As the DECADE exhibition continues, Koffler Arts features a gallery talk with two Governor General's Award winning artists, Barbara Astman and one of her former students, Midi Onodera.

The two work in different media and styles, with Astman’s use of wide-ranging media and Onodera’s focus on video. After the two speak about their art in the exhibition, Astman invites participants for a Studio Visit to share details about her materials and methods.

About the artists:

Barbara Astman belongs to a visionary group of artists who have continued to radicalize visual culture since the early 1970s by defining new ways of seeing. Over four decades, she has explored a wide range of photo-based media and produced work, which has received national and international recognition. She is represented in important public, corporate and private collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Deutche Bank, New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Her artist’s archives are held in the E.P. Taylor Research Library & Archives, AGO.

As a Professor Emerita at OCAD University, Toronto, she has been instrumental in inspiring generations of emerging artists. Active in the Toronto arts community, Astman has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the AGO Board of Trustees (2009- 2013) and was President of the Board of Directors at Prefix (ICA) Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto. Astman is represented by Corkin Gallery, Toronto and Paul Kyle Gallery, Vancouver.

Midi Onodera is an award-winning filmmaker and media artist who has been writing, directing, and producing films and videos for more than 35 years. Her films have been critically recognized and included in national and international exhibitions and screenings. She is the recipient of the 2018 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.