What's On April 2023: Canadian Culture in the UK
Every month this year has been exceedingly busy, where everyone seemingly has a bit too much to do. As days stretch out longer and into warmer evenings, we suggest taking some time to realign yourself with the new rhythms of spring and the tempo of the cultural calendar. This month, we're giving you our top picks for Canadian culture in the UK a little earlier, so that you can plan your entire April with must-see shows and events. We've also added a few events taking place back in Canada and online, in case the UK isn't where you find yourself in the following weeks. From touching tales by Canadian playwrights to the vastness of Canadian landscapes caught on paint and canvas, see what deserves a visit this April.
Worth by Joanne Lau, Arcola Theatre, London
7 - 29 April 2023
Acclaimed UK-based Chinese-Canadian writer Joanne Lau’s darkly funny production, “Worth”, follows the tale of siblings in the hours before their mother’s funeral. Generational trauma, sibling rivalry and shocking family secrets are uncovered in this comedy that fumbles between two cultures, where a missing inheritance is a catalyst for the misadventures to follow.
David Mankin, etched upon the horizon blue, 2023. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas.
David Mankin: Uncharted, &Gallery, Edinburgh
1 - 29 April 2023
Taking place in Edinburgh is a solo exhibition by Cornwall-based artist David Mankin, who completed a month-long art residency in Pouch Cove last November. This remote Canadian fishing cove in Newfoundland is the Easternmost point in North America, and holds significant historical connections to Cornwall, with both coasts sharing similar ancestry, fishing industries, art communities, and relationships with the ocean. Inspired by the unique land and seascape of this residency, David’s newest works journey into the unknown through the careful consideration of his painting compositions.
Lesley Burr, A Greenland Iceberg. Oil on canvas.
Lesley Burr: Painting the Polar Landscape, The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
Until 2nd April
Only a few days left to catch this painting exhibition by UK artist Lesley Burr, who was selected by the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute as the Arctic Artist in Residence. With this residency, Lesley visited Nunavut, which deeply informed the works presented in this solo show. Fragile landscapes meet dazzling colours and textures in these paintings that capture the grandeur of the Canadian North.
Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT 1), Sadler’s Wells, London
19 - 22 April 2023
Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite is joined with an array of international talent for this UK premiere of Figures in Extinction [1.0], performed by Dutch contemporary dance company Nederlands Dans Theater. Paying heed to the rapidly changing reality of our planet, between animal life and cultures of old, this performance questions our position as humans caught between perpetrator and victim in the age of extinction.
The Retreat by Jason Sherman, Finborough Theatre, London
25 April - 13 May 2023
Written by renowned Canadian playwright Jason Sherman, the European premiere of The Retreat takes place at London’s award-winning Finborough Theatre at the end of April. Following the story of a Hebrew teacher with a yearning to become a screenwriter, this fast-paced performance entwines professional and personal lives to explore larger themes of loyalty and power.
Images Festival, Toronto and online
1 - 2 April 2023
A long-standing festival bridging film and media with contemporary art, Images Festival returns in April with a hybrid format in Toronto and online. This hybridity weaves itself into this year’s theme: ghost and host. More than a catchy rhyme, these two terms are at odds as they clash in their ontologies, one being ethereal and absent, the other being rooted in embodiment. Through the lens of this spiritual and philosophical contemplation, view works by both Canadian and international talent throughout the month, both away from keyboard (AFK) and online.
Association for Art History Annual Conference 2023, University College London
12-14 April 2023
For those more academically inclined with their interest in culture, the Association for Art History will be hosting their 49th Annual Conference at University College in London, with panels and keynotes spanning the diverse breadth of the study of art history. The agenda includes a session titled Against the Nation: Rethinking Canadian Art History in the World, which brings into dialogue research on Canadian art as a site of cultural encounter and transnational connections.
Vibrations sur fibres 21, Retrospective Paulette-Marie Sauvé, online
This online exhibition of Canadian artist Paulette-Marie Sauvé, hosted by the Musée des métiers d’art du Québec, reveals the intricate woven tapestries that tell tales through warp and weft. With a splendid combination of colours that blend and overlap to produce images both abstract and representational, this renowned artist works with fibre in ways that break down all previous conceptions of its limits.