Huntley and Logan, 2019–2020 © Spring Hurlbut / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery

Spring Hurlbut: Dyadic Circles & Arnaud Maggs: Selections from the Archive

May 9 – June 27, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 9, 2 – 5pm | Remarks at 3pm
Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto

Stephen Bulger Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Spring Hurlbut (b. April 11, 1952, Toronto). Hurlbut studied at the Ontario College of Art (OCAD University) from 1971 to 1973, and at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University) from 1973 to 1975. A multidisciplinary artist, she has long been recognized for her exploration of the relationship between sculpture and architecture, as well as themes of mortality.

In the mid-1990s, Hurlbut began photographing cremated ashes. In 2008, she released Airborne, a slow-motion video work documenting the release of human ashes entrusted to the artist by relatives of the deceased, including her own father.

Double Trouble (positive), 2010 © Spring Hurlbut / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery

The photographic series Dyadic Circles, 2019–2020, which will be shown with other works from Hurlbut’s Shut Up and La Bouche series, was inspired by a 1920 painting by Hilma af Klint titled No. 1, Starting Picture. Hurlbut was captivated by the work and by the idea of the circle, traditionally a symbol of unity, being divided into two parts, suggesting a duality within a whole. Her ensuing series comprises photographs of funerary ash derived from both humans and animals, with the focus predominantly on domestic animals. As with Airborne, family members or friends of the deceased gave the artist permission to work with their ashes.

Chargé IV, 1997 © Arnaud Maggs / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery

After training and working as a graphic designer, Arnaud Maggs (b. May 5, 1926, Montréal; d. November 17, 2012, Toronto) turned to commercial photography. From 1967, he produced editorial fashion images and portraiture for Canadian magazines including Maclean’s, Chatelaine, Saturday Night, Canadian Business, and Toronto Life. At the age of 47, Maggs decided to become a visual artist, concentrating on photography and conceptualism, creating works largely based on systems of identification, sometimes of his own invention. This exhibition will feature works from his series Downwind Photographs, 64 Views, After Nadar, Hotel, and Notification.

After Nadar: Pierrot and Bauchet, 2012 © Arnaud Maggs / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery

Maggs frequently referenced the history of photography within his work, drawing in various ways on figures such as Nadar, Alphonse Bertillon, Eugène Atget, André Kertész, August Sander, and Walker Evans. He was also interested in the filmic aspects of still photography, and in the idea of composing and editing work within the camera. Attuned to the technical conditions of analogue photography, the artist’s works revealed and embraced the “accidental” elements inherent to the medium—light leaks, clip scratches, misaligned film, multiple exposures, and other unforeseen occurrences.

Hurlbut and Maggs were the subjects of Spring & Arnaud (2013), produced by site(media)inc., co-directed and produced by Katherine Knight, and co-directed by Marcia Connolly, who also served as cinematographer and producer. The film premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

The documentary will be available April 24 to June 1, 2026, on the TVO Docs YouTube channel, at tvo.org, and via the TVO smart TV app.

Stephen Bulger Gallery
1356 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON, M6J 1Y2
416-504-0575
info@bulgergallery.com

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Accessibility: The gallery is partially accessible, with a level entrance, an accessible washroom, wide and unobstructed pathways, and automatic doors at the entrance.