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The Power Plant is currently open with exhibitions Emmanuel Osahor: _To dream of other places_ and Shelagh Keeley: _Film Notebooks 1985-2017_.

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is delighted to announce our upcoming exhibition season with two solo presentations by Toronto-based artists **Emmanuel Osahor** and **Shelagh Keeley**. Through immersive installations that use either traditional mediums or moving images, both artists consider the complex histories and uses of gardens as built environments. Through his layered paintings, Osahor invites visitors to contemplate beauty in the seclusion of a night garden, while Keeley’s film notebooks trace the artist’s journey and her continued efforts to bring forward the intricacies and contradictions of the world we live in. The exhibitions will run from **April 11 to September 14**, 2025. Admission is free. 

“With this upcoming season, spanning from spring to fall, we are thrilled to present two exhibitions that carry us into other worlds, both imaginary and real, where we can contemplate beauty and reflect on the place and role gardens hold in our lives, especially at difficult times. The work of these two accomplished artists will, without doubt, resonate with our audiences at a moment when the promise of spring turns into 
the profusion of summer, and when the fragile balance of our world is in a continuous negotiation.” 

—Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs

The new exhibition season will be animated by engaging, free public programs, including thematic talks, workshops, and tours. We’re also excited to welcome families and kids aged 7-12 for an engaging new series of creative Power Kids workshops on select Sundays. Visit The Power Plant’s **[Event Calendar](https://www.thepowerplant.org/whats-on/calendar)** on our website for programming details.

Emmanuel Osahor, Room for two, 2023. Oil on canvas. Photo: Joseph Hartman.

**Emmanuel Osahor: _To dream of other places_**  
  
**Curator**  
Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs
 
Emmanuel Osahor’s practice focuses on beauty as a necessity for survival, respite, and sanctuary. Known primarily for his paintings of lush, verdant gardenscapes—inspired by real and imagined locations—these works meditate upon the complicated histories of these sites that entail the domestication of lands, plants, and individuals alike. _To dream of other places_ is the artist’s first major solo presentation in his home city of Toronto and includes paintings, drawings, prints, ceramic sculptures, and a new, site-specific photographic wallpaper. Conceived as a night garden, the exhibition presents Osahor’s work in a unique environment intended to immerse the viewer in a contemplative space where feelings of delight and sorrow coexist as reflections of human experience. The artist’s poetic yet critical approach to a subject that has been well represented throughout art history reflects a practice that is profoundly engaged with beauty, painting, and the everyday at a time when meaningful encounters with art are needed more than ever. 

Shelagh Keeley, still from Jardim do Ultramar / The Colonial Garden, Lisbon, Portugal, 2016. Film, 180 min. Thanks to the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal and ifa-Galerie Stuttgart, Germany. Courtesy the artist.

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**Shelagh Keeley: _Film Notebooks 1985-2017_**  
  
**Curator**  
Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs  
  
At the core of Shelagh Keeley’s work is a drawing practice based on an intuitive and embodied response to readings and research in poetry, politics, cinema, and architecture. The artist applies the same approach to her work with film, where the moving image becomes a drawing notebook, a travel journal, an opportunity to bring the viewer into the spaces experienced by the artist and mediated through the lens of the hand-held camera. Since 1985, Keeley has documented on film her encounters with gardens and uniquely built environments around the world. The resulting film notebooks quietly, yet poignantly, reveal the layered histories and contexts that created them at different moments in time. From the flamboyant artificiality of a desert oasis in Las Vegas to the discipline of a Zen Garden in Kyoto, and from a colonial garden in Lisbon to the largest European zoological-botanical garden in Stuttgart, the films invite us to contemplate the complexity and intangible essence–_genius loci_ or spirit of the place–Keeley felt in these places. Filmed while walking for hours at a time as a _flâneuse_, the moving image notebooks present an invitation for the viewer to become the artist as she draws with the camera, investigating and uncovering the visceral, hidden layers of these locations.   

**About The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery ** 

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is Canada’s leading public gallery devoted to contemporary art, ideas, and conversations. Located at Harbourfront Centre on Toronto’s waterfront, The Power Plant is a vital forum for the creative culture of our time, sharing inspiring and transformative experiences with audiences through free admission to exhibitions and public programs. The Power Plant is guided by the commitment to provide a platform for artists from diverse backgrounds, drawing attention to pressing issues and connecting communities in Canada and worldwide through contemporary art. For more information, please visit **[thepowerplant.org](https://www.thepowerplant.org/)**. 

If you are interested in attending the Press Preview, would like to request an interview, or receive advanced images and the artist’s biographies, please email **media@thepowerplant.org**. 

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The Power Plant’s new season offers contemplative and immersive exhibitions that reflect on our complex relationships with gardens

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is delighted to announce its upcoming exhibition season with two solo presentations of works by Swedish visual artist Lap-See Lam and Canadian multidisciplinary artist Charles Campbell. Through immersive installations, both artists reflect on concepts relating to memory, movement, and the ocean. The exhibitions run from September 21, 2024, to March 2, 2025. Admission is free.  
  
“This season, we are delighted to present two extraordinary exhibitions that invite us to consider diverse narratives that inform our current historic moment. From a profound engagement with nature and its healing powers to a personal exploration of the diasporic condition, the themes of these two exhibitions will undoubtedly captivate the imagination of our visitors.” — Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs  
  
The exhibitions will be accompanied by a vibrant lineup of free public programs, encouraging visitors to engage through artist talks, workshops, and tours. We look forward to welcoming families to a series of creative Power Kids workshops designed for children aged 7–12. Join us on select Sundays to partake in art activities that include natural materials, theatre, and play. Visitors are also invited to enjoy our Creative Hub for reading, drawing, and reflecting. For programming details go to the **[Event Calendar](https://www.thepowerplant.org/whats-on/calendar)** page on The Power Plant’s website.  

Lap-See Lam, still from Floating Sea Palace

**Lap-See Lam: _Floating Sea Palace_**  
  
**Curators**  
Julia Paoli, Director & Curator, The Vega Foundation  
Kate Whiteway, Assistant Curator, The Vega Foundation  
Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs, The Power Plant  
Frances Loeffler, Curator of Exhibitions, The Power Plant  
  
Lap-See Lam creates mythical video installations that draw on traditional storytelling forms such as Cantonese opera and shadow play puppetry. Her work takes a magic realist approach, creating alternative representations of Chinoiserie as defined by imperialist history, while simultaneously reflecting on her own family history of migration from Hong Kong to Sweden, to both claim and complicate cultural heritage. This exhibition, her first in Canada, presents her newest film, _Floating Sea Palace_ (2024), in which Lam draws on the folklore tale of Lo Ting, a mythical human-fish hybrid who is believed to be the ancestor of the Hong Kong people. The film is presented within an immersive environment built of bamboo scaffolding, which has been used for centuries as an integral material in the celebrated art form of Cantonese operas. _Floating Sea Palace_ reflects on transformation, translation, and the longing to return to an ever-shifting home that remains out of reach.  
  
  
_Floating Sea Palace_ is co-commissioned by The Vega Foundation, Studio Voltaire, and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Produced in partnership with Moderna Museet. **Floating Sea Palace** is concurrently on view at Studio Voltaire in London from September 18 to December 15, 2024.  
  
The exhibition at The Power Plant is organized and developed in partnership with The Vega Foundation. The Vega Foundation provides critical support for artists’ film and video through meaningful investments in the production of ambitious new work, collaborations with Canadian and international institutions, and the stewardship of a growing collection. For more information, visit thevegafoundation.com. 

Charles Campbell, Breath Portrait series, 2024. C-print on aluminum composite panels, 20 in x 144 in. Courtesy the artist. 

**Charles Campbell: _How many colours has the sea_ **  
  
**Curators**  
Dominique Fontaine, Curator, Toronto Biennial of Art  
Miguel A. López, Curator, Toronto Biennial of Art  
Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs, The Power Plant  
Frances Loeffler, Curator of Exhibitions, The Power Plant  
  
Charles Campbell is a multidisciplinary artist whose diverse body of work challenges traditional notions of time and delves into possibilities arising in the aftermath of colonization. For _How many colours has the sea_ (2024), he creates a portal into a realm where the spirits lost in the Middle Passage—the harrowing journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic—find solace. The exhibition consists of newly commissioned works, including a large-scale sculpture that recreates the submerged terrain where African and North American tectonic plates converge, and nine monolithic panels, or “Breath Portraits” that visualize the breath of members of the Black community. It also includes an audio installation capturing the tranquil and tumultuous atmospheres of the sea using hydrophones (underwater microphones), and filling the gallery with the sounds of an ocean journey, both stormy and calm. An additional work available on headphones offers personal reflections on reconnecting with the lost. With these deeply resonant works, Campbell creates a sanctuary for private contemplation and collective healing that confronts the profound consequences of systems designed to divide and oppress.  
  
_How many colours has the sea_ is co-commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and the National Gallery of Canada and co-presented with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. The Toronto Biennial of Art is on from September 21 to December 1, 2024 at 11 venues across the city. For more information, visit **[torontobiennial.org](https://torontobiennial.org/)**.  
  
  
**Save the Date **  
Press Preview: Friday, September 20, 2 PM–4 PM  
**[Public Opening: Saturday, September 21, 3 PM–6 PM](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/opening-party-of-new-exhibitions-tickets-982123155797?aff=oddtdtcreator)**  
  
**About The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery ** 
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is Canada’s leading public gallery devoted to contemporary art, ideas, and conversations. Located at Harbourfront Centre on Toronto’s waterfront, The Power Plant is a vital forum for the creative culture of our time, sharing inspiring and transformative experiences with audiences through free admission to exhibitions and public programs. The Power Plant is guided by the commitment to provide a platform for artists from diverse backgrounds, drawing attention to pressing issues and connecting communities in Canada and worldwide through contemporary art. 

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The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery Announces New Exhibition Season Featuring Two Immersive Installations

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery collaborates with an innovative design lab and women immigrant sewists to create one-of-a-kind fashion accessories made from recycled marketing materials

This Earth Day, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is thrilled to partner with [DESIGNwith](https://www.designwith.ca/) and unveil **Form Follows Care**, a collection of unique products made from recycled marketing banners.  
  
Production and marketing significantly contribute to social and environmental challenges. Conventional marketing practices have been criticized for their wasteful use of natural resources, especially in creating and disposing of materials destined for landfills after a single use. The Power Plant, a non-profit institution located at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, is taking strategic action to tackle these challenges by buying back its marketing waste and supporting the local initiative.  
  
Together with DESIGNwith, a Toronto-based collaborative design lab at the forefront of the circular economy and social innovation, The Power Plant is upcycling discarded marketing banners by transforming them into a collection of zero-waste products, including one-of-a-kind tote bags, pouches, and wallets. Handcrafted by a team of talented women sewists from the Regent Park Sewing Studio, an initiative of the Toronto Centre of Learning & Development, the product line utilizes every part of the banner to eliminate waste. In addition to mindful design that promotes social and environmental sustainability, each item features a unique pattern, showcasing artworks from The Power Plant exhibitions.  


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Since climate change affects marginalized communities the most, it is important to consider people and the planet during the design process. This innovative project exemplifies this principle with an exceptional result of a zero-waste collection promoting a more equitable future. From theory to practice, DESIGNwith lab embodies a caring design practice that considers people, undervalued skills, materials, and the environment as vital parts of an alternative economy.    
   
“We are excited to engage communities in rethinking marketing waste and to add beautiful new items to The Power Plant Shop. We’re finding new ways to make marketing materials part of the circular economy, new ways for social innovation, and new ways for building a more equitable and sustainable future.”  
—Carolyn Vesely, Executive Director of The Power Plant  
   
“We are thrilled about this partnership, as it calls for a collective effort to foster a circular economy and promote social change. The collection, Form Follows Care, celebrates our grassroots collaboration with Regent Park and our dedication to inclusive design practices aimed at zero waste. Our design strategy honours the original structure of the banner by deliberately using the entire edge for straps, the middle section for the tote, and the remaining material for wallets and pouches.”  
—Ranee Lee, Founder of DESIGNwith  
  
"We at the Toronto Centre of Learning & Development are immensely proud to be part of this groundbreaking initiative. Through our Regent Park Sewing Studio, we’ve seen first-hand the transformative power of combining traditional skills with innovative design to reduce waste and empower our community. This project aligns with our mission to enhance employability and community engagement and serves as a beacon of hope for sustainable practices in the industry. It's a testament to what we can achieve when we come together to support social innovation, environmental sustainability, and community development."  
—Alfred Jean-Baptiste, Executive Director of the Toronto Centre of Learning & Development  
  
All products will be available at **[The Power Plant Shop](https://shop.thepowerplant.org/)** beginning May 2, 2024. Visit the gallery in person to see the variety of fashion accessories and choose your favourite!  
  
To activate the Form Follows Care campaign and create space for wider audiences to engage with the idea of a circular economy, The Power Plant and DESIGNwith invite you to a series of interactive events at the gallery. This May, join us for an educational talk with the founder of DESIGNwith, Ranee Lee, and a hands-on workshop with the DESIGNwith lab’s Managing Creative Director, Katya Koroscil, and Regent Park Sewing Studio members. Learn more about the programming and sign up [HERE](https://www.thepowerplant.org/whats-on/calendar).  
  
**[SHOP FORM FOLLOWS CARE](https://shop.thepowerplant.org/Form-Follows-Care-c168174301)
**

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From Landfill to Limited Edition  Zero-Waste Design Collection

From Landfill to Limited Edition Zero-Waste Design Collection

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Discover The Power Plant Archives

Emmanuel Osahor: To dream of other places

To dream of other places

Shelagh Keeley: Film Notebooks 1985-2017

Film Notebooks 1985-2017

On View

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Welcome to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery

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Give the gift of art

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Join us for a **hands-on gardening event** that celebrates creativity, community, and the joys of growing! Participants will plant herbs in biodegradable pots to take home, a small, green start to their own garden. We’ll provide soil, containers, and a variety of herbs to choose from. Plus, explore the art–garden connection by making beautiful sun prints using cyanotype kits. This family-friendly event is perfect for welcoming the season, getting your hands in the soil, and leaving with something uniquely your own. No experience is needed; just come ready to plant, create, and enjoy! 

Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a bag so you can easily take your creations home.

**[Bowery Project](https://www.boweryproject.ca/)** is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to create opportunities for urban agriculture through the temporary use of vacant lots.  

Bowery Project designs, builds and manages mobile urban farms in downtown Toronto. We grow food for local chefs/restaurants and charities while engaging with the community through fun, creative, and educational programming.  

All produce is grown in containers that sit above the ground. Our urban farms can be disassembled and relocated within hours. This mobility allows for an easy change of location when the land must be claimed for its subsequent use – such as development, remediation or sale. 

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Urban Gardening: Bowery Project 

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Join artist Shelagh Keeley and Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs at The Power Plant, for an insightful conversation exploring Keeley’s exhibition, _Film Notebooks 1985-2017_. This engaging dialogue will delve into the evolution of Keeley’s distinctive film essays, tracing their development over more than three decades within the context of her broader multidisciplinary artistic practice. 

**Shelagh Keeley** has long been known for her deep engagement with drawing, photography, and film, using these mediums to explore themes of space, place, and memory. Throughout this conversation, Keeley will reflect on the creative process behind her Film Notebooks series, examining how her work has evolved and expanded through experimentation with both the formal aspects of film and the historical-cultural resonance of the places she documents. The discussion will highlight Keeley’s exploration of gardens, architecture, and the intangible essence of the environments she captures, all while considering the connections between her cinematic works and other forms of artistic expression. 

**Adelina Vlas**, who has worked closely with Keeley on this exhibition, will offer further insights into the curatorial considerations and context of the Film Notebooks, enriching the conversation with a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the exhibition came together. 

This conversation will offer a unique opportunity to learn directly from the artist about her innovative practice and the ways in which her film essays resonate within the larger cultural and historical frameworks they engage with. 

In Conversation

Shelagh Keeley is a multidisciplinary artist known for her massive site-specific wall drawings. 

Shelagh Keeley is a Toronto-based artist whose multidisciplinary work explores the socio-political histories hidden in our natural and built environments. Privileging slowness, Keeley’s intuitive conceptual practice involves the body and draws on instinctive intelligence. The artist has produced two works for The Power Plant’s Fleck Clerestory commissioning program: in 2014–2015, the site-specific wall drawing _Notes on Obsolescence_ (now in the collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery) and in 2015 the photographic wall installation _1983 Kisangani Zaire_, both of which formed part of the group show _The Unfinished Conversation: Encoding/Decoding_. Keeley’s recent projects have been presented by the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts; MoMA Archives and Library, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto; Vancouver Art Gallery; Ifa Gallery Stuttgart, Germany; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Tokyo Biennale, Japan; Stedeliijk Museum Schiedam, the Netherlands; the Getty Center, Los Angeles; the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal; and The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Japan, among many others.

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In conversation: Shelagh Keeley and Adelina Vlas

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In this workshop, participants will take inspiration from Emmanuel Osahor’s photo-collage mural, _Sylvia's Garden Version II_, in the Fleck Clerestory. Using layered paper, they’ll create tunnel books that unfold into their own unique, portable gardens. 

Power Kids

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Power Kids: The Garden and Me

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Inspired by Shelagh Keeley’s notebooks and drawing practice, families are invited to create their own artist notebooks filled with colourful garden imagery and boundless imagination. 

No registration is needed—just drop in and get creative! 

The Power Plant