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Letter from the Director – Fall 2026

The concept of place is central to the Goldfarb Gallery’s curatorial approach. How can we use place to challenge colonial histories and global inequities, and to investigate local contexts and social histories, while engaging our growing audiences within a broader conversation? The two exhibitions currently on view invite more in-depth discussion about revolution, building liberated worlds and intentionally moving away from consumption. In part, both artists also bring into question the environmental precarity that has resulted from the societal systems we all live within.

We’re thrilled to host the first solo exhibition in Canada by renowned American artist Torkwase Dyson whose work grapples with how Black and brown bodies perceive and negotiate space. Dyson’s exhibition, The Distance Inside Us (Bird and Lava), is curated by Lillian O’Brien Davis and occupies all three galleries. In it, Dyson explores both liberation and confinement in a time of ecological crisis. A painter working across multiple mediums, Dyson is also part of the constellation of thinkers and practitioners involved in Christina Sharpe’s Alchemy Lecture at York University that convenes annually to think through the most pressing issues of our times. Keep an eye out for the Alchemy Lecture in late October where she will be presenting as well as the book launch of our exhibition publication as part of the closing celebrations in March 2027.

Continuing to prod at and question societal systems, Jeanne Randolph’s Fabulous Neoconstantinopolitanism, with John Monteith, presents works from the Gallery’s permanent collection, Monteith, and two objects from Randolph’s persona La Betty in a vignette. The exhibition in the Visible Vault Study Centre asks visitors to reflect upon our need for material things and consumerism. While completely viewable from the hallway, entrance to the Study Centre will be possible on Wednesdays and Saturdays during regular gallery hours.

We would be remiss to present such incisive and critical work without reflecting how our own actions affect the world, so we are continuing our Sustainability Series involving both internal work by the gallery team exploring ways to do our own work more intentionally considering the state of the planet and external programs that expand this conversation to our community. We’re excited to present both hands-on workshops as well as forums for discussion.

During this season, we encourage you to join us as a Friend of the Gallery. You’ll find more details later in this programme. We’ve also just launched a new quarterly e-blast, so if you haven’t yet subscribed, visit the front desk, or our website, and sign up. And don’t forget to follow us on social media so you’re always up to date on our programs and events.

We look forward to welcoming you to the gallery this season!

Warmly,

Lauren Gould, interim director

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