Current Exhibitions
Christopher Wallis: In the Balance of Light
artLAB Gallery
Curated by Cody Barteet and Natalie Scola
Exhibition: January 9 – January 30, 2025
Reception: Thursday, January 9 from 6-8pm
Image Caption: Detail from design for Madonna and Child, St. Stephen Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church, Calgary
In the Balance of Light celebrates the remarkable career of Christopher Wallis (1930–2021), a master stained glass artist renowned for his innovative approach to a centuries-old art form. Born in England and trained at the Hammersmith School of Arts and Crafts, Wallis created over 800 works in Canada and the United States, including ecclesiastical windows, institutional designs and private commissions. His notable works include heraldic windows at Rideau Hall, installations at Western University and Osgoode Hall, and church windows across London and southwestern Ontario. A Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and a member of both the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Wallis left a lasting legacy in stained glass art.
Drawing from hundreds of designs and drawings, this exhibition offers a comprehensive view of his artistic practice. Featuring coloured designs, preliminary sketches, full-sized cartoons, and completed windows, it highlights Wallis’ ability to create detailed narratives through vibrant colours and intricate symbols, meant to evoke deep emotional responses. By blending traditional representational forms with mid-century abstraction, he redefined stained glass for modern audiences. Wallis’s work demonstrates a detailed consideration of how colour would interact with the intended space, ensuring his windows were not only visually striking but were also unified with their architectural surroundings. This exhibition invites viewers to experience Wallis' designs in their full spectrum, showcasing the depth and skill of his stained glass works. Through his work, Christopher Wallis transformed stained glass into a living medium, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire.
This exhibit is made possible through the generous support of the Department of Visual Arts and Western University’s internal granting program. The curators extend their thanks to the family of Christopher Wallis whose generosity and collaboration in sharing his materials have been essential in celebrating his remarkable work.
Documentation by Dickson Bou, artLAB Gallery InternInternational Aisle
Cohen Commons
Curated by Dhra Patel
Featuring work by: Genevieve Buchanan, Cheyne Ferguson, Jadhen Pangilinan, Dhra Patel, Amythly
Exhibition: January 9 – January 30, 2025
Reception: Thursday, January 9 from 6-8pm
The international food aisle, unlike any other section in the grocery store, is the only place where you can find foods like ramen, chutney and tajin next to each other. Despite how different these foods and the cultures they come from are, they have been grouped together because they are deemed “exotic goods,” regardless of the grocery store’s demographics or where the food products are made. This othering, made more obvious by the aisle’s location that is usually at the back of the store, closely parallels the dynamics and experiences that people from marginalized communities experience on a day-to-day basis.
International Aisle invites diverse artists Genevieve Buchanan, Cheyne Ferguson, Jadhen Pangilinan, Dhra Patel and Amythly to tell untold food stories. Artworks exploring themes such as disability, stereotype, colonialism and depictions of the international grocery aisle are “shelved” together in this exhibition to mimic the international aisle. The artists’ unique perspectives will contribute to creating an international grocery aisle that isn’t othered, but instead creates an inclusive space to voice their experiences and opinions.
Documentation by Dickson Bou, artLAB Gallery Intern
