I’m often caught saying that it’s hard to believe an entire month has nearly passed as if the passage of time still catches me by surprise after this many years circling the sun. This is especially so as February fades into March, with its characteristically fewer days rushing us onto the next calendar page with haste.

This year, although I am once again surprised by how quickly the year is already passing, I have no complaints. March greets us with so many things to look forward to, and my only wish is that you’ll be afforded the opportunity to attend a good helping of the events that will take place next month.

From group exhibitions showcasing a healthy portion of Canadian talent to concerts with beloved Canadian musicians, your cultural diary will be blooming like snowdrops.

Julien Ceccaldi, The Land of Cockaigne, 2022, acrylic on canvas, crop.

Julien Ceccaldi: Gourmandises, Modern Art Helmet Row, London

Until 19 March 2022

Montreal-born Julian Ceccaldi’s first solo exhibition with Modern Art is influenced by Shōjo manga, a genre of this particular Japanese comic style that focuses on romantic relationships and heightened emotions, typically aimed at teenaged girls. Through his paintings, sculptures and comic books, characters are conceived with desires and aspirations, feeding a tension caught between seduction and repulsiveness.

A recreation of Maud Lewis’s house in the 1920s, Whitechapel Gallery.

A Century of the Artist’s Studio: 1920 – 2020, Whitchapel Gallery, London

Until 5 June

A major group exhibition featuring some of the most celebrated names in contemporary art, both past and present, A Century of the Artist’s Studio celebrates the breadth of the creativity that pulses recent through Western history. Included in the lineup are a few Canadian names that aren’t to be missed, including the venerable Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis and British Columbia- born artists Rodney Graham and Lisa Milroy.

No Boundaries | Contemporary Canadian Ceramics at Messums, Wiltshire

5 March – 1 May 2022

In November 2021, I wrote about a preview of this ceramics group show that was taking place in London. Now, you can catch the full exhibition at Messums in Wiltshire, with the varied techniques and subject matter taken on by the three Canadian ceramic artists that explore the breadth of what can be achieved with this versatile medium. See Walter Ostrom's conceptual work that takes the form of commemorative plates, Greg Payce's surrealist use of negative space and the abstracted tangles of clay and text by Linda Sormin.

Barenaked Ladies at Royal Albert Hall, London

28 March 2022

Rescheduled from last year, the much-anticipated concert featuring one of Canada’s most beloved bands will be taking the stage at Royal Albert Hall at the end of the month. The Barenaked Ladies will be joined by KT Tunstall and Boothby Graffoe for a night of alternative rock that promises to be unforgettable.

Field of Action: Performative Drawings & Paintings, Canning Gallery

5 March– 20 March 2022

Another group exhibition featuring some must-see Canadian talent, Field of Action is a show that focuses on drawing performance, a type of performance art where drawing is done in front of a live audience, producing both a gestural work grounded in the body and an art object thereafter. For the first 13 days of this exhibition, an artist will perform a drawing each day, culminating in a completed exhibition of drawings that can be viewed until the 20th. Curated by Draw to Perform's founder and director Ram Samocha, an Israel-born artist who completed his MFA at the University of Guelph in Ontario, the international cohort of artists also include Vietnam-born, Canadian-raised KV Duong.

Concerts in Glasgow

There's something in that Glasgow air: throughout March, three Canadian bands will be taking the stage at various venues in the city, providing a taste of what Canada has to musically offer. The Dead South headline a show at The Barrowlands on 21st March, The Bros Landreth will be playing at Stereo on 13th March and the Blue Stones will perform live at King Tut's Glasgow on 16th March.

And there's more

In other art-related Canadian news, Lois Taylor Biggs won the inaugural Indigenous Art Writing Award, an initiative by the Indigenous Curatorial Collective and C Magazine, one of my favourite resources for news and essays about contemporary Canadian art. You'll be able to read her text in the upcoming Spring 2022 issue of the magazine.

And finally, the Sobey Art Award is open for nominations. Nominators for this prestigious award must be an established person within the arts in Canada, and nominees must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. If you have someone in mind, and you’re eligible to nominate someone, be sure to do so before the deadline on 25th March.

If you know of any Canadian events coming up in the UK that you think our audience would love, please get in touch and let us know. For more Canadian news, culture, and insights, be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our Friday Files newsletter.

What’s On March 2022: Canadian Arts and Culture in the UK