GUELPH – The Art Gallery of Guelph recently opened the exhibit 155,578, which brings together the work of 55 contemporary artists with strong ties to Guelph.
Curated through an open call, 155,578 invited artists from across the Guelph community to reflect collectively on the city’s dynamic creative landscape.
“The exhibition draws inspiration from what were called the ‘numbers shows’ of renowned American curator Lucy Lippard—a series of conceptual art exhibitions from the 1960s and 1970s named after the populations of their host cities,” notes art gallery executive director Shauna McCabe. “Lippard’s intent was to make visible the connection between conceptual art and locale, grounding artistic practices in place.”
This exhibition was constructed with the same spirit.
“The exhibition in effect positions Guelph as a point of convergence rather than a static site,” McCabe continues. “These ongoing relationships are evident in the diversity of perspectives represented in 155,578, charting the movement of people, ideas, and creative practices in and through the city.”
Curated by AGG’s new curator of contemporary art Erin Szikora, the exhibition invited submissions from across Guelph’s vibrant arts community.
“Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, installation, and more, the works in 155,578 speak to the wide range of concerns animating contemporary art today—from personal memory and local history to environmental and social justice,” notes Szikora.
“In doing so, the exhibition highlights the vital role of the arts in shaping civic identity.”
Together, the artworks form a dynamic visual conversation that invites visitors to consider what defines this moment, affirming creativity as a powerful tool for understanding our experiences and the world around us.
As Szikora’s first curatorial initiative in her new role, 155,578 also serves as a “gesture of listening,” she suggests, “to the stories, questions, and creative expressions that impact Guelph’s present, while envisioning its future.”
Another exhibition, Fuzzy Thinking, also opened on May 22 and it is curated by McCabe.
This exhibition brings together historical and contemporary textile works, foregrounding how softness, tactility, and material complexity can allow for nuanced and layered ways of seeing and understanding.
Both exhibitions are organized and presented by the Art Gallery of Guelph with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
For more information, visit artgalleryofguelph.ca.
