON GIVING — MARIA HUPFIELD This exhibit gathers around an object: an oil painting of a seascape by the artist’s late mother who painted it as a young woman and signed it as ‘Peggy Miller’. It is this personal narrative that informs a performance, which took place in Parry Sound, Ontario on Georgian Bay the setting that is also depicted on the canvas. Hupfield invited her siblings to contribute to this performance, which surrounds the memory evoked by the painting. To ground the filmed performance and to accompany the painting in the exhibition context, the contributors re-enacted the performance within the gallery space. Power Plant (231 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4949). Until May 14.
SHADES OF OUR SISTERS invites audiences to honour the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, transgender and two-spirited peoples. Attendees will be transported into the grief and love of two families sharing who their loved ones are and what the loss of their lives means, challenging Canadians to realize the injustice of this tragedy. Ryerson Student Centre (55 Gould St., 416-979-5250). Friday-Sunday.