Oakville Galleries

The films, paintings, and photography of Baltimore-based artist Julia Brown have long explored ways of making visible latent social conflicts. Often employing modes of abstraction, Brown centres on the body as a boundary between a person and its other, which when crossed can become a connection or transgression.

With her film American Vernacular, Brown continues this investigation. In six scenes, set in period rooms, pairs enact the functions of historical “Black Americana" or “Black Collectible" objects. Popularized beginning in the early 20th century, after the end of legal slavery, these mass-produced decor items depict Black people as collectible household implements. In Brown's film, these objects are reanimated within relationships, and the actors alternate in embodying the objects and the objects' handlers. These acts of personification unveil the fantasies, desires, and violence embedded in the racial imaginary that persists to this day.

Opening Hours

in Gairloch Gardens: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM
Sundays and Statutory Holidays (Closed)
Mondays (Available By Appointment)

Related Programs

Tour @ 2 PM: Art & Heritage Tour

Thursdays and Saturdays

Experience Oakville Galleries' Outdoor Art & Heritage Tour every Thursday and Saturday at 2 PM!

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Audio Walk: A Large Slow River

30 June – 10 November 2023

Experience one of the most loved pieces in the permanent collection of Oakville Galleries, as you walk along the waterfront and flowers at Gairloch Gardens. 𝘈 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 2000, is a site-specific audio walk by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff. In Cardiff's audio walks, visitors follow audio cues while experiencing a physical environment.

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Sound Performance by Timothy Yanick Hunter

22 July 2023

Join us to experience the exhibition by Timothy Yanick Hunter followed by a sound performance by Hunter in The Studio at Gairloch Gardens.

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Tender Possibilities: A Poetry Reading Group

22 July 2023

Enjoy a special afternoon of contemporary art, performance, and poetry—not to be missed! After the Sound Performance by Timothy Yanick Hunter, check out Tender Possibilities, a reading group that engages in poetry, text, and alternative archives as a way to create communities.

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Daytime Exhibition Tour: Timothy Yanick Hunter + Julia Brown

22 August 2023

Haven't had a chance yet to check out our summer exhibitions? Join us in Gairloch Gardens and enjoy a free guided tour of Timothy Yanick Hunter's Collapse and Incompletion and Julia Brown's American Vernacular.

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Summer Exhibitions Opening Reception

3 June 2023

Join us for the opening reception of our summer exhibition season at Centennial Square and in Gairloch Gardens!

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Related exhibitions

Timothy Yanick Hunter

3 June – 2 September 2023 Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens

Working across painting, sculpture, video, performance, and installation, Toronto-based artist Timothy Yanick Hunter views media as a range of languages that can be drawn upon and experimented with to re-envision storytelling.

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