The Same Thing Looks Different showcases art by Jen Aitken, a Toronto-based artist whose first major institutional presentation features both new commissions and a selection of existing concrete sculptures. Primarily working in sculpture, Aitken’s practice considers how we relate to space, form, and material as we move through our urban environment. Common building materials—concrete, wood, and fibreglass—are formed into unexpected and ambiguous configurations that engage with the viewer’s body and interact with the gallery’s architecture. Aitken will also debut her first video installation, animating the geometric lexicon of her sculptures into an immersive prelude to the exhibition.
About the artist: Jen Aitken
Jen Aitken (born 1985) makes sculptures and drawings that combine perceptual ambiguity with structural clarity. Based in Toronto, she received her MFA in 2014 from the University of Guelph, and her BFA in 2010 from Emily Carr University, Vancouver. Aitken received a Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts Award in 2021, and the Hnatyshyn Foundation and TD Bank Emerging Visual Artist Award in 2017. Recent exhibitions include the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg (2022) where the artist also completed a residency; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2021); Arsenal Contemporary Art, Toronto (2021); and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC (2020). Her works have been acquired by Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Kamloops Art Gallery; McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; and RBC, Toronto.
(Photo credits: Jen Aitken, The Same Thing Looks Different, 2023. The Power Plant, Toronto. All photographs by Toni Hafkenscheid.)
Event details
Hosted by: The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
Type of event: exhibition
Featured artist: Jen Aitken, an award-winning Toronto-based sculptor
Curated by: Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs; Jacqueline Kok, Nancy McCain & Bill Morneau, Assistant Curators
Date: June 23 – Monday, September 4, 2023
Opening hours:
- Monday closed (except public holidays)
- Tuesday closed
- Wednesday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET
- Thursday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Cost: free
Location: The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay West, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON, M5J 2G8.
Video: Watch the artist talk about this exhibition
Booking link: no booking required
Contact Details: The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay West, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON, M5J 2G8, Canada; 416-973-4949, info@thepowerplant.org, www.thepowerplant.org
Accessibility: The Power Plant promotes physical and social inclusion. The gallery is wheelchair accessible and includes an accessible restroom. Both levels of the gallery are serviceable by elevator, and they also welcome guide dogs and other service animals. More accessibility info here.