Spring 2026 Exhibitions at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

The RMG is pleased to present a full slate of new exhibitions this spring.

Sukaina Kubba, Wolf, PLA filament hand-drawn with 3D pen, 26″ x 20″, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

Sukaina Kubba: Not Soft by Nature

April 11 – September 6, 2026
Spring Exhibitions Opening: Saturday, April 11, 1 – 4pm
Take the shuttle bus from Toronto! We’re excited to partner with Mercer Union (1286 Bloor Street West) on this opening event. Gallery staff will provide a tour of current exhibitions starting at 11am sharp. The bus will leave Mercer Union at 11:45am, returning around 5pm. Please RSVP and/or reserve your spot on the bus.
Learn more about the exhibition >

Not Soft by Nature marks the first museum solo show in Canada by artist Sukaina Kubba. Building on previous research on the cultural production of textiles, the exhibition presents an expansive installation based on the history of lacemaking and its global trade. Oscillating between research and free-association, Kubba weaves together motifs, figures, flora and fauna from rugs and textiles from a family rug, a 17th century rug fragment, and multiple artefacts from the Permanent Collection of the Textile Museum of Canada. This anachronistic layering of various materials and time periods references earlier guild-based production of decorative domestic objects such as rugs, wallpapers, and fabrics, which would often borrow motifs from a wide array culturally specific designs and objects. Working in collaboration with MYB Textiles, the last remaining operational lace mill in Scotland, Kubba mirrors this approach, creating a painterly design influenced by various historical textile fragments and reproduced as large bands of lace that envelop the exhibition space. By including elements that evince the tools of their creation as well as various iterations and copies produced in different materials, the work reflects on lace as an object of cultural transmission as well as the histories of domestic, industrial, and colonial production that have shaped it.

Haley Uyeda, Nascent (detail), photogram on canvas, 36″ x 30″, 2025.

Haley Uyeda: Without Being Said

February 24 – April 19, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 28, 1 – 3pm
Learn more about the exhibition >

Without Being Said is an exhibition of new work by Haley Uyeda featuring photograms on canvas, paper collages, and framed photographs. Attentive to the effects of light and shadow, Uyeda gravitates to windows as a formal element in her work and as a creative agent in her art-making processes. Conceptually, windows are portals of absence and abundance, offering intermediate spaces of pause, curiosity and beauty. Across different mediums, Uyeda uses cutouts as a means to play with these spatial qualities, producing works with subtle colour palettes and contemplative compositions that beckon inquisitive viewers.

The RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program is generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation.

William Ronald (Canadian, 1926 – 1998), Festival, 1967, acrylic on canvas; Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Gift of Chantal Laberge, 1987.

Painters Eleven: Radical Colour

March 7 – August 23, 2026
Learn more about the exhibition >

Painters Eleven was the first abstract artist collective in Ontario. The Toronto group was founded in 1953 at the cottage of artist Alexandra Luke on the Oshawa–Whitby border. In the early 1950s, Toronto’s art scene was criticized for being conservative and unexciting. Painters Eleven was determined to shake things up and elevate abstraction within mainstream Canadian art. The group’s first exhibition drew crowds and received positive press, despite its radical approach to art. Banded together by a shared desire to support abstraction and exhibit collectively, the artists did not adhere to a common philosophy or style but did share a love of colour. This exhibition showcases Painters Eleven’s diverse approaches to abstraction alongside a common enthusiasm for bold, expressive colour, highlighting the individuality of each artist.

Additional Exhibitions on View!

Natural Curiosities
January 17 – June 7, 2026

Drawing from the RMG’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition brings together a selection of floral and botanical artworks that encourage a closer examination of the natural world.

Community Connections
January 17 – June 7, 2026

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Oshawa Camera Club is teaming up with Community Development Council Durham’s (CDCD) Community Connections program to highlight the experiences of newcomers and immigrants in Durham Region. For this project, the participants took photographs that capture their lives in their new community and consider their important role within it.

Durham District School Board Exhibition: For Art’s Sake
March 5 – March 22, 2026

The Durham District School Board: For Art’s Sake exhibition is a bi-annual celebration of the artistic talent of high school students in Durham Region.

The Oshawa Art Association’s 58th Juried Art Exhibition
April 24 – May 10, 2026

2026 marks the Oshawa Art Association’s 58th Juried Art Exhibition. This juried exhibition showcases artworks by many talented artists from across Durham Region.

Emerging Visions 2026: Durham College Thesis Exhibition
May 1 – June 7, 2026

We are pleased to present the annual Durham College Thesis Exhibition, which includes works by all fine art students graduating in 2026.

About The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) believes that art plays a vital role in cultivating connected and caring communities. As an artist-centred, community-oriented public art gallery, we bring people from diverse backgrounds together to engage with art that inspires new perspectives, fosters meaningful dialogue, and nurtures a sense of belonging. Through collaborative relationships with artists, partners, and communities, the RMG presents dynamic collections, exhibitions, and programs within an inclusive and equitable environment.

The RMG is the largest public art gallery in Durham Region, located in downtown Oshawa on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Each year, we present exhibitions drawn from our Permanent Collection alongside special exhibitions of contemporary art. Our collection of more than 4,700 works is nationally recognized for its focus on the continuing story of Canadian abstraction. Annually, the RMG welcomes approximately 38,000 visitors and engages over 10,000 participants through exhibitions, education programs, volunteer initiatives, event spaces, our shop, artist-in-residence program, and digital offerings. Admission to the RMG is always free, and we typically present more than 100 free public programs each year.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is an accessible venue. To learn more or request accommodations, please visit the website.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
72 Queen Street
Civic Centre
Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z3
www.rmg.on.ca
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