Abbas Akhavan: Making the goat the gardener
October 8, 2026, 6pm
Ottawa ON K1N 9N4
Canada
The Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), is honoured to present Abbas Akhavan as the speaker for the twelfth Annual Stonecroft Foundation Visiting Artist Lecture. The University of Ottawa acknowledges that it is located on the unceded territories of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation, who are the traditional custodians of this land.
This lecture series is made possible through the generous support of the Stonecroft Foundation for the Arts. The Annual Stonecroft Foundation Visiting Artist Lecture Series offers students at the University of Ottawa and the general public a unique opportunity to engage with the practices of prominent Canadian artists.
We warmly invite you to attend this enlightening talk by Abbas Akhavan at the NGC auditorium on October 8th 2026 at 6pm. It will be followed by a conversation with Jonathan Shaughnessy, Director of Curatorial Initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada, and a Q&A with the audience. The lecture will be delivered in English, with simultaneous French interpretation available.
About the artist: Abbas Akhavan’s artistic practice is distinguished by its deep sensitivity to material, historical, and social contexts. His work spans ephemeral installations, drawings, videos, sculptures, and performances, each shaped by rigorous engagement with site-specific conditions. A defining voice in contemporary art, Akhavan has been featured in major solo and group exhibitions in Canada and internationally. Notably, he was selected to represent Canada at the 61st International Art Exhibition—the Venice Biennale 2026. Born in Tehran in 1977 and based in Canada for over 30 years, Akhavan currently lives and works in Montreal and Berlin. He received an MFA from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2006), and a BFA from Concordia University, Montréal (2004).
Upcoming and recent solo exhibitions include Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2026); Canada Pavilion, Venice Biennale (2026); Morris & Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver (2025); Bangkok Kunsthalle, Bangkok (2025); Copenhagen Contemporary and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (2023); Mount Stuart House, Isle of Bute (2022); Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver (2022); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2021); CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco (2019); Fogo Island Arts (2019); The Power Plant, Toronto (2018); Museum Villa Stuck, Munich (2017); Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2017); Mercer Union; Toronto (2015); & the Delfina Foundation, London (2012).
For more information
Talia M Boileau, Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa. T +1 613 562 5868 / arvsec@uottawa.ca.
University of Ottawa—MFA Visual Arts
The University of Ottawa’s MFA in Visual Arts is a two-year bilingual program grounded in research, critical discourse, and interdisciplinary practice. The program offers a close-knit academic community, attentive mentoring, and professional internship opportunities with regional art institutions and artists.
Learn more about the MFA program and the application process here.
About the National Gallery of Canada
Founded in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada is among the world’s most respected art institutions. As a national museum, we exist to serve all Canadians, no matter where they live. We do this by sharing our collection, exhibitions and public programming widely. We create dynamic experiences that allow for new ways of seeing ourselves and each other through the visual arts, while centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Our mandate is to develop, preserve and present a collection for the learning and enjoyment of all—now and for generations to come. We are home to more than 90,000 works, including one of the finest collections of Indigenous and Canadian art, major works from the 14th to the 21st century and extensive library and archival holdings. Our dazzling, light-filled building is situated on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation, in Ottawa. To find out more about the Gallery’s programming and activities, visit gallery.ca, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
