Mark Stebbins: The Lingering Instant

Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery

Installation, Mark Stebbins The Lingering Instant, Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery

The Lingering Instant at JNAAG: Mark Stebbins and the Beauty of Slow Looking

On view until August 30, 2026
Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, Sarnia

Some exhibitions encourage you to slow down and take a closer look. Mark Stebbins’s exhibition, The Lingering Instant, on view at the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG) until August 30, 2026, does exactly that.

At first glance, Stebbins’ paintings appear almost digital in their precision—textile-like surfaces built from thousands of meticulously layered marks. But when you move closer, you notice the thousands of small hand-painted marks that make up each piece. Every line and layer shows the time, care, and patience behind the work.

Guest viewing The Lingering Instant, 2026; acrylic on burlap on wood panel

Originally from Point Edward and now based in London, Ontario, Stebbins has built a national and international reputation for works that reference contemporary and historic art movements, textiles and the digital world. The Lingering Instant features new paintings that reinforces the importance of creating something slowly, with layered meaning,, in a world filled with fast-moving digital images and technology.

What makes the exhibition especially compelling is the way the paintings change depending on how you view them. From far away, the works feel bold and unified. Up close, they reveal intricate painstaking process, thousands of carefuly blended colours, and carefully built surfaces that reward slow looking.

The exhibition title itself hints at this experience. These are works that linger: visually, emotionally, and conceptually. Stebbins invites viewers to resist the speed of contemporary image culture and instead spend time with the surface, the process, and the act of looking itself.

Clock (November), 2025; acrylic on burlap on wood panel

Stebbins’ career has included exhibitions across Canada and internationally, with recent shows in Seoul, Beijing, London (UK), and Montreal. His large retrospective exhibition Supersampler was recently presented at Museum London, further cementing his place within contemporary Canadian painting.

At JNAAG, The Lingering Instant also feels like a celebration of local connections. Stebbins’ roots in Southwestern Ontario continue to influence his work, while his paintings speak to larger conversations about art, technology, and the value of handmade creation in an increasingly digital and AI-mediated visual culture.

In The Lingering Instant, Mark Stebbins reminds us that art does not always need to be fast or loud to make an impact. Sometimes, the most meaningful experiences come from slowing down and taking a closer look.

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