Artalogue

Today is the last day of Pride Month! To celebrate an excellent month of Pride programming on the Artalogue, host Madison Beale chats with photographer Wynne Neilly.  Award-winning, Toronto based photographer Wynne Neilly talks about portrait photography as an act of care, and how his queer and trans identity shapes both what he photographs and how he builds trust with the people in front of the camera. 

Neilly traces his path from a high school darkroom to art school mentorship and a practice rooted in relational intimacy. We get into why self-portraiture can be more ch...

Today on the Artalogue, one of my favourite Canadian painters, Janna Watson, chats with me about her art career, being Queer and taking inspiration from nature. Janna Watson is a Toronto-based abstract painter whose paintings use colour, drag marks, contrast, and negative space to reframe spirituality as something embodied, flexible, and alive. She also intentionally avoids borders, letting the edges stay vulnerable and infinite. 

We start with her earliest memories of art, shaped by two artist grandparents and a formative critique from her grandfather: “it needs to be wilder.” From there, Watson breaks down how intuit...

Happy Pride! It's episode 2 of the Artalogue's Pride Programming, speaking with 2SLGBTQ+ voices in Canada's art world. Today on the Artalogue, Madison Beale chats with Jake Kimble, a contemporary Dënesųłıné  photographer based in Vancouver, who was recently highlighted by CBC Arts as an artist to watch! originally from Treaty 8 Territory in the North West Territories. Kimble's work moves between photography, performance, and material experimentation with a clear goal: make authenticity visible without sanding down its edges.

Kimble shares their path from acting to a visual art practice shaped by breath, the body, and the id...

Grief makes people uncomfortable, and that discomfort shapes what we’re allowed to say, show, and share. Today, Madison sits down with Toronto based visual artist, writer, and educator Michèle Pearson Clarke to talk about what happens when you allow yourself move with grief, rather than simply allowing it to move through or past you. 

Clarke walks us through an auto-ethnographic practice rooted in the longing and losses of Brown and Black queer people, and how her practice as an artist took shape later in life. Growing up in Trinidad, she didn’t imagine herself as an art...

Fair warning: this episode's a good one. 

Today, Madison chats with Rob Cowley and Lydia Abbott, principles of the Canadian auction house Cowley Abbott. We explore how an auction house functions within  the Canadian art world and why auctions are one of the most visible indicators of the secondary art market. We talk about how results reveal both demand and supply, and why today’s Canadian art ecosystem is propelled by collaboration between auction houses, specialists, curators, consultants, retail galleries, and public institutions.

Rob and Lydia share their story of building Cowley Abbott, from...

Buying art is the fun part. Knowing what you’re buying, why it matters, and how to protect it over time is where most collectors get stuck. We’re joined by Katlin Rogers, founder of Rogers Art Advisory in Toronto and a certified appraiser with the International Society of Appraisers, to make the Canadian art market feel far less mysterious and a lot more navigable.

We talk about what an art advisor really does, through building a strategy around your taste and goals, sourcing works privately and through galleries or auctions, negotiating, and managing the ungl...

WELCOME TO SEASON 5 OF THE ARTALOGUE! 

We're kicking off the fifth season of the Artalogue with a conversation with Jean-François Bélisle, the Director and CEO of Canada's National Gallery. We discuss the responsibilities of national institutions to their people and how national institutions can serve everyone, not just their immediate audience. 

What does "national" mean to a gallery with a mandate to serve all of Canada?  We explore how the gallery is collaborating with institutions across the country, analyzing gaps in their collection and how to engage the public. We al...

A viral encounter with a bronze sculpture put our host, Madison Beale, in touch with the incomparable interdisciplinary artist Patricia Cronin this year. Today on the Artalogue, Beale sits down down with Cronin to discuss her career trajectory from humble beginnings to a global art world presence as multidisciplinary feminist artist behind Memorial to a Marriage and Shrine for Girls to unpack how a work of art can carry both intimacy and insurgency.

Patricia traces her path from a Catholic childhood through the 1990s culture wars, with erotic Polaroids interrogating power, authorship and voyeurism. That same...

Barbara Cole turned a newsroom fashion job into a decades-long photography practice. In this new episode of the Artalogue, Madison chats with the award winning photographer Barbara Cole about her unorthodox journey to the dark room. 

Cole's first memories of art were at the theatre, which makes sense when you look at her gorgeous and theatrical photographs. She was initially inspired by the British artist Sarah Moon and the painterly way she conceived her photographs. From there she learned by doing: running lights off generators, hand-painting prints, collaging archival imagery, and eventually mastering a practice that treats f...

We all knew the art market slowed slow down, but we didn't realize the rules were being rewritten, too. Advisor, curator, and reporter Elisa Carollo joins Madison Beale on The Artalogue today to discuss the most important questions arising in the art market today.:Will there be more gallery shut downs? How are galleries adapting in a post-boom, post-digital art market?  What can the next generation dealers do to keep their heads above water? Today, we connect the dots between prices, context, and staying power.

We start with Elisa’s journey navigating secondary and primary markets, curation, and...

Can Artificial Intelligence be art? And if yes, can it be good? 

Today on the Artalogue, Madison Beale sits down with artist Jake Elwes to discuss their art practice, as an early adopter of A.I., using it to challenge how we think about the world and technology through their artwork. Elwes does't separate art and tech, instead they use it as an innovative and generative medium. Elwes creates diffusion models that transform faces, words, and gestures into code. Bias, embedded into the datasets and diffusion models that are being used by almost everyone in our world,  be...

Step behind the scenes of Reel Pride, Canada's longest-running 2SLGBTQIA+ film festival, as Madison sits down with festival president Ray Desautels and marketing director Greg Klassen at Manitoba's Theatre for Young People. This fascinating conversation reveals how a dedicated team of volunteers brings dozens of authentic queer stories to Winnipeg screens each year.

From its humble beginnings in 1985 when LGBTQ+ representation was limited to stereotypical characters, Reel Pride has evolved into a multi-faceted celebration of queer cinema.  "We want movies based on our lifestyle," explains Desautels, emphasizing their focus on stories where queerness is central, n...

Bria Fernandes' unique visual language speaks volumes about the things left unsaid. The Ottawa-born-Winnipeg-based figurative painter creates work that explores the nuanced experiences of Black womanhood, identity formation, and the minutia of everyday life.  Just hours before the opening of her first hometown solo exhibition at Gallery 1CO3, Bria sits down to share the creative journey behind her new show "Things Left Unsaid."

Bria reveals how her artistic practice has evolved from her earliest memories painting children's bedrooms to exhibiting internationally. The conversation uncovers a methodical creator who meticulously plans both her figures and backgrounds, refusing to t...

Jacob Trouba's artistic practice couldn't be more connected to his day job as an NHL defenseman. When the Anaheim Ducks player (and former New York Ranger and Winnipeg Jet) starts painting, he's not leaving hockey behind. He's channelling his skills into a unique visual language.

"I think it's kind of a unique way of mark making that's special to me and ties into hockey," Trouba explains, describing how his approach clicked when he began viewing painting as mark-making rather than trying to create a representational image. Inspired by artists like Yves Klein, Trouba uses his body as...

What determines who gets memorialized in our public spaces? Why do some histories endure while others are erased? Dan Hicks, professor of contemporary archaeology at Oxford University and curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, answer these questions today on the Artalogue.

In today's episode, we talk about Hicks' new book, Every Monument Will Fall, his research and how he navigates complex histories of colonialism and cultural heritage from within the institution. Every Monument Will Fall examines our memory culture: who we choose to remember through monuments and museum collections, and whose stories remain untold. Hicks challenges the...

What happens when you combine a background in government policy, financial expertise, and a deep passion for creativity? You get Nina Orm.

Nina's journey from feeling "spiritually bankrupt" in finance to founding Orm Muse Collective and the Agora Fund is inspiring. Her story illuminates the critical moment we're facing in creative industries where traditional structures are crumbling, but from this breakdown emerges an opportunity for reimagining what the future of the art world could look like. 

"We do things for money to survive, but art and creativity are the reasons we live," Nina shares, e...

Today on the Artalogue, Canadian artist Simon Hughes chats with Madison Beale from his Winnipeg studio about his creative beginnings, Canadian art and his career. This episode is all about finding your artistic voice in unexpected places.

Hughes reveals how he developed his unique approach that treats watercolors, drawings and canvas paintings as equal  expressions, not relegating drawings to mere preparatory sketches. His technique of building translucent layers of color, inspired by Paul Klee, creates a distinctive visual depth that characterizes his work. From his early fascination with Hieronymus Bosch and Surrealism to his later dialogue with C...

When she’s not curating her gallery’s programming, Paulina Petkoski is styling CEOs. As the co-founder of Playground Detroit, Petkoski created a unique cultural hub that champions emerging talent in Detroit while bringing awareness to sustainability in the fashion industry.

After studying at FIT and working with major fashion brands in New York, she launched Playground Detroit in 2012 as a platform to showcase her hometown's artists to wider audiences. What began as pop-up events evolved into a permanent gallery space housed in a historic 1877 building, supported by community crowdfunding that demonstrated Detroit's hunger for creative spaces. "Detr...

The art world is notorious for its gatekeeping. This makes Hannah Studnick's story all the more remarkable. At 31, with zero art world experience, she opened Ruby/Dakota Gallery in New York's Alphabet City because a psychic told her she would.

The space (originally found on Craigslist) transformed into something profound. In this candid conversation, Hannah reveals how Ruby/Dakota honours her late twin sister Emma, turning personal grief into a platform for artistic healing. 

Hannah's journey from the reality television industry to dental assistant to gallery owner unfolds like a screenplay, complete with c...

Christopher Stowell was born in New York City and received his training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. In 1985, he joined San Francisco Ballet where he danced for 16 years, appearing in theaters throughout the world. An established interpreter of the George Balanchine repertoire, Stowell has appeared in almost every Balanchine ballet performed by San Francisco Ballet. In 2003 Stowell was named the Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre, a position he held until 2012. In 2017, Stowell was named the first Associate Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, a position he held until 2022. Stowell has...

Behind every great art collection lies a vision, whether it's personal passion or investment strategy. But for many would-be collectors, the first step is the hardest... How do you navigate galleries, auctions, and art fairs without feeling completely out of your depth?

Meet Megan Paterson, founder of Aurelia Art Consulting, who's built her career on making the seemingly impenetrable art world accessible to all. After spending 14 years working at a gallery, Paterson noticed countless eager but intimidated people wanting to purchase art. This observation sparked her to found Aurelia, an art consulting practice that endeavours to break...

Casey Koyczan is a multi-media artist pushing boundaries by merging ancient Dene traditions with cutting-edge digital technologies. Through his diverse practice spanning installation, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D animation, and music production, Koyczan creates immersive experiences that transport viewers into thought-provoking realms where culture, art and technology converge.

At the heart of Koyczan's work lies the concept of Indigenous Futurity – envisioning Indigenous cultures, stories, and practices thriving in future contexts. Koyczan explores the powerful imagery he includes in his work that suggest cultural continuity while embracing technological possibilities.

His internationally recognised Walk in a Circle se...

What does it mean to commit to performance so fully that it transforms how you move through the world? Winnipeg artist Shawna Dempsey reveals in this week's episode how performance art can be a radical tool for change.

Dempsey recalls the inspiration behind some of her and collaborator Lori Millan's iconic works like Lesbian National Parks and Services, where she and Millan became uniformed officials "protecting the lesbian wilds" while educating the public about the inherent queerness of nature. Their performances blended humour, authority, and subversion to create transformative encounters decades before mainstream acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities...

Julius Manapul transforms the pain of displacement into powerful art that challenges colonial structures and celebrates queer identity. As a Filipinx immigrant who arrived in Canada in the 90s, Manapul found themselves caught between languages and cultures—a displacement that led them to embrace visual communication as a universal language transcending verbal barriers.

Manapul's multimedia practice spans sculpture, installation, performance, and experimental film, but perhaps most striking is their transformation of pornographic imagery into intricate butterfly patterns. These works initially attract viewers with their beauty before challenging them with the revelation of their so...

Currently based in Guelph, Ontario, Emily Laurent Henderson is a Kalaaleq (Greenlandic Inuk) and Settler curator and writer. A 2020 University of British Columbia graduate in Anthropology, Emily’s work and writing centres Inuit and Indigenous self-determination in the arts. Her writing has appeared in titles such as the Inuit Art Quarterly, Azure, Studio Magazine, and more. Her debut collection of poetry, "Hold Steady my Vision", was published in 2024 by Publication Studio Guelph.

When Emily Henderson got her first museum job—working in a gift shop—she thought it was the first step towards her dream of being a muse...

Mariana Muñoz-Gomez wears many hats. Gomez is a Winnipeg-based artist, writer, zine maker and curator who intricately weaves personal narratives with collective histories in their lens-based practice. In today’s episode, Gomez shares what it is like to work for yourself as an artist interested in exploring many directions. 

Gomez’ exploration of identity, colonialism, and capitalist structures is not just academic; it's a deeply personal reflection on individual and collective histories that have impacted many people around the world. Gomez’ work urges us to reflect on their own connections to place and history. By employing a variety...

In today’s episode of the Artalogue, Madison chats with Yayoi Shionoiri, VP of External Affairs and General Counsel at Powerhouse Arts. Coming to her legal practice with a unique blend of art history knowledge and legal expertise, Shionoiri has spent over two decades championing artists and navigating intricate legal challenges in contemporary art and estate management. From her beginnings in corporate law to her influential roles at institutions like the Guggenheim Museum and Artsy, Shionoiri‘s career journey has much to learn from for aspiring lawyers and artists alike!

We discuss how her undergraduate research into the...

For artist Ophelia Arc, early memories are not just echoes of the past but a rich source of inspiration for her artistic practice. In today's episode, Arc takes us through her evolving artistic practice where memories blend seamlessly with Arc's interest in theory. Arc showcases how her experiences at the Rhode Island School of Design, particularly through niche courses and critique, have fuelled her understanding of art in a broader and interdisciplinary context.

Transitioning from academia to the commercial art world is an adventure filled with unpredictable encounters and collaborations. She shares her insights on making these...

Today on the Artalogue, I chat with Chloe Chafe, a dynamic creative director from Winnipeg, who takes us through their unconventional journey through the art world. Raised around artists and spurred by inspiring teachers, Chloe found their true calling in high school. With an eye for innovation, Chloe co-founded Synonym Art Consultation, a venture that reshapes the way Winnipeg has thought about public art by bringing creativity to unexpected corners like local restaurants and businesses. This path wasn't easy—Chloe shares the balancing act of managing a service industry job, art school, and a budding business until Synonym Art Co...

Today on the Artalogue, we’re exploring the fascinating world of ancient Roman art with Jacqueline Giz, a passionate PhD student from the University of Michigan. Jacqueline shares her unique journey from aspiring lawyer to art historian, initially sparked by her parents' love for art and Roman history. Discover how her childhood curiosity evolved into a professional pursuit, focusing on the the lesser studied art and artefacts of the ancient  Mediterranean. We chat candidly about picking a university that’s right for you, with Giz elaborating on her choice to study at the University of Michigan, partially influenced by the K...

Step into the captivating world of tattooing with our esteemed guest, Paul Booth, a legendary tattoo artist celebrated for his dark and provocative style. Paul tells us about his career journey from admiring the tattoos of a classmate to opening a 3 story tattoo shop and gallery in Manhattan. Paul opens up about his unique style evolution, rooted in the bold use of black and gray shading. 

Explore the profound journey of tattoos as keepsakes that memorialize pivotal life moments and personal histories. Paul shares heartwarming anecdotes about tattoos that symbolize cherished relationships and personal milestones, such as h...

When I asked Bill Powers, owner of Half Gallery (who also happens to be an avid tennis player) what similarities could be drawn between the art world and the game, he replied "I guess sometimes people may pay more attention to their outfits than their backhand."

Throughout our conversation, Bill Powers, the owner of Half Gallery, serves some keen insight from his many years in the Art World. Starting as a culture journalist  writing for magazines and esteemed publications like the New York Times, Powers pivoted to becoming a gallerist when the moment arose. "Why not me?", h...

Join us as we welcome Joel Nichols, a brilliant Rhodes Scholar whose journey as an artist has taken an exciting turn. I chatted with Joel right before he was leaving Winnipeg for Oxford to further his studies. Through our conversation, Joel reveals how his initial pursuit of science and medicine was put aside after a chance drawing class at university. His interest in science has serendipitously intertwined with his artistic endeavours, particularly in the chemistry-rich world of ceramics. His practice spans multiple mediums, including drawing, painting, and printmaking, creating an interdisciplinary dialogue that speaks to themes of identity, queer...

Hangama Amiri, an acclaimed Afghan-Canadian textile artist, joins us to share her remarkable journey from painting to textiles, drawing deeply from her Afghan heritage and personal history. In our conversation, Amiri explains how she transforms fabrics to tell a story with her art and how powerful the medium is to express authenticity and connection.

We also shine a light on the resilience of Afghan women through salon culture, a fascinating aspect of Amiri's experiences during her visits to Afghanistan that have become prominent in her work. These salons are more than spaces for beauty—they are bastions of...

Canadian artist Corri-Lynn Tetz takes us on an intimate journey through the world of figurative painting, sharing how her grandmother's artistry ignited her passion for painting. From studying at Red Deer College, Emily Carr University, and Concordia University, Corri opens up about navigating the challenges of art school as a figurative painter and the tension woven into her work. She reveals how persistence and a commitment to her artistic vision have been essential, even when her chosen path felt like a "dirty secret." Talking on the heels of her first European solo show in London, Tetz’s story is on...

In today’s episode, join us for an eye-opening chat with Cameron Fraser-Monroe, a trailblazing Canadian dancer and choreographer from the Tla’amin First Nation. From his early start in Ukrainian dance to his prestigious training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Fraser-Monroe’s journey is nothing short of fascinating. We discuss his inspirations in dance and why he chose to prioritize dance over a potential career in mechanical engineering, getting candid about physical and time constraints in dance careers. 

Fraser-Monroe has performed with many companies including Dancers of Damelahamid, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Atlantic Ballet Theatre...

Guinevere Turner is a writer, director and actor who has been working in film and TV since her 1994 debut film Go Fish, which she wrote, produced and starred in. She teamed up with director Mary Harron to write the films American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page and Charlie Says. She was a writer and story editor on Showtime’s The L Word, and she played a recurring character on that show. She has written and directed seven short films, two of which premiered at the Sun, dance Film Festival. She can be seen in film roles that in...

Robin Venter is a queer, non-binary, oil painter residing in Long Beach, California. Venter earned a BFA in drawing and painting from the Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD), which provided atelier-based training the artist utilizes in their current work. The artist’s current body of work explores the relationship between queerness and the representational figurative tradition. Examples of past queer lives and experiences are brought into Venter’s work through nods to art history and mythologies, connecting the past and present to affirm that there have always been examples of those who defy the societal structures of gend...

Laura Lewis is a queer visual artist originally from Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia) currently based in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Her conceptual figurative painting practice explores philosophical questions concerning psychosexuality, the multiplicities of self, and nuances of the human condition.

Lewis graduated in 2018 with a combined degree from NSCAD and the School of Art, University of Manitoba BFA Honours program. She is the founder and facilitator of Critical Painting Perspectives, presented by Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art. She has participated in artist residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, and in Civita Ca...

Welcome to Season 2 of the Artalogue!
Our first 4 episodes this June will be focusing on Queer creatives in the arts.

Fashion can be a powerful tool for expressing queer identities and challenging societal norms. Eleanor Medhurst is a dress historian who specialises in lesbian fashion history and is here to chat all things lesbian fashion in art and culture! We chat about the significance of clothing to the lesbian identity as seen in historical works of lesbian art.  Eleanor uncovers the historical significance of symbols like violets and lavender, tracing their roots to the p...