That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature
In February 2026, the Vancouver Art Gallery will open That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature, its largest presentation of the work of Emily Carr in more than 20 years. Carr is now recognized as one of Canada’s most important artists, whose modernist vision has shaped how British Columbia’s landscape is represented.
The exhibition will feature work primarily from the Gallery’s extensive Emily Carr Collection. That Green Ideal explores the intersection between Carr’s inner world, the cultural forces that shaped her and the natural world around her. The title of the exhibition is a quotation from her journals where she refers to her “experience of working and reworking an idea, seeking to capture not only the physical presence of nature but also its spiritual essence.” This is the first exhibition to treat Carr’s idea of nature as its sole subject and invites viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the landscapes she painted.
“We are uniquely positioned to share the depth and significance of Carr’s legacy with our diverse publics,” said Eva Respini, interim co-CEO and curator at large. “This landmark exhibition—the most comprehensive in two decades—invites everyone, from school groups to tourists, to encounter Carr’s vision of the Pacific Northwest in ways that spark dialogue, discovery and joy.”
The exhibition will be on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery from February 6 to November 8, 2026. The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue exploring the exhibition’s theme of the relationship between Carr’s art and its relationship to her ideas about nature.
What Holds: Ceramic Boxes and the Language of Containment
Vessels + Sticks, a newly opened contemporary ceramic art gallery in Toronto has announced its upcoming exhibition, What Holds: Ceramic Boxes and the Language of Containment. On view from September 26 to October 22, 2025, the exhibition explores the allure of the ceramic box and lidded form, not as utilitarian objects, but as “vessels of meaning, ritual, and artistic expression.”
What Holds invites viewers to consider the moment of opening, of looking inside, and how it shapes perception, rituals, and relationships with objects around us. The exhibition brings together the work of six invited artists including Marissa Y. Alexander, Zimra Beiner, Bruce Cochrane, Jess Riva Cooper, Marc Egan, and Janet Macpherson, alongside 25 artists selected through an international open call. Collectively, their practices span decades of research and experimentation, and present a wide range of approaches to this timeless form.
“What excites me most about this exhibition is how a seemingly simple lidded form can be transformed into something profoundly meaningful,” said Jennifer Kerbel Poirier, founder and director of Vessels + Sticks. “These works carry layers of history, emotion, and imagination, inviting us to reflect on what we choose to protect, conceal, or reveal – a question that feels particularly resonant in our everyday lives today.”
This winter, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is presenting an exhibition of new monumental sculptures by acclaimed Canadian artist Ranbir Sidhu. Ranbir Sidhu: No Limits, will immerse viewers in a futuristic landscape with Sikh iconography. Curated by Julian Cox, AGO deputy director and chief curator, Sidhu’s contemporary large-scale works are “technically audacious and culturally resonant monuments” that combine the past, present, and future into a singular vision.
Working primarily in aluminum and steel, Sidhu blends opulence with innovation in his use of metalworking techniques, honed over 20 years. Drawing from ancestral narratives and a future-forward vision, his sculptures inhabit a space where heritage meets horizon, and channel the singularity of his Sikh consciousness and his admiration for the boldness of post-war abstract sculpture. For this, his first-ever museum exhibition, Sidhu will take over the Signy Eaton Gallery on Level 2 to present three new monumental sculptures. Seen together, they create a meditative and futuristic landscape.
Ranbir Sidhu: No Limits will open to the public on December 14, 2025.
