Fall exhibitions feature emerging and award-winning artists, highlights key partnerships that support artistic careers, and celebrates the region’s vibrant creative sector.

Installation view of Endless Becomings: Explorations in Contemporary Art. Photo courtesy of Erin Bruce.

This fall, Ottawa Art Gallery invites the public to engage with bold new voices, connect across disciplines, and celebrate the future of art and the creative economy in the capital region. The season will showcase OAG’s ongoing partnerships with key educational institutions such as the SPAO Photographic Arts Centre and the University of Ottawa, reflecting the Gallery’s commitment to supporting emerging artists, advancing contemporary art practices, and fostering professional development across disciplines.

“As a leading institution in Ottawa’s arts ecology, the Ottawa Art Gallery is deeply committed to nurturing artistic talent and supporting creative careers. Through mentorship, exhibitions, bold new initiatives and strategic partnerships, we provide meaningful opportunities for artists to grow, connect, and thrive—both in the Gallery and in the public realm. Artists are the driving force of a vibrant cultural economy, and their creativity and dedication continue to inspire us every day.” – Alexandra Badzak, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Art Gallery

Join us to celebrate the fall exhibitions at the OAG on October 16, 2025. All are welcome.

Endless Becomings: Explorations in Contemporary Art

September 19, 2025 – March 15, 2026
OAG, Spencerville Galleries (level 3)

Artists: Aylin Abbasi, Annie Bérubé, Armand Diansambu, Elaine Diguer, Sophie El-Assaad, Emily Escoffery, Lea Hamilton, Sarah Hughes, Éric Mailloux, Shiva Nasiri, Leigha Stiles

Endless Becomings: Explorations in Contemporary Art is presented at OAG as part of a longstanding partnership between the Gallery and the Visual Arts Department at uOttawa. Suggesting that identity and practice are never fully fixed but always in flux, the exhibition brings together eleven visionary artists shaping the future of art. Their works engage themes of remembrance, resistance, displacement, care, and change. Curated by Elisa Jiménez Robles and Shems Benmosbah through a mentorship with OAG curators, the exhibition is made possible with support from the RBC Foundation.

With 2025 marking SPAO’s 20th anniversary, OAG is partnering with the school on a number of initiatives. Together they co-present On the Shoulders of Giants: Commemorating 20 Years of SPAO, Alexa Mazzarello | Failure to Progress and Focus Fest.

Photo courtesy of SPAO

On the Shoulders of Giants

Until October 19, 2025
OAG, Galerie Annexe (level 1)

Artists: Fran Ages, Stéphane Alexis, Shane Armstrong, Alexandra Barlow, Glenn Bloodworth, S. Maria Brandt, Oliver Brown, Barbara Brown, Yu-Sheng Chiu, Kaya Comeau, Joyce Crago, Saman Deilamani, Magida El-Kassis, Alexander Finlay, Christine Fitzgerald, Abigail Gossage, Nicolai Gregory, John Healey, Josh Hotz, Leslie Hossack, Olivia Johnston, Joy Kardish, Adam Kennedy, Jocelyn Keays, Jamie Kronick, Victoria Laube, Ruth Less, Whitney Lewis-Smith, Ava Margueritte, Margo McDiarmid, Kelly McDonald, Julie Melaschenko, Santiago Molina, Leah Mowers, Lucia Mugica, Manfred Mueller, Tyler Nykilchyk, Kate Oakley, Marcela Ochman, The Observer, Neeko Paluzzi, Trish Parsons, Ann Piché, Dion Prints, Louise Radmore, Michael Ricco, Richard Robesco, Kathy Roussel, Chris Schmitt, Jennifer Stewart, Ruth Steinberg, Jon Stuart, Shaelynn Tredenick, Linh VH Nguyen, Steve West, Crystal Wiesner, Elsa Weibe, Nicholas Wojitas

On the Shoulders of Giants is an exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO), showcasing work by 58 artists who have either graduated from or played a significant role in SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production Diploma program. The exhibition reflects a wide range of subjects and techniques including scanography, cyanotype, lith printing and photogravure—demonstrating the breadth and depth of lens-based practices at SPAO over two decades.

Alexa Mazzarello, Viscera, 2025, pigment print on canvas, 96.52 x 76.2 cm, courtesy of the artist.

Alexa Mazzarello | Failure to Progress
Project XO Award 2025

October 4, 2025 – November 2, 2025
OAG, Sky Lounge (level 3)

Also presented by SPAO and the OAG, with supporting sponsors Centre de production DAÏMÔN and Wall Space Gallery + Framing, is the exhibition Alexa Mazzarello | Failure to Progress, winner of the 2025 Project XO Award, in the OAG Sky Lounge. This photography-based exhibition offers a deeply personal reflection that challenges the cultural silence surrounding birth. Drawing on her own experiences, Mazzarello illuminates and demystifies the often invisible realities of this life-altering transition.

Focus Fest 2025: Igniting Creative Pathways

October 16 – 19, 2025
Free and Open to the Public

Presented by the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) and the SPAO Photographic Arts Centre, Focus Fest is a multi-day celebration of Ottawa’s vibrant creative sector. Together, these institutions offer a uniquely complementary perspective: OAG fuels the careers of artists and provides a platform for contemporary arts across disciplines, while SPAO brings specialized expertise in photographic arts education and a legacy of launching creative careers. This collaboration creates the perfect environment to showcase the educational and creative development opportunities that sustain the greater Ottawa-Gatineau region’s artistic life, spanning photography, visual arts, design, media, and more.

Whether you’re an aspiring artist, student, career changer, or simply curious, Focus Fest offers inspiration, connection, and opportunities to pursue your creative future.

Click here for the Focus Fest schedule.

The Ottawa Art Gallery would like to recognize RBC Foundation’s support of OAG’s Connect: Artist Mentorship Program and also acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. OAG also wishes to acknowledge its valued partnerships with the University of Ottawa and SPAO.

About the Ottawa Art Gallery

OAG is Ottawa’s municipal art gallery and cultural hub. Located in Ottawa’s downtown core, the expanded Gallery is a contemporary luminous cube designed by KPMB Architects and Régis Côté et associés.

Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)
50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa, ON, K1N 0C5, Canada
613.233.8699 | info@oaggao.ca

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