Jon Sasaki CV
Education
1996 B.F.A, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
Selected Solo Exhibitions and Projects
2025
Homage touring exhibition and new commission, University of Manitoba School of Art Gallery, Winnipeg, MB
The Hollow Man, public art commission for the City of Vancouver, BC
2024
Homage, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, ON
A Space of Endless Potential, a commission for the BMO Project Room, Toronto, in collaboration with Gordon Hicks, P.Eng.
Homage, Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, Sarnia, ON
2023
We First Need a Boat for the Rising Tide to Lift Us, National Gallery of Canada
We Are Shaped By The Obstacles We Face, permanent public artwork made in collaboration with DTAH landscape architects, Toronto waterfront
Aura (in conjunction with Homage touring exhibition) Art Windsor Essex, ON
2022
Jack Pine, 8' Camera Crane, RBC Collection video screen, Toronto, ON
I Would Rather Share A Pumpkin Than Be Lonely On A Velvet Cushion, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, NY
Homage, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, ON
Neighbours, public sculpture commission for the City of Mississauga, ON
Homage, Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
2021
Homage, touring exhibition organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba
Online performance for Field Trip, presented by The Power Plant, Toronto, ON
2020
A Day Becomes A Sunrise, The Rooms, St. John's, Nfld.
Homage, touring exhibition originating at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
Killing One Bird With Half A Stone, Esker Foundation, Calgary AB
2019
We First Need a Boat for the Rising Tide to Lift Us, Richmond Art Gallery, in conjunction with the LIVE Performance Biennale and the Richmond Maritime Festival
2018
Forwards and Backwards, Permanent public art installation, Toronto Transit Commission, Coxwell subway station
Improvised Travel Adapters, North American Souvenirs at the Edition Art Fair, Toronto
2017
I Coined A Word The Other Day, But I Forgot What It Was. It Was a Good One. It Came To Me In a Dream. Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto, ON
Things Saved For A Rainy Day, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON
2016
Dividers Made Into A Juncture, permanent public art commission, City of Barrie, ON
In The House Built By Those That Came Before Me, Art Gallery of Sudbury, Sudbury, ON
From the Ground To The Sky And Back Again, La Galerie Du Nouvel-Ontario, Sudbury, ON
A Vague Sense of an Impending Something, YYZ Artists' Outlet, Toronto, ON
2015
Rightsized Limo, day-long performance, November 15, MOCAD, Detroit, MI
Two Roads Diverged In A Wood, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, ON
2014
A Clock Set To 24-Hours Into the Future, public art commission for Temporary Contemporary, Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
2013
More Still Than Still, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, ON
Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, SK
Jessica Bradley Gallery, Toronto, ON
2012
Prairie Art Gallery, Grande Prairie, AB
I’ll Try To Make It… Gallery 101, Ottawa, ON
MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, ON
Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge, AB
2011
KW/AG Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, ON
Pine, Art Gallery of Ontario, in partnership with Images Festival, Toronto, ON
Good Intentions, Kenderdine Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
2010
Comedown, Access, Vancouver, BC
Holding Pattern, 126, Galway, Ireland
On Purpose, Eastern Edge, St. John’s Nfld
Unabashed Optimism, Jessica Bradley Art +Projects, Toronto, ON
Good Intentions, Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON
2009
Crossroads, Centre Clark, Montreal, Quebec
Warmup, AUDIO OUT project space, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto, ON
Some Unabashed Optimism, Latitude 53, Edmonton, AB
2007
Six Shaggy Dog Stories, Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON
Moving the Goal Posts, The New Gallery, Calgary, AB
Wishing for Three More Wishes, Gallery TPW, Toronto, ON
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
Trust Fall, two person exhibition with Laura Gildner, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo BC, curated by Jesse Birch
2024
A Look Within: The Vision of Alberta Collectors, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton AB
Looking Out: Canadian Artists in Bermuda, Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, curated by Dr. Sara Thom
2023
Works from the RBC Art Collection at Art Toronto
Violent Exports, UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, video programme curated by Luke A. Fidler
2022
Car Show, curated by Charlene K. Lau and Liana Schmidt, ESP, Toronto
Yume Digital Dreams, collaboration with Baco Ohama, curated by Matt Miwa and Julie Tamiko Manning
Refracting the Lens, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON, curated by Anik Glaude
2021
Pandemical Loneliness, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, ON
A Lingering Shadow, The Polygon Gallery and Centre A, Vancouver, BC
Burning Glass, Reading Stone, Blackwood Gallery, an eight-part lightbox series on the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus
2020
Immaterial Architecture, The Art Museum, University of Toronto, group exhibition curated by Yan Wu
In Process, online video programme curated by Tanya Zimbardo and Diego Villalobos, inprocessprojects.com
Pressure Cracks, Near North Media Lab, North Bay ON, curated by Robin Alex McDonald and Alexander Rondeau
2019
Fast Forward, Birch Contemporary, Toronto, ON
Writers Select, The Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON
Hart House Collection: Works on View, Hart House, University of Toronto, ON
Bend, Prince Takamado Gallery at the Canadian Embassy in Japan
Cluster, Ceramic edition commissioned for the 2019 SMASH fundraising event, Gardiner Museum Toronto
Self-Publishing Publizieren als Kunst, Kunsttempel, Kassel, Germany
2018
L’Éclatement de l’image, Musée régional de Rimouski , Rimouski QC, curated by Ève De Garie-Lamanque
“If, But What If?”, The Bentway Conservancy, Toronto, curated by Ilana Altman
Multi Layered Surfaces, Prince Takamado Gallery at the Canadian Embassy in Japan, Nihonbashi Institute of Contemporary Art, Denchu Hirakushi House, Tokyo
Multi Layered Identities, Residency and offsite exhibition, Koshoji Temple. Anewal Gallery, Kyoto, curated by Daisuke Takeya
Tout Contexte est Art, La Galerie UQO, Gatineau QC, curated by Jean-Michel Quirion
Without Repair, Union Gallery, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, curated by Robin Alex McDonald
Halcyon Days, Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, curated by Crystal Mowry
Figures of Sleep, Art Museum, University of Toronto, curated by Sarah Robayo Sheridan
2017
Lesson Ø, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon Branch, Seoul Korea
12 Trees: Let There Be Light, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, ON, curated by Douglas Coupland and Ben Mills
A Present Abstract, Cydonia Gallery, Fort Worth, TX, curated by Alex Bowron
Epic Fail, Platform Centre for Photographic + Digital Arts, Winnipeg MB
Art Souterrain, Montreal QC
Duration & Dialogue II, durational performance festival, Katzman Contemporary, Toronto
2016
Taehwa River Eco Arts Festival, Ulsan, South Korea
Form Follows Fiction, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, curated by Luis Jacob
Mixer, MOCA Toronto, co-presented at the Royal Conservatory, curated by Christof Migone
Cut The World Until It Fits On The Back Of Your Hand, Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto, ON
Showroom, The Art Museum at the University of Toronto, curated by Sarah Robayo Sheridan
Notes on How To Be a Human, the Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, AB, curated by Natasha Chaykowski
Singular Bodies, one of ten choreographed solos for the Toronto Dance Theatre, Toronto, ON
Why Can't Minimal, touring exhibition, Open Space Victoria BC, The Rooms, St. John's NFLD, Kenderdine Art Gallery, Saskatoon SK
2015
The Work of Wind, Nuit Blanche Toronto, curated by Christine Shaw
Half-Lit Moon, Nuit Blanche Edmonton, curated by Dave Dyment
Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Exhibition, Glenfiddich Gallery, Dufftown UK
Why Can't Minimal, touring exhibition, Contemporary Calgary, Calgary AB
Always Already, Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga, ON, curated by Julia Abraham
Rose-Colored Glasses, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK
Papier Projects, Papier15 Art Fair, Montreal PQ
Still Life, Still Living, Jessica Bradley Gallery, Toronto, ON
Hang In There, Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB, curated by Lisa Theriault
Under the Kamejima Bridge, collaboration with Hiroaki Morita, Art Autonomy Network, Nihonbashi Institute of Contemporary Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Villa Toronto, Art Fair, closing performance at the MOCCA, January 23, 2015
2014
Platform Art Spaces, Melbourne, Australia, curated by Pippa Milne
Why Can't Minimal, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Toronto, ON, curated by John Hampton
"TBA", Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, ON, curated by Su-Ying Lee
The Secret to Living, Jessica Bradley Gallery, Toronto, ON, curated by Leah Turner
Home Sweet Home, À propos de l'(in)quietude, Dazibao, Montréal, Quebec
2013
More Than Two (Let It Make Itself) curated by Micah Lexier, The Power Plant, Toronto, ON
We’re in the Library, Koffler Gallery, Toronto, ON
Auto-Motive: World from the Windshield, Oakville Galleries, Oakville, ON
Please Stare, Neutral Ground, Regina, SK
2012
Genius Loci, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, ON
Junction Arts Festival, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Yo-In: Nikkei National Museum, Burnaby, BC
Great Outdoors! Pace University Digital Gallery, NYC
2011
Electric Speed, Urban Screen video commission, curated by Revised Projects in association with the Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC
Cabin Fever, Neutral Ground, Regina SK
From One Side to Another, ESAM, Caen, France
2010
Cabin Fever, Platform: Centre for Photographic & Digital Arts, Winnipeg, MB
Move Me! The Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts Trust, London, UK
FAX, Burnaby Art Gallery, touring exhibition originating at the Drawing Center, NY
“Proposal (Notes Towards a Mental Breakdown) for Toronto” an exhibition-in-print by Vincent Honoré, for Canadian Art, Spring 2010.
CUE, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Alternorthern, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
2009
We Are Sailing, Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, Hamilton Bermuda
The Projects, Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto, Mississauga. (offsite: City of Port Credit.)
Road-Runners, VOX, Centre de l’image contemporaine, Montréal, QC
New Beginnings, curated by Pamela Meredith, Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto, ON
2008
Vanish, Art Gallery of Regina, Regina, SK
I Promise It Will Always Be This Way, Nuit Blanche, Toronto, ON
Stories, In Pieces, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, University of Toronto
The Constant Search for a Better Way, Simon Fraser University Gallery, Vancouver, BC
A Little Art Every Day as Directed, Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
Selected Screenings
2024
Water (Deshkan Ziibi), 12-hour event at the artLAB at the Department of Visual Arts, Western University, London, Ontario and the Doris McCarthy Gallery, curated by Ann MacDonald and Marla Hlady; Christof Migone, Sheri Osden Nault and Ruth Skinner
2020
To Be Continued, Platform Gallery and the Winnipeg Underground Film Festival
2019
City Moments, Sidewalk Labs Toronto, programmed by filmmaker Peter Lynch
2016
Screening programmed by Leslie Supnet, Winnipeg Cinematheque
Lifetime Piling Up, programmed by Dave Dyment, Nuit Blanche Edmonton, Edmonton AB
2015
Performance Arcade, Wellington, New Zealand
Fool Me Once You Can't Be Fooled Again, programme by Nothing To See Here, at the Dikeou Collection, Denver, and the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art.
58 Yard / 53.0352 Metre Runway, screening and lecture, MOCAD, Detroit, MI
2014
Images Festival, commissioned video, Toronto, ON
ARTBAR, curated by Lara Thoms, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
Title Goes Here, Fail Fest, Denver CO
Feature Contemporary Art Fair, video program, Toronto, ON
2013
Stop At Nothing, intervention as part of the Parkdale Film + Video Showcase, Toronto, ON
Doin’ Good, programmed by Leslie Supnet, Winnipeg Cinematheque, Winnipeg, AB
2012
Brick + Mortar Film Festival, Greenfield MA, curated by Denise Markonish
2010
Disembodied Bodies Pt. 1, (Images festival touring programme) ECC Hall, Seoul, Korea, followed by venues in Bangalore, Baroda, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Thailand and Taipei.
Ok. Quoi? Arts Festival, Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, Sackville, NB
Disembodied Bodies, Images Festival 23, Toronto, ON
Ex-Territory, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2009
'Let Us Play', 126, Galway, Ireland
2008
At Play, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia
Video Now: Artists Working in the Spirit of Bruce Nauman, Aurora Picture Show and The Menil Collection, Houston, TX
2007
Haptic, CAFKA, Kitchener, ON
Rooftop TV, New York
2006
Trapped Inside the Machine, Rooftop Films, Brooklyn, NY
2004
Let’s Get Tested, Oberhausen Film Festival; Independent Film Show 4th edition, Napoli, Italy
How to be a Canadian, Eyebeam Gallery, NYC; Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003
+System, Short Videos from the World, BizArt Art Center, Shanghai and Vitamin Creative Space, Canton
Selected Bibliography
Mashel Teitelbaum Terror & Beauty, contributor, edited by Andrew Kear, Goose Lane Editions, 2024
Robin Alex McDonald, Art in Sisyphean Times, Brooklyn Rail, March 2024
Mixed Drinks, contributor, artist book by Dean Baldwin Lew, published by MOCA Toronto
I Would Rather Share A Pumpkin Than Be Lonely On A Velvet Cushion, exhibition publication, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, essay by John Massier, 2022
Drawn Together, artist book documenting collaborative project with Oliver East, supported by Koyama Provides
Things Saved For a Rainy Day, digital exhibition catalogue, Anik Glaude and the Varley Art Gallery of Markham
Allison LaSorda, Tiny Grandeur, BESIDE Magazine online, https://beside.media/besiders/tiny-grandeur/
Dan Adler, review, Artforum International, November 2021, Vol. 60, No. 3
Chris Hampton, The group of seven billion: This art was made by bacteria from the Group of Seven's paint palettes, CBC Arts, September 20, 2021
Jon Sasaki: Homage. Exhibition catalogue, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Sarah Milroy and Alison Douglas Contributors, 2021
Daniella Sanader, Germs of inspiration, review and photo feature, Maclean's Magazine, May 2021, pp. 86-91
A Like Vision: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. (contributor) Ian Dejardin and Sarah Milroy, 2020
Form Follows Fiction: Art And Artists In Toronto. Luis Jacob, 2020
Art After Dark: 10 Years of UrbanScreen. Survey catalogue, Surrey Art Gallery, 2020
Henry Heng Lu, exhibition review of We First Need a Boat for the Rising Tide to Lift Us, Canadian Art Online, fall 2019
Hart House Review, commissioned photo feature for the 100th anniversary issue
The Site Magazine, Volume 40, photo feature, with essay by Gustavo Artigas
Self-Publishing Publizieren als Kunst, exhibition catalogue, Kunsttempel Kassel
Julia Roberge Van Der Donckt, exhibition review of Tout Contexte Est Art, Inter Art Actuel issue 131 pp. 99-101
Tout Contexte Est Art, exhibition catalogue, Galerie UQO, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 2018
Dan Adler, exhibition review, Border Crossings, Volume 37 Number 1, Issue #145, pp. 93-95
Ontario Association of Architects 2017 Awards catalogue
Lesson Ø, exhibition catalogue, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA, Gwacheon, Seoul)
Kenneth Hayes, Base Industries, text to accompany GNO and AGS exhibitions, Sudbury, 2017
Taehwa Eco River Art Festival, exhibition catalogue, 2016
Two Roads Diverged In A Wood, exhibition catalogue, Ottawa Art Gallery, 2016
Brad Phillips, Cut The World Until It Fits On The Back Of Your Hand, review, Blouin Modern Painters, June/July 2016
Printopolis, Open Studio, edited by Tara Cooper and Jenn Law, 2016
Why Can't Minimal, touring exhibition catalogue, Justina M Barnicke Gallery, 2016
Alex Bowron, Some Things That May or May Not Relate, exhibition text for YYZ Artists' Outlet, 2016
Border Crossings, Review of Rightsized Limo, Volume 34, Number 4, Issue No. 136
Sarah Rose Sharp, Slicing Up a Limo as a Metaphor for Detroit, Hyperallergic, November 17, 2015
Alex Bowron, Shifting Perceptions, Magenta Magazine, Spring, 2015
Ben Portis, Dance and Objecthood, The Dance Current, June, 2015
Hang In There, exhibition catalogue, essay by Lisa Theriault, Owens Art Gallery, 2015
Dagmara Genda, review of Why Can't Minimal, C Magazine issue 125, Spring 2015.
Villa Toronto, catalogue, 2015
Why Can't Minimal, exhibition catalogue, essay by John G. Hampton, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Toronto, 2014
Adam Lauder, Comedians and Stoics, Canadian Art Volume 31, Number 2, Summer 2014
Home Sweet Home, À propos de l'(in)quietude, exhibition catalogue, Dazibao, Montréal QC, 2014
John Hampton, Flunking Ethics, essay, DAG Volumes: No. 2, catalogue. 2013
Amanda Brason, Jon Sasaki, review, Border Crossing Volume 32 Number 2 Issue no. 126, Summer 2013
Auto-Motive World from the Windshield, Digital Exhibition Catalogue, Oakville Galleries, Oakville, ON, 2013
We're In The Library, exhibition brochure, text by Mona Filip, Koffler Gallery, Toronto, ON, 2013
Lee Henderson, We’re All Looking At The Stars… essay, Gallery 44 blog, Toronto, ON
Gabrielle Moser, Critics’ Picks, review, Artforum.com, February 2013
David Jager, Subtle Sasaki, review, Now Magazine, Vol 32 no 20.
Great Outdoors! Exhibition catalogue, Pace Digital Gallery, 2012
Yo–In, Exhibition catalogue, Nikkei National Museum, Burnaby, BC, 2012
Heather Diack, Sleepless Nights: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Performance. Essay, Public #45, Spring 2012
Kate Armstrong editor, Electric Speed, catalogue, Surrey Art Gallery, Revised Projects and New Forms Media Arts Society, interview with Greg J. Smith, 2012
Jon Sasaki:Good Intentions, exhibition catalogue co-published by Doris McCarthy Gallery, Kenderdine Art Gallery, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, MacLaren Art Centre, Prairie Art Gallery, Dunlop Art Gallery. Essays by Ann MacDonald, Crystal Mowry and Ben Portis, 2011
Comedown, exhibition catalogue, published by Access Gallery, Vancouver. Essay by Jesse Birch, 2011
Christof Migone editor, WOOD, catalogue, Blackwood Gallery programming compendium, 2011
Murray Whyte. Jon Sasaki: Pine at the AGO, review, The Toronto Star, April 12, 2011
Earl Miller. Jon Sasaki, Scarborough, Canada. Review, Art Papers, July/August 2010, p. 58-59.
Kenneth Baker. Review, Alternorthern, The San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2010
Gary Michael Dault. An unabashed optimist’s view of the world, review, The Globe and Mail, January 23, 2010.
Murray Whyte. Selling hope in the face of fact, review, The Toronto Star, January 21, 2010
Marie-Ève Charron. L’art de l'échec - Le Torontois Jon Sasaki célèbre l'homme ordinaire. review, Le Devoir, (Montreal) November 14, 2009
Betty Ann Jordan. Where the Art Is, Fashion Magazine, Winter 2010
Gabrielle Moser. Jon Sasaki, Jessica Vallentin, The Old College Try, review, Esse Arts + Opinions, #67, Fall 09
Nicholas Brown. Against Their Better Judgement: Jon Sasaki and Jessica Vallentin mix hope, futility, and outright lunacy. Exhibition text for The Old College Try, Red Bull 381 Projects, Toronto
Canadian Art Online, Jon Sasaki: Positive Thinking, review, April 30, 2009
Adam Waldron-Blain, Some Unabashed Optimism, review, Vue Weekly (Edmonton) issue #705, April 23 2009
Vanish: Art and Illusion, exhibition brochure, Art Gallery of Regina, 2009
Nicholas Brown. Enthusiasm at the Limit, (and front cover) C Magazine, issue 100, winter 2008
James Bradshaw. A long night’s journey into art, The Globe and Mail, Monday October 6, 2008
Sarah Milroy. A night crawler’s guide to Nuit Blanche. The Globe and Mail, Saturday October 4, 2008
Fran Schechter. Duelling Mascots. (and front cover) NOW weekly, October 2-8, 2008
Scott Rogers. There's that word “existentialism.” Jon Sasaki's wry and funny installations come to The New Gallery. Review, FFWD weekly, October 25, 2007
Centre for Culture and Leisure #1 catalogue, essays by Carl Wilson, Dave Dyment
Nicholas Brown. The Artist as Failure, Jon Sasaki Won’t Help Me And He Won’t Help You. Art Feature article in: Color Magazine, volume 5 issue 4, fall 2007, p. 94-95.
Dan Adler. Exhibition text for Moving the Goal Posts, The New Gallery, Calgary, October 2007
Dave Dyment. Jon Sasaki, Antihero Décor, The Centre for Culture and Leisure No. 1; Wishing for Three More Wishes, Gallery TPW; Toronto. Review in C Magazine, issue 95, Fall 2007, p. 39-41.
Jennifer McMackon. Jon Sasaki, Toronto, review in: Art Papers, September/October 2007, p. 72.
Gary Michael Dault. Buster Keaton, high up in the sky. Review, The Globe and Mail, Saturday, June 30, 2007
Brian Joseph Davis. Monsieur Sasaki's Holiday. Exhibition essay, Wishing for Three More Wishes, Gallery TPW, June 2007
Selected Public and Corporate Collections
The National Gallery of Canada
Tom Thomson Art Gallery
Bank of Montreal
Blackwood Gallery
Doris McCarthy Gallery
Gluskin Sheff + Associates
Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery
MacKenzie Art Gallery
The Masterworks Foundation, Bermuda
Varley Art Gallery
Torys LLP
The Art Museum, University of Toronto
The Ottawa Art Gallery
The Art Gallery of Ontario (Instant Coffee)
RBC Corporate Art Collection
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston ON
TD Art Collection