Revealing the spiritual in glass, bone and coffee, AGO presents a solo exhibition by Toronto image maker Tim Whiten

On view in the Philip B. Lind Gallery and curated by the AGO’s Deputy Director and Chief Curator Julian Cox, the exhibition spans five decades of artistic production and includes works on paper, three-dimensional objects, and mixed media installations. Showcasing the depths of Whiten’s unique visual language, objects are brought to life in leather, bone, stone, and glass.

“Attuned to the transcendent potential of objects, and drawing upon various spiritual traditions, mythologies, and rituals, Whiten invites viewers to sense, rather than overtly read, his artworks,” says Cox. “In his choice of materials – sandblasted glass, lemon juice, coffee, animal skins, or tree branches – and in his elevation of everyday objects, there is a conviction that the physical and spiritual are entwined. Whiten’s practice invites audiences to explore the depths of spirituality, the nature of consciousness and the importance of ancestral knowledge.”

Since the early 1970s, Whiten’s work has included bones, lemon juice, wood, leather, coffee and natural fibers; organic materials whose capacity for decay and mutation aligns with his belief in their ability to bridge the physical and spiritual realms.

On loan from the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Awk (1989) is a minimalist sleeveless leather dress, brought violently to life by a shark jaw bursting out of its chest panel. A powerful reminder that what lies beneath cannot be concealed; a similar emotional energy resonates from the coffee-stained hospital sheets that make up his Enigmata series (1994-96). Loosely affixed to the wall like floating abstract tapestries, their swirling patterns suggest figures surfacing.

Tim Whiten began incorporating glass into his work in the mid-1980s. Transparency, he says, is “the key to an understanding of the physical world and the infinite,” and many of his glass objects are sandblasted to ensure a little bit of light shines through.

A memorial to Whiten’s mother, Mary’s Permeating Sign (2006) is a very personal form of homage – a glass rolling pin on a pillow, engraved with a magic square containing “mystic numbers derived from her date of birth.” A life-sized glass rocking horse Lucky, Lucky, Lucky (2010) explores how “play allows us, in many cases, to go to another world”.

Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light features 36 works, drawn from the AGO collection, Whiten’s studio, the holdings of Olga Korper Gallery Inc., as well as public and private lenders from across the province.

Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light is on view through August 17, 2025.  Admission to the AGO is always free for Ontarians under 25, Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members and Annual Passholders. The AGO is open late on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9 p.m. and every Saturday and Sunday between 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., as well as select holiday Mondays.

For more information on how to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit ago.ca/membership/become-a-member.Programming highlights
On Saturday, March 29 at 2 p.m., a public opening for Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light, will feature remarks by Tim Whiten and AGO Deputy Director and Chief Curator Julian Cox. This event is free with General Admission. For more details, visit ago.ca/events/tim-whiten-little-bit-light-public-opening.

On Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m., catch Tim Whiten in a conversation with independent curator and writer, Carolyn Bell Farrell, moderated by exhibition curator and the AGO’s Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Julian Cox. This conversation marks the release of Carolyn Bell Farrell’s book Tim Whiten: Life & Work, published by the Art Canada Institute. AGO Members get a discount on tickets. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ago.ca/events/tim-whiten-conversation.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tim Whiten (Canadian, born August 13, 1941) is a Toronto-based image maker working in two and three dimensions, performance, and multi-media installations, using a variety of materials.  A Professor Emeritus at York University since 2007, Whiten has exhibited nationally and internationally since the 1970s. His work has been presented in solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of York University, Toronto (1972); Koffler Centre of the Arts (1997); Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, Montreal (1998); Art Gallery of Hamilton (2010); Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound (2018); and University of Colorado Art Museum, Boulder (2021).

Whiten’s work is held in numerous collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; MacKenzie Art Gallery, Saskatoon; de Young Museum, San Francisco; Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; and Winnipeg Art Gallery, a testament to the on-going institutional and curatorial support of the artist’s prolific career.

Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario in partnership with the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation.

Contemporary programming at the AGO is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts

ABOUT THE GERSHON ISKOWITZ FOUNDATION
The Gershon Iskowitz Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1986 through the generosity of painter Gershon Iskowitz (1919 – 1988). Iskowitz recognized the importance of grants in the development of artists in Canada, in particular acknowledging that a grant from the Canada Council in 1967 gave him the freedom to create his distinctive style. Iskowitz’s works are in public and private collections across Canada and abroad. The Foundation’s principal activity is the designation of the Prize which is unique in that one can neither apply nor be nominated. A second distinct characteristic which many of the recipients have commented on is that the Prize is an excellent example of an artist supporting other artists. Iskowitz himself was actively involved in designating the Prize in its first years; after his death this responsibility passed to juries composed of trustees of the Foundation and invited artists and curators. The achievements of the first 20 years of the Foundation and the Prize are detailed in The Gershon Iskowitz Prize 1986 – 2006; the work of subsequent winners is included on the Foundation’s web site, www.iskowitzfoundation.ca

ABOUT THE GERSHON ISKOWITZ PRIZE AT THE AGO
At the 20-year mark of the Prize, the Foundation formed a collaborative partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario to raise awareness of the importance of the Prize and through it, the visual arts in Canada. The AGO is home to Gershon Iskowitz’s archives, which include early works on paper, sketchbooks and memorabilia, and it holds 29 paintings by Iskowitz spanning 1948 to 1987 in its collection. Beginning in 2006, in addition to a substantial financial award, the Prize included a solo exhibition of the winner’s work at the museum. Among the 36 previous recipients of the Prize are Liz Magor, Betty Goodwin, General Idea, Stan Douglas, John Massey, Irene F. Whittome, Françoise Sullivan, Geoffrey Farmer, Brian Jungen, Michael Snow, Kim Adams, Rebecca Belmore, and Ken Lum. Faye HeavyShield was the recipient of the 2021 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO, and Tim Whiten was the recipient of the 2022 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO. The AGO will host exhibitions of their work in 2025.

ABOUT THE AGO
Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists to European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, including solo exhibitions and acquisitions by diverse and underrepresented artists from around the world. The AGO is embarking on the seventh expansion project undertaken since it was founded in 1900. When completed the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery will increase exhibition space for the museum’s growing modern and contemporary collection and reflect the people who call Toronto home. With its groundbreaking Annual Pass program, the AGO is one of the most affordable and accessible attractions in the GTA. Visit ago.ca to learn more.

The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts, and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors, and private-sector partners.