Art reads for fall
Image by the AGO
We love art. We also love insightful writing. What could be better than combining the two? Check out these exciting art reads at shopAGO this fall.
Our major fall exhibition, Anthropocene, opens in less than two weeks. The extraordinary exhibition has not one, but two books – both titled Anthropocene. One is our exhibition catalogue ($29.95) and the other is a coffee table book by Steidl ($126.95). Both feature stunning images of human impact on the Earth, as well as context for the geographical locations of the artworks in the exhibition, essays from the artists – renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, acclaimed filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier – and scientists. All three artists will be signing copies of the exhibition catalogue in Walker Court on October 3rd at 7 pm to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. Both publications will be available at shopAGO by September 24.
And we’d be remiss not to mention a book linked to one of the works in the exhibition. Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada's Last Great Trees tells the story of a 226-foot tall Douglas fir tree in B.C.'s Gordon River Valley and the logger who saved it from a clear-cut. Intrigued? Join us October 19 for a conversation with author Harley Rustad and Sarain Fox, an Anishinaabe multidisciplinary activist, spokesperson and dancer. Big Lonely Doug ($22.95) will be available at shopAGO by September 24.
Rebecca Belmore: Facing the Monumental is a hit with critics and visitors. The exhibition’s catalogue is just as powerful. Along with images of new and in-progress artwork, it features 28 of Belmore’s most famous works, including Fountain from the 2005 Venice Biennale and At Pelican Falls, her moving tribute to residential school survivors. Available now in shopAGO for $30.
Opening November 29, Mickalene Thomas: Femmes Noires will be the artist’s first large-scale solo exhibition in Canada. We couldn’t be more excited. The exhibition (and its catalogue) will feature images of Thomas’s powerful works and will ignite conversations about race, sexuality and how Black women’s bodies are represented. The catalogue ($39.95) includes contributions from curators, as well as an essay by writer and critic Antwaun Sargent, and excerpts from esteemed authors Alice Walker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lorraine O’Grady, Jesmyn Ward, Edwidge Danticat and Makeda Silvera. This highly anticipated tome comes to shopAGO by November 29.
Happy reading!
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