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two dimensional neon sculpture featuring green, yellow and red lines

Theaster Gates. Baby Neon, 2016. Bent glass neon tubing, electrical transformer, 91.4 × 45.7 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchased with funds from the Modern and Contemporary Curatorial Committee, the Michael and Diane Hasley Fund, the Molly Gilmour Fund, the Janet and Michael Scott Fund, the David Yuile and Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund, the Ivey Foundation Contemporary Art Fund, the Contemporary Circle Fund, the Jay Smith and Laura Rapp Fund and the Elcy Wallace Fund, 2017 © Theaster Gates. 2017/32

Bright Signs: Spotlight on Video Art

July 3, 2024 - October 14, 2024

Located on Level 5

Member's Access starts July 3-5
Annual Pass Holder & Public Access starts July 6

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Admission is always FREE for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass Holders & Indigenous Peoples. Learn more.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

Reverberating with sound and light, Bright Signs: Spotlight on Video Art brings together works by 11 leading contemporary artists. Spanning three decades, this exhibition includes cinematic video installations and neon sculptures, many of which have yet to be seen at the AGO.

Drawn from the AGO’s collection of contemporary art, the artworks on view address critical social issues, including perceptions of history, visibility and power. At the centre of the exhibition is Kahlil Joseph’s cinematic three-channel video installation Wild Cat (Aunt Janet) from 2016, an homage to the founder of an African American rodeo that takes place every summer in Grayson (formerly Wildcat), Oklahoma and Theaster Gates' Progress Palace (2017), an immersive installation that pays tribute to the Godfather of House Music, Frankie Knuckles. Additional highlights include artist Sarah Sze’s sculpture Disappearing Act (2020) and Lisa Reihana’s ever popular installation in Pursuit of Venus [infected](2020).

Curated by Debbie Johnsen, AGO, Manager, Modern and Contemporary Collections, this exhibition features artworks that will form the cornerstone for the expansion of the new Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, starting construction in 2024.

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