Historic Exhibition of Trinidadian-Canadian Artist Denyse Thomasos Debuts Virtually at the McMichael

On view virtually as of June 14 | In-person once the McMichael reopens Through September 26, 2021

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is pleased to announce that the highly anticipated exhibition, Denyse Thomasos: Odyssey, will debut virtually on June 14, 2021, and in-person once the McMichael reopens. It will remain on view through September 26, 2021. The exhibition is co-curated by Gaëtane Verna, Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, and Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The show brings together more than 50 works from every phase of Denyse Thomasos’ (1964–2012) career, celebrating her historic contribution to Canadian art.

Please note that the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is closed until further notice while Ontario remains under a province-wide declaration of emergency and stay-at-home order. For more information about virtual offerings, programs, and online shopping, please visit mcmichael.com.

About the Artist

Denyse Thomasos was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, emigrating with her family to Toronto at the age of six, where they joined the city’s dynamic Afro-Caribbean community. She studied at the University of Toronto and Yale School of Art, eventually taking up a teaching position at Rutgers University. Her extensive international travels and research fuelled her understanding of the histories and legacies of oppression, examining the ways in which we organize ourselves in physical and social space.

This exhibition is co-curated by Gaëtane Verna, Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, and Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The catalogue includes a curatorial conversation between Verna and Milroy, and an essay by Canadian author Esi Edugyan.

Tragically, Thomasos died in 2012, abbreviating a career that was as vibrant and powerful as the stories that inspired her. While Thomasos’ work was celebrated in the period immediately following her death, her legacy has since remained dormant. The unique way in which she examined issues regarding race and representation have now become particularly relevant, as these issues increasingly consume our collective attention and our headlines.

Denyse Thomasos: Odyssey is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue including a curatorial conversation between Verna and Milroy, as well as an essay by illustrious Canadian author Esi Edugyan. The catalogue is available exclusively at the McMichael’s Gallery Shop and online eShop.

About the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of over 6,500 works by historic and present-day Canadian artists, including the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, as well as Indigenous artists. The Gallery is located on 100 acres of northern landscape and hiking trails at 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan. For more information, please visit mcmichael.com.

Photo: Denyse Thomasos (1964–2012), Sparrow, 2010, Acrylic on canvas, 152.4 x 182.9 cm, Private collection, L2021.9