What’s On November 2022: Canadian Culture in the UK
November is a month for stillness and contemplation for both Canada and the UK, remembering the lives lost in battles long past or reflecting on the past year before the fervour of the holiday season presses upon us. It’s also the first November in what feels like many that there is a sustained sense of normalcy, where even though we can’t predict the future, we fear less that our upcoming wintry plans will be scuppered. With this promise of some semblance of stability and the quiet reverie of the weeks ahead (Bonfire Night notwithstanding; we hope yours will be cheerfully boisterous), make the most of your month in the UK with our selection of must-attend events and exhibitions, chosen specifically for the Canadian talent and culture they exhibit.
Unintended Consequences: Gathering Downstream by Jen Southern, Quarry Bank
Until 25 November 2022
Part of an exhibition and engagement programme taking place at Quarry Bank, Gathering Downstream is inspired by the River Bollin at the heart of the estate to explore the impact of the industrial revolution on climate change and ecological emergency. Conceived by British artist Jen Southern, who completed her MA at Concordia University in Montreal under a Commonwealth Scholarship, the installation centres on the movement of water on many scales, with emerging videos to which visitors can contribute.
Yaga by Kat Sandler, Drayton Arms Theatre, London
Until 19 November 2022
Directed by Canadian playwright Kay Brattan and produced by the Canadian-owned Little Lion Theatre Company, Yaga gives a modern and comedic twist on the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga, where the elderly wicked old witch of lore might suddenly be more than meets the eye. Catch it at the Drayton Arms Theatre in London before November 19th.
Jin-me Yoon, Long View #1, 2017, chromogenic print. Credit: Jin-me Yoon, Long View #1 (2017)
The Scotiabank Photography Award 2010 – 2022, Canada House Gallery, London
Until 7 January 2023
One of the biggest photography events in Canada and worldwide, the Scotiabank Photography Award was established by Scotiabank and Edward Burtynsky to celebrate excellence in contemporary photography. Now, you can see works by all 12 winners from 2010 to this year at the Canada House Gallery at Trafalgar Square, showcasing art that solidifies Canada’s position as a leader in photographic arts. Please check here for exhibit hours and more Canada Gallery info.
UK Green Film Festival, various locations
Until 12 November 2022
This unique film festival is for green thinkers and documentary lovers, showing in arthouse and independent cinemas across the UK. This year’s programme features 5 incredible films that tell real-life tales of discovery and triumph, including Forest for the Trees, a documentary about a community of Canadian west coast tree planters by award-winning Canadian photographer, photojournalist, filmmaker and former tree planter Rita Leistner.
Journey of the Mind, Arnolfini, Bristol
5 November - 4 December 2022
Fresh from their show in Glasgow, Journey of the Mind comes to Bristol at Arnolfini with works by Canadian artist Kanwar Singh and British animator Christian Wood. Premised on Sikh teachings and heritage to explore the internal journey of the mind, the travelling exhibition asks how can one achieve peacefulness in increasingly troubling minds.
This place is a message, 2021, film still.
Visions Programme 2, Webb-Ellis, Bow Arts, London
11 November - 18 December 2022
Canadian-British filmmakers Webb-Ellis lead the second Visions Programme at Bow Arts, part of their biennial festival of film Visions in the Nunnery. Featuring their film This place is a message along with an international cohort of artists selected from an open call, the resulting exhibition is one that moves between imaginative alternative realities that offer hopeful respite from grounded reality.
Raine Storey, Duty Free, Oil On Canvas, 2022.
Exquisite Corpse by Raine Storey, The Arx, London
Until 29 November
Taking on the tradition of surrealism from the height of its popularity in the 1900s, this exhibition by Canadian artist Raine Storey features intricately detailed drawings of body parts transmuting into objects, strokes of colour and texture. At once beautiful and sinister, the title of the exhibition comes from a game played by the surrealists entitled "Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau" ("The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine”).
Edward Burtynsky, Salt Pans #32, Walvis Bay, Namibia, 2018. Pigment Inkjet Print on Kodak Professional Photo Paper.
Edward Burtynsky: African Studies, Flowers Gallery, London
Until 19 November
Master of photography and internationally renowned Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky presents a selection of his works made between 2015 to 2019 across the African continent. Continuing his arresting images that take on themes of terraforming, agriculture and urbanization, the works found in this series offer a glimpse into the extractive processes employed that transforms the land.