Memory Palace

A memory palace is an imagined place in the mind, organizing memories and experiences—past and potential. More than a memory tool, it is an abstract, imaginative space that embraces a yearning for shared knowledge based on introspection, healing and collaboration. 

Our curatorial perspective brings together contemporary artists Olivia Johnston, Karen Miller, Mina Moshajjari and Wind Up Radio under the shared concept of the memory palace. Each practice reflects the layered and shifting nature of memory.  

Johnston conjures memory through archives, Catholic iconography and carefully collected plant material, inviting viewers into a museological labyrinth. Miller’s textiles weave the rhythms of caregiving and motherhood, reclaiming women’s labour as a site of embodied memory. Moshajjari’s delicate compositions evoke the fluid architecture of memory through layering, repetition and accumulation. Wind Up Radio builds an apocalyptic refuge, where the future-past converges.

Drift through this exhibition of warmth, wonder and humour, while creating your own memory palace. 

This dynamic exhibition features work by the recent cohort of the University of Ottawa’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. Presented in partnership with the University of Ottawa’s Department of Visual Arts and the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), this collaboration has, for over fifteen years, fostered meaningful connections between emerging artists, curators and the local arts community. 

Curators: Steph Dancer and Lindsay Watson
Curatorial Assistance: Rebecca Basciano, Amy Wallace
Editing: Véronique Couillard, Matt Harrison 
French Translation: Marie-Camille Lalande 
Graphic Design: Leah Ross, Mathieu Kirchmayer 
Installation: Stephanie Germano, Dan Austin, Emma Litschko, Mark Garland, Neil Hossak  

This exhibition is generously supported by Lawson A.W. Hunter. 

The Ottawa Art Gallery would like to recognize RBC Foundation’s support of OAG’s Connect: Artist Mentorship Program and also acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.