2026 Summer Exhibition: What holds us together

Featuring works by Par Nair, Scott Sawtell, and Vicky Talwar. Curated by Anik Glaude. The artists in this exhibition work within states of in-betweenness, using painting to assemble the memories, relationships, and events that shape their identities. Through layered processes and intuitive construction, they build worlds that hold them together—worlds offering coherence amid shifting selves and unstable histories. Par Nair reframes gender roles through intimate engagements with personal archives and memory; Scott Sawtell probes psychological tension through gestural contradictions and unconscious imagery; and Vicky Talwar evokes spiritual reflection through natural elements and symbolic layering. While their approaches differ, all three artists treat painting as an act of care, one that nurtures resilience, reveals buried narratives, and creates room for freedom from social and cultural expectations. Their works become spaces of reflection and restoration, creating openings for connection, comfort, or possibility. Together, their practices unfold within the shared context of living and working in York Region, a place shaped by cultural plurality and continual transformation. This geographical backdrop echoes the fluidity and complexity of their individual production, grounding each abstract language within the here and now.