June 2026 Exhibitions at Onsite Gallery

You’re warmly invited to OCAD University Onsite Gallery’s new exhibitions, Jel Suarez: a bouquet of flowers must be held and April Hickox: Vantage Point–Unfolding. Through these thoughtful and meaningful exhibitions, audiences are invited to reflect on their own connections to memory, land, and care, and the ways these experiences are carried forward across generations and through everyday life.

Jel Suarez, selected artists’ book works for a bouquet of flowers must be held, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist.

Jel Suarez: a bouquet of flowers must be held

June 10 – 26, 2026

Onsite Gallery presents a bouquet of flowers must be held by the 2025 Ateneo Art Award Recipient, Jel Suarez. Suarez returns to her grandmother’s once-catalogued library, transforming long-kept yet untended books into handmade paper, artist books, and collages. In a bouquet of flowers must be held, these fragments are gathered and carried as an offering to reconnect with an aunt living abroad. Each page holds traces of memory and care, gently placing something into her hands so that what has been kept may continue to be held across time and distance.

In Conversation: Jel Suarez with Ana Serrano
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 4 – 5pm
Register here

Experience an enlightening conversation between the 2025 Ateneo Art Award: Fernando Zóbel Prize for Visual Art recipient artist Jel Suarez and OCAD University President + Vice Chancellor Ana Serrano as they discuss Saurez’s artistic practices and inspiration for the exhibited works in a bouquet of flowers must be held. Together, they will reflect on family histories, migration, and the ways stories continue to be carried forward.

The conversation is followed by an opening reception to celebrate Onsite Gallery’s new exhibitions a bouquet of flowers must be held and Vantage Point–Unfolding will be held following the In Conversation program on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 5 – 7pm.

April Hickox, Vantage Point-Unfolding

April Hickox: Vantage Point–Unfolding

June 10 – 26, 2026
Video Screening: 12 min loop

Vantage Point-Unfolding is a continuation of April’s film Vantage Point–Passing. A document of her life lived on the Toronto Islands observing changes in the overlapping layers of human and natural histories, this film reflects April’s dedication to the climate crisis, environment, land stewardship, and our relationship to natural elements. Before her passing, April spoke about her plans for future iterations of this video, aspects she wanted to highlight and the interconnections between frames. For this version commissioned for Onsite Gallery, April’s daughter, Alexa Hickox, carried out April’s plans, creating a video composition that reflects April’s desire for the future of the work.

The video screening complements the exterior mural April Hickox: Vantage Point–Passing guest curated by Ursula Handleigh and Meera Margaret Singh on view through August 2026.

You are invited to gather for an evening of art, conversation, community, and celebration on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 5pm – 7pm.

Artist Biographies

Jel Suarez (b. 1990, Philippines) is a self-taught visual artist based between Manila and Bacolod City. Working primarily through collage and assemblage, she collects, deconstructs, and rearranges images and materials as a way of reading and reinterpreting visual phenomena. She was an artist-in-residence at the Leipzig International Art Programme in Germany through the Goethe-Institut (2023–2024) and is a recipient of the Thirteen Artists Awards (2024) and the Ateneo Art Awards – Fernando Zóbel Prizes for Visual Art (2025).

April Hickox (1955–2025) was a Canadian lens-based artist, educator, and independent curator whose practice spanned photography, film, video, and installation. A founding director of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography and a founding member of Tenth Muse Studio and Artscape Toronto, she played a vital role in shaping Canada’s contemporary photography community. Hickox exhibited widely across Canada, and her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Hickox grew up on the Toronto Islands, where she lived and worked throughout her life. She studied photography and graphic design in London, England, and earned an AOCA from OCAD University, where she taught for over 30 years and chaired the Photography program from 1998 to 2007. Her work explored memory, landscape, and environmental stewardship, with a recent public installation, Field, at Donlands subway station.

*Onsite Gallery will be operating on a new summer schedule from June 11 to June 26, 2026. During this period, the gallery will be open Wednesday through Friday, from 12pm to 5pm. Visitors are welcome to stop by during these hours to explore our new exhibitions and programming.*

About Onsite Gallery
www.ocadu.ca/onsite
Onsite Gallery, OCAD University’s flagship professional gallery, presents contemporary, Indigenous, and public art and design to advance knowledge creation and stimulate local and international conversations on the urgent issues of our time.

Onsite Gallery
199 Richmond Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 0H4

Gallery Hours
June 11 – 26, 2026
Wednesday to Friday: 12 – 5pm

Gallery admission and all events are free.

Onsite Gallery is an accessible venue with all-gender, single-user washrooms.
» Detailed accessibility information found here

About OCAD University (OCAD U)
OCAD University (www.ocadu.ca) is Canada’s university of the imagination. Founded in 1876, the university is dedicated to art, design and digital media education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines.

Contact Information:
Susan Jama
Programs & Community Coordinator, Onsite Gallery
susanjama@ocadu.ca

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