Kapwani Kiwanga, the Hamilton-born, Paris-based creator of the work, titled “Trinket,” used beads made on the nearby Venetian island of Murano. Centuries ago, similar beads were used all over the world as both desirable trade goods and currency in themselves. More on the installation here.

Pavilion has a heritage: more in this documentary

The designated heritage structure is an important landmark in the Giardini di Castello, the traditional site of the Biennale. A $3-million upgrade restored the building to its original 1957 design in 2018.

This National Film Board documentary on the pavilion and its artistic history is worth watching.

The National Gallery of Canada information on the exhibition, here

A CBC piece on Kipwani Kawanga, here.

The Biennale website, here.

Top of post: An installation view of the exhibition Kapwani Kiwanga: Trinket, 2024, Canada Pavilion, 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The Canadian Press/Valentina Mori

The installation is part of Toronto’s upcoming Lumière: The Art of Light exhibition, March 12 through April 20 at Ontario Place. The structure shows six red canoes rising like giant logs shaped into the form of a campfire. See more about Notten’s work at Lumière here.

John Notten’s website, here.

All the installations at Lumière: The Art of Light, here.

The Story of Life mural created by the late artist Lorraine Malach is installed in the lobby of the Royal Tyrrell Musuem of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta. Its 10 panels represent the evolution of life from the Precambrian to the Cretaceous Period, using human forms and expressions. See an image you can zoom in on here.

The piece took 18 months to sculpt, seven months to fire in kilns, and four weeks to mount. The entire mural was created using 10 tonnes of clay. Lorraine Malach volunteered her time and talent to provide this piece to the Museum. She passed away on March 3, 2003, more than two years after her project began, and only months away from its completion. Local Drumheller artist Janet Grabner completed the firing, and Jake Ketler sealed and installed the mural.

The exhibition Time of Change maps Egyptian-Canadian artist Anna Boghiguian’s interest in revolutionary upheavals.

Conceived as a world stage, The Chess Game installation (pictured above) is an oversized chess board with cutouts of historical figures from opposing and correlating schools of thought who quarrel for power.

Time of Change resonates powerfully in our Canadian context, as emigration strains to Canada are prompted by warfare, military occupation, and economic instability—consequences of the abuse of power.

The Power Plant

Go to the exhibition link to download a list of figures on the chess board, here.

There is also an audio guide to the chess board at the same link.

Anna Boghiguian is one of Egypt’s foremost artists. She was born in Cairo, received a BFA in fine arts and music from Concordia University in Montreal, and travels and exhibits constantly.

Image credits: Top of Post — Anna Boghiguian, The Chess Game, 2022-23. Encaustic on Khadi paper, wood, acrylic panels, and mirror-coated Plexiglass. Ten chess pieces produced especially for the exhibition at The Power Plant, Toronto. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

Detail of installation: Anna Boghiguian, The Chess Game, 2022-23. Courtesy the artist. Installation view: Time of Change, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, 2023. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.