Summer 2026 Exhibitions at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

The RMG is pleased to present five new exhibitions this summer

Summer Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 1 – 4pm
Take the shuttle bus from Toronto. To RSVP for the opening and/or reserve your spot on the bus, please visit here.

Oliver Husain, still from Golden Snail, 2026. Courtesy of the artist and Susan Hobbs Gallery.

Oliver Husain: I ♥︎ Snail

June 6 – November 1, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 1 – 4pm

I ♥︎ Snail is an immersive video installation by Oliver Husain that examines IMAX cinema as both an experimental film format emerging in the 1960s and a technology later mobilized as a tool of nation-building. The exhibition centres on the premiere of Golden Snail (2026), a new edit and immersive 3D installation of Husain’s original IMAX film Garden of the Legend of the Golden Snail (2019). The work takes as its point of departure the Keong Emas (Golden Snail) Theatre in Jakarta, inaugurated in 1984 as Indonesia’s first IMAX cinema. Husain situates this cinematic landmark alongside another contemporaneous project: the introduction of the Golden Apple snail as a new protein source for rural populations in Indonesia. Promoted as an efficient, future-oriented solution to food security, the snail was framed as a rational intervention aligned with national development goals, even as it later proved to be deeply environmentally destructive. By bringing these two histories into dialogue, Golden Snail traces how spectacle and sustenance, myth and modernization, were mobilized through a shared figure.

More info about the exhibition >

Stephen Andrews, Cartoon, graphite and pencil crayon on mylar, 2007. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Stephen Andrews: The sum of the parts

June 6 – November 1, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 1 – 4pm

The sum of the parts brings together a constellation of works by Stephen Andrews that examine how systems of war, resource extraction, and global capital are permitted through complacency and constructed through incremental, often hidden acts. At the centre of the exhibition is The Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s recent acquisition of Cartoon (2007), a landmark work comprised of 125 drawings on mylar that together form the stills of a single-channel video animation.

Attentive to the ways images circulate and accrue meaning, the works in this exhibition explore how these representations mediate our understanding of global events and illustrate Andrews’ sustained inquiry into the infrastructures that sustain violence—global oil production, militarized economies, and consumer complicity embedded in daily life. Across the exhibition, Andrews proposes that no image, gesture, or action exists in isolation. Each is part of a broader network of cause and consequence. In bringing these works together, The sum of the parts considers how these systems are assembled and how they might, through sustained attention, be understood differently.

More info about the exhibition >

Austin Henderson, Oshawa Blvd., acrylic and photo transfer on canvas, 4″ x 4″, 2026.

Austin Henderson: Talking to Papou

June 13 – August 9, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 1 – 4pm

Engaging in archival research and familial self-reflection during his residency, Austin Henderson produced new paintings, prints, and other multimedia works inspired by his Greek-Canadian grandfather, or papou. Upon coming out to his parents, the artist learned that his maternal grandfather had passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1988. Curious about the conversations they could have shared, Austin’s project investigates the obscuring effects of secrecy and the impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada. Considering joy as a pathway out of shame, the work explores what it means to transform a family portrait through tenderness, love, and reclamation.

More info about the exhibition >

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

Stories in Ink: Illustrations by Oscar Cahén

June 13, 2026 – January 3, 2027

This exhibition presents rarely seen illustrations from the Permanent Collection, revealing Cahén’s ability to craft vivid scenes that capture humour, empathy, and the complexities of the human experience.

More info about the exhibition >

Answering the Call: First Responders in Historic Oshawa

June 13, 2026 – January 3, 2027

Drawn from the Thomas Bouckley Collection, this exhibition looks back at the first responders and health care workers who have served the Oshawa community across generations.

More info about the exhibition >

Also on View

Painters Eleven: Radical Colour
March 7, 2026 – August 23, 2026

This exhibition showcases Painters Eleven’s diverse approaches to abstraction alongside a common enthusiasm for bold, expressive colour, highlighting the individuality of each artist.

More info about the exhibition >

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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