SPAO Launches 20th Anniversary with Asylum, Featuring Olivia Johnston & Neeko Paluzzi
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Asylum poster, image by Olivia Johnston and Neeko Paluzzi
Olivia Johnston and Neeko Paluzzi: Asylum
January 8 – February 16, 2025
Artist Talk: Saturday, February 15, 1pm – 3pm
SPAO Centre, Ottawa
SPAO is pleased to present Asylum, an exhibition featuring new work by Olivia Johnston and Neeko Paluzzi.
In this exhibition, Johnston and Paluzzi highlight the materials that get accumulated in the creation of an arts practice, and the emotional, physical, and conceptual weight that these objects hold. Props, novelty items, prototypes and paper ephemera are housed inside a cardboard shrine. Each box is a miniature stage, an assemblage of references, memories, and gestures that illustrate the labour and weight of building a single image.
While the cardboard installation pays reference to obsolescence, protection and isolation, it also raises larger questions about trauma and mental illness. Where do we turn when our minds feel fragile? Where do we put all of the clutter? How do we construct spaces—physical or emotional—that allow us to process, to create, and to survive? The works on display honor SPAO as a space of solace and creativity, demonstrating how such sanctuaries enable transformation. The layers of this exhibition—both material and emotional—invite viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between containment and release, and the strength required to carry the weight of both.
Images (left to right): Neeko Paluzzi, and Olivia Johnston
Meet the Artists
Olivia Johnston is an artist and art historian living and working in Ottawa, Canada. In her practice, she investigates her own experiences of chronic illness and trauma, and examines the iconography of sacredness in contemporary life. Catholic aesthetics often serve as a visual framework in her practice in order to explore questions about images, gender, the body, the self, beauty, illness, and art history. Johnston’s practice includes lens-based imagery, site-specific installation, and sculpture; her award-winning work has been exhibited across Canada and abroad and it is in multiple private and public collections.
Neeko Paluzzi is an artist based in the Outaouais region of Quebec. In his practice, he uses translation theories to create inter-textual installations. From music to literature, he is interested in translating other texts – both visual and non-visual – into his own photographic language, situating his own queer body at the centre of these visual translations.
Johnston and Paluzzi have been chosen to help shape the future of SPAO’s educational programming, ensuring its lasting impact on the development of photographic artists. Together with Director of Education Michael Tardioli, they form SPAO’s Education Leadership Team, dedicated to delivering exceptional photographic arts education to our community.
Images (left to right): Shaelynn Tredenick, Alex Does, and Justin M. Millar
Join the only 2-year photographic arts college diploma program in Canada
Olivia Johnston and Neeko Paluzzi are both alumni of SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production College Diploma Program.
SPAO prides itself on small class sizes, allowing each student to receive a personalized, hands-on education focused on building a personal artistic voice and portfolio. SPAO trains photographic artists—not commercial photographers—through comprehensive technical training in both analogue and digital photography, including access to an on-site darkroom and historic processes. Students benefit from exhibition opportunities in SPAO’s gallery, and professional development with industry experts. Join a close-knit community of diverse creatives and transform your passion for photography into a powerful artistic voice.
Start your journey with SPAO and apply now.
Still Not Sure if the Program Is Right for You?
Are you interested in SPAO’s college diploma program? Apply for a complimentary 20-minute portfolio review! This is your opportunity to receive information about the program and receive feedback on your portfolio.
For more information, please contact us:
SPAO.ca
613 562 3824
info@spao.ca
SPAO: Photographic Arts Centre
77 Pamilla Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 3K7
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