Inside. Outside. Of.

Images (left to right): Shanie Tomassini, Apparition (detail), 2024, black stoneware, welded steel, laser cut steel, ball chain, pyrite, smoky quartz, tiger eye, jade, jasper, hematite; David Merritt, altr arber (detail), 2019, stacking table, twigs and mixed wood products, picture hanging wire; Émile Régnier, EM (detail), 2024, screen printing on Malian Indigo, with sequins and glass beads; Ella Gonzales, A kind of proposition (detail), 2023, acrylic on jusi silk, metal hinges

Inside. Outside. Of.
Ella Gonzales, David Merritt, Émilie Régnier, and Shanie Tomassini

Art Gallery of Mississauga
January 25 – April 13, 2025
Curated by Shannon Anderson and Jay Wilson

Opening Reception: Saturday January 25, 2025, 2 – 4 pm
No registration is required. Refreshments will be provided, and artists will be in attendance.

Through intuitive, tenuously articulated works, the four artists brought together in this exhibition reflect upon how we situate ourselves in relation to various planes of interconnection and existence. Works by Ella Gonzales, David Merritt, Émilie Régnier, and Shanie Tomassini share a preoccupation with exploring the entangled and complex realm of perception between people and their surroundings. Their artistic practices reflect distinctive cultural backgrounds and experiences, yet they are all deeply invested in developing materially-sensitive works that are finely attuned to introspective realms.

A structural emphasis comes through in Ella Gonzales’s use of gossamer, plant-based textiles as surfaces for depicting layers of rooms and corridors in ways that reflect how our bodies move through and remember the spaces we inhabit. Émilie Régnier’s practice is deeply personal: she conveys the unfixed sense of her cultural identity through self-portraits made with traditional handmade cotton textiles, which embrace frayed edges and silhouetted forms. Shanie Tomassini’s sculptures are built of elemental materials that explore aspects of ritualistic and regenerative alchemy. And David Merritt works from tree-based materials such as paper and twigs to articulate delicate configurations that are conceptually retethered to their natural origins. These artists’ evocative sense of materiality draws attention to unfixed, peripheral, and fragile experiences. They offer the possibility of pause and reflection through distilled, slowed-down moments of observation that encourage more conscious states of awareness.

Shanie Tomassini, Equinox Blend (Performance presented at Est-Nord-Est in 2022. Photo Credit : ENE / Jean-Sébastien Veilleux), charcoal, lavender, rosemary, cloves

Inside. Outside. Of. will also be on view at the Foreman Art Gallery of Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, QC, from October 17 to December 13, 2025. Inquiries for hosting this touring exhibition can be directed to curator@artgalleryofmississauga.com.

A free bilingual booklet designed by Jay Wilson and co-produced with the Foreman Art Gallery accompanies this exhibition.

Opening Reception

You are warmly invited to the opening reception of Inside. Outside. Of. on Saturday, January 25, 2025, from 2 to 4 pm. Starting at 2:30 pm, the artists will provide short talks on their works. Refreshments will be served, and registration is recommended but not required. Register here. The AGM looks forward to sharing this special afternoon with you.

Exhibition-Related Programming

Programming & workshops related to Inside. Outside. Of., including textile workshops, will be offered as part of our upcoming events. These programs will provide hands-on opportunities to explore the techniques and themes highlighted in the exhibition. For updates on programming and other events, subscribe to the AGM’s newsletter and follow on social media.

About the Artists

Ella Gonzales is a Filipina Canadian artist working between painting and Computer-Aided Design programs, as led by her interest in space making. She has recently shown work at Galerie Nicolas Robert, Toronto; The Power Plant, Toronto; Unit 17, Vancouver; Galerie d’art Stewart Hall, Pointe-Claire; Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge; AXENÉO7, Gatineau; and Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, Kingston, among others. Gonzales currently resides in Toronto.

David Merritt’s process-driven, conceptually oriented work explores the relationships between human and non-human systems. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Power Plant, Art Gallery of Ontario, the Textile Museum of Canada, Art Gallery of Hamilton, the National Gallery of Canada, and TENT CBK, Rotterdam, among others. Merritt lives in London, Ontario, and is work is represented by Christie Contemporary, Toronto.

Émilie Régnier is a Canadian-Haitian artist whose textile and multimedia projects explore her relationship with identity and family. Born in Montreal, where she currently resides, Régnier spent most of her childhood in Gabon, Africa, and lived for many years in Dakar, Bamako, and Abidjan. Her work has been exhibited nationally in Montreal and Toronto as well as internationally in New York, Senegal, South Africa, France, Italy, and Amsterdam. She is represented by Blouin Division in Montreal.

Shanie Tomassini is a sculptor whose work explores the renewable and cyclical experience of objects, places, and ideas. She has exhibited her work at Centre Clark, CIRCA art actuel and PHI Foundation in Montreal; UMLAUF Museum in Austin; Arsenal Contemporary in New York; the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes in Spain; and Artpace in San Antonio. She is currently based in Montreal.

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About Art Gallery of Mississauga

The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is a vibrant and dynamic gallery that showcases the work of local, national and international contemporary artists. It is our mission to bring art to the community and the community to art through compelling exhibitions, interactive workshops and thought-provoking events. Located in the heart of downtown Mississauga, we offer a free and accessible space where all are welcome. The AGM is located inside Mississauga Civic Centre at 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga, ON.

The City of Mississauga, Canada Council for the Arts, TD Bank Group, the Government of Canada, Mississauga Foundation, Rama Gaming House, and Charitable Gaming Community Good support the Art Gallery of Mississauga through programming and operational funding.

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