Canada Gallery, Canada House, Trafalgar Square London, SW1Y 5BJ
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Several of London’s embassies and consulates have hosted art exhibitions from time to time, but Canada has had the most consistent programme, starting in the mid-seventies when it expanded Canada House into an adjoining building, and running three or four shows annually since 2015. That’s when the current space – one large room directly opposite the National Gallery’s Sainsbury entrance – was opened. The airport-style security on entry is also unusual – it’s the most rigorous of any London gallery – though, given the lack of queues, it’s not problematic.
Sponsored by the Dahdaleh Foundation, the programme has been strong and wide-ranging: shows I’ve enjoyed include obvious top Canadian artists (Emily Carr, Jeff Wall, Rodney Graham…) as well as less established artists; native traditions such as Ningiukulu Teevee’s ‘Stories from Kinngait’; and eccentric surprises like shows of Yukon First Nations Graduation Regalia; and of guitars inspired by the ‘Group of Seven’ landscape painters, whose work in the 1920-30’s was foundational in establishing a separate identity for modern Canadian art. Canada House itself marks its 100th anniversary this year, and the next show will celebrate that. Meanwhile Vancouver-born but London-resident Kristina Chan has an excellent show there until 30th April. She has used The Sunderland Collection of cartographic objects from the 13-19th centuries as a starting point for wide-ranging explorations of what is fact and what fantasy in defining what climes are habitable, and recording and measuring their features. The polar image she stands before was inspired by a Chinese map from the Great Qing Dynasty, dated 1810. And there is a most informative booklet…
London’s gallery scene is varied, from small artist-run spaces to major institutions and everything in between. Each week, art writer and curator Paul Carey-Kent gives a personal view of a space worth visiting.
