Grimsby Public Art Gallery, November 25 - February 24, 2026
The environments we inhabit are constantly changing; often so gradually that transformation slips past unsolicited. What feels stable or familiar today carries with it traces of alterations, quiet reminders of how the world continues to evolve. Stephanie Fortin’s new body of work grows from this awareness, offering a meditation on presence, process, and transformation within the living systems of The Arboretum at the University of Guelph.
Working closely within this environment, Fortin engages with trees and natural elements found on site: particularly black walnut and sumac, rich in tannins combined with rust-derived iron to develop colour markings. Using textile sources from thrift shops and donations, methods similar to frottage (a technique where a texture or surface relief is transferred onto another material by rubbing over it), and slow, site-responsive processes, her works register traces of an evolving landscape.
The resulting works bear the impressions of time and weather—dampness softening a print, wind shifting a fold. These marks are not accidents but evidence. Evidence of duration, of proximity, of materials acting on their own terms. Fortin’s practice is one of attentive participation rather than control, allowing the living world to inscribe itself onto the fabric.
In Field Notes, Fortin invites us to slow down and attune ourselves to the subtle moments of colour, decay, renewal, and our relationships with the natural world. Each work holds the memory of a specific moment that continues to shift with time, offering a record of the present while reminding us that even what we think of as now is already in transition.
Curated by Alexandra Hartstone
Images: Laura Findlay
Special thanks to The Arboretum at the University of Guelph and arborist Kellen Wood for their generous support and expertise.
July 26th - August 30th
A group exhibition presented by Galerie Nicolas Robert Toronto, featuring new works by Vida Beyer, Tayler Buss, Celeste Cares, Clea Christakos-Gee, Bahar Enshaeian, Hal Fortin, Stephanie Fortin, Cindy Hill, Isabelle Kuzio, Eunice Luk, Hillary Matt, Roda Medhat, Aubin Soonhwan K, and Natasha Verbeke.
Images: Laura Findlay
“Rooted in the belief that contemporary art reflects and refracts the lived experiences of its makers, 155,578 champions a vibrant cross-section of practices that range in medium, subject, and sensibility. As a first curatorial initiative by Erin Szikora in her role as Curator of Contemporary Art, the exhibition seeks to listen to the city—to the stories, questions, and creative gestures that define its present, while looking ahead at possibilities for its future.” More info here.
Home, reclaimed cotton, organic cotton thread, foraged sumac, citric acid, rust-derived iron, 123 x 168 in., 2024
Images 1 and 2 by Toni Hafkenscheid
Art Gallery of Guelph, April 2 - 6, 2025
https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/exhibition/the-weight-of-stains-the-wait-of-time-stephanie-fortin/
Images: Catherine Chan
