Uncovering Artists' Books delves into the multi-sensory experience of artists’ books, presenting them as art objects that are sensual, spatial, and tactile. The exhibition highlights the significant contribution of artists’ books to Canadian visual art history and explores their role in various art movements, with many painters, sculptors, and printmakers embracing the medium.
This exhibition, curated by Geraldine Davis, examines experimental and collaborative attitudes in the creation of artists’ books, showcasing examples that incorporate new technologies and digital formats into this dynamic genre.
About the Curator: Geraldine Davis is an independent curator and art dealer based in Toronto. Her career began with the collaborative artist’s book A Rebel Gravity (1978), and she has since curated numerous exhibitions, including Art at Work: Corporate Collecting Practices Today (Art Gallery of Mississauga), J.C. Heywood: A Life in Layers (Burnaby Art Gallery), and Printshops of Canada (Macdonald Stewart Art Centre).
Uncovering Artists' Books was first initiated in collaboration with the Grimsby Public Art Gallery in 2016.
The exhibition is circulated by the Grimsby Public Art Gallery, with the support of the Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program. The UAB Project extends gratitude to the following institutions for their loan of materials:
- Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ)
- Department of Art Library, University of Toronto (DALUT)
- Dorothy H. Hoover Library, OCAD University
- Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD)
- Grimsby Public Art Gallery (GPAG)
- Library and Archives Canada (LAC/BAC)
- Oakville Galleries
- Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, Banff Centre
- Presentation House Gallery (now Polygon Gallery)
- Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto
- Toronto Reference Library (TRL)
- Vancouver Art Gallery Library (VAGL)
Videos: Watch a series of curator-led show tours by Geraldine Davis, available on YouTube:
- Uncovering Artists' Books – Show Tour Part 1
- Uncovering Artists' Books – Show Tour Part 2
- Uncovering Artists' Books – Show Tour Part 3