Shaheer Zazai and Whyishnave Suthagar

Images (left to right): Shaheer Zazai, detail from work in progress, 2025. Whyishnave Suthagar, Resonance (detail), installation at ManifesTO 2018.

Shaheer Zazai and Whyishnave Suthagar

Art Gallery of Mississauga
January 24 – April 12, 2026
Curated by Shannon Anderson, AGM Senior Curator

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00pm
No registration required. Refreshments will be provided.

This exhibition brings together Toronto-based Afghan Canadian artist Shaheer Zazai and Mississauga-based Tamil Canadian artist Whyishnave Suthagar. Both artists have created new bodies of work that engage with elements from their respective cultural heritage to create immersive, contemplative environments.

Shaheer Zazai’s installation, A Petal for a Petal, A Deed for a Deed—The Garden We Could Have Been, envisions a world where creation and destruction coexist. Expanding his ongoing exploration of the intersection between digital language and textile traditions, Zazai draws from the history of floral motifs in Afghan carpets and reimagines them at a monumental scale, through towering fabric scrolls and an illuminated ceiling mosaic. These darkly radiant blooms are not ornamental, but act as silent witnesses, emerging from the remains of a world burned by human neglect. Here, a garden of paradise becomes a garden of consequence, as floral sentinels rise in judgement of the destruction humans create and the warnings left unheard.

Whyishnave Suthagar’s project நினைவு | Ninaivu—What We Remember, What We Release turns toward intergenerational healing within the Eelam Tamil diaspora. At its centre glows a Kolam-inspired mandala, which draws upon traditional Tamil artistic motifs. Additionally, a series of Illuminated texts feature letters exchanged between first- and second-generation Tamil Canadian family members that recall memories of leaving Sri Lanka during its civil war and building a life in a new country. These works speak to the shared but differently experienced journey of diaspora: what is inherited, what is grieved, and what is cherished. At the heart of the space, visitors are invited to write letters of their own, becoming part of an intergenerational conversation that honours memory and fosters healing.

Opening Reception

The Art Gallery of Mississauga welcomes you to the opening reception on January 29, from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Refreshments will be provided, and the artists will be in attendance.

Programming

On February 1, join the Art Bus for a winter art excursion with stops at the Textile Museum of Canada, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and the Art Gallery of Burlington, featuring a visit to AGM to experience the exhibition and enjoy a guided tour with artist Shaheer Zazai. Tickets can be purchased on the Art Gallery of Burlington’s website.

Additional exhibition-related programming is currently being developed to deepen your connection to our current and upcoming exhibitions. For the most up-to-date information on exhibition-related workshops and programming, please visit the AGM’s website.

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Funding for the Art Gallery of Mississauga is provided by the City of Mississauga, Canada Council for the Arts, TD Bank Group, Rama Gaming House, and Charitable Gaming Community Good.

For more information, visit www.artgalleryofmississauga.com

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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.

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