To begin the year, Griffin Art Projects presents a new group exhibition, Seriously? Comedy and Satire in Canadian Art 1970s–Now.
On display from Jan. 25–May 18, 2025, the exhibition is guest curated by Melissa E. Feldman, the groundbreaking show challenges traditional perceptions of Canadian contemporary art and its standard associations with conceptualism and postmodernist critique, instead highlighting a rich history of whimsical and satirical work.

Covering works of the last 50 years, from the folksy Victoria school to Regina funk, Vancouver’s edgy Intermedia scene to Halifax conceptualism, and First Nations artists’ embrace of manga and comics, Seriously?explores the intersection of humour, politics, and visual narrative to reveal unexpected connections between different regional styles.
“Drawn primarily from private collections from across Canada and the US, alongside select artist studios and public museums, this exhibition showcases how humour can provocatively challenge societal norms,” says Griffin Art Projects director Lisa Baldissera. “In a world marked by political polarization and social unrest, humour emerges as a meeting point for diverse audiences to come together to create community, activate forms of solidarity and, crucially, foster friendship. American curator Melissa E. Feldman brings a fresh international perspective to the canon of Canadian art, highlighting the global significance of humour and its ability to transcend cultural boundaries.”
Highlights include recent ceramics by Vancouver-based Cree artist Judy Chartrand, who employs humour and irony to address difficult subjects like colonization and identity politics, while Gary Pearson’s subdued oil paintings turn familiar subjects of couples in cafes and parks into ambiguous caricatures of interwar Europe. Montreal-based Adrian Norvid presents Adrian’s Awetopsy, a new performance-cum-installation piece featuring an oversized cadaver composed of colourful paper cutouts.
Recent 2024 Sobey Award winner Nico Williams, an Anishinaabe artist from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, will present a series of his sculptural beaded works. Archival materials from the late conceptual performance and mail art artist Anna Banana offer a look at her storied career. Additional works from the California funk movement provide an international context while introducing local audiences to important artists rarely seen here.
“The art world is undergoing a recalibration right now, whittling away at the traditional hierarchies of artistic practice,” says Feldman. “Our exhibition offers a new angle on this phenomenon using the comedic as a quality also associated with the ‘low,’ if you think of vaudeville and cartoons. Importantly, the show also begins to account for Canadian artists’ role in this new thinking around craft, graphic illustration, and other forms associated with popular culture and the vernacular.”

The exhibition features: Eleanor Antin, Shuvinai Ashoona, Peter Aspell, Sonny Assu, Anna Banana, Maxwell Bates, Judy Chartrand, Victor Cicansky, Marcel Dzama, Maud Lewis, Andrea Mortson, Adrian Norvid, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Gary Pearson, Maija Peeples-Bright, Walter Scott, Vincent Trasov, William T. Wiley, and Nico Williams.
is on display at Griffin Art Project, Griffin Art Projects, 1174 Welch Street, North Vancouver from January 25 to May 18, 2025. For more information, visit griffinartprojects.ca/exhibitions/seriously-comedy-and-comics.