As a public art gallery, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art exhibits the work of emerging and established Canadian and international artists in three distinct galleries. Its main gallery features solo and group exhibitions of contemporary photographic, media and digital arts, while sound works are presented in its audio art gallery and site-specific installations in its surround gallery, the latter a ten-metre-long glass enclosure that surrounds the main entrance of the facility.
Developed by staff and guest curators, this year-round programme consists of three-to-five exhibitions in the main gallery, eight exhibitions in the audio art gallery and one installation in the surround gallery. Selected exhibitions travel regionally, nationally and internationally.
Since the launch of its galleries in 2003, Prefix ICA has been consistently lauded for the outstanding quality of its exhibition programme, having received more than twenty awards from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries for its exhibitions, installations, and publications, as well as the art direction for its print promotions.
Visual Art
Current Exhibitions
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Lara Almarcegui Guide to the Leslie Street Spit May 4 to July 22, 2023 |
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Karen Zalamea The Prefix Prize May 4 to July 22, 2023 |
Past Exhibitions
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Andreas Rutkauskas The Prefix Prize May 5 to June 25, 2022 |
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Movers and Makers Aaron Jones, Christina Leslie, Dainesha Nugent-Palache and Bidemi Oloyede May 1 to July 17, 2021 |
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Chris Myhr The Prefix Prize May 1 to July 17, 2021 |
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Lyla Rye Mirage October 2, 2020 to March 27, 2021 |
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Amar Kanwar Such a Morning Feb 7 to July 25, 2020 |
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Nadia Myre Listen, speak and sing October 4 to November 30, 2019 |
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Taysir Batniji Suspended Time May 3 to July 20, 2019 |
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Deimantas Narkevičius 20 July, 2015 February 8 to March 30, 2019 |
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On Being Illiberal Carl Beam, Merritt Johnson and Fallon Simard October 5 to November 24, 2018 |
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Tatzu Nishi Life’s Little Worries of Sir Adam Beck September 5 to 30, 2018 |
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Trevor Paglen Surveillance States May 4 to June 16, 2018 |
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Movers and Shakers Sandra Brewster, Stephanie Comilang, Esery Mondesir, Sabrina Russo, Kate Schneider and Tek January 11 to March 24, 2018 |
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Blake Fitzpatrick and Vid Ingelevics The Labour of Commemoration October 5 to November 25, 2017 |
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Michael Snow Newfoundlandings May 5 to July 22, 2017 |
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Gunilla Josephson Houses and Whispers February 16 to April 22, 2017 |
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Renée Green Facing October 6 to November 26, 2016 |
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Rodney Graham Jack of All Trades May 12 to July 30, 2016 |
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Susanne Kriemann Pechblende (Prologue) February 4 to March 26, 2016 |
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Charles Stankievech The Soniferous Æther of the Land Beyond the Land Beyond October 2 to November 21, 2015 |
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Yto Barrada Beaux Gestes May 7 to July 25, 2015 |
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Myriam Yates Racetrack Superstar Ghost February 5 to March 28, 2015 |
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Los Carpinteros Pellejo October 2 to November 22, 2014 |
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Steve Payne False Fronts May 8 to July 26, 2014 |
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Sylvia Safdie The Absent Present February 6 to March 29, 2014 |
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Trade Marks Keesic Douglas, Meryl McMaster, Nigit’stil Norbert and Bear Witness September 19 to November 23, 2013 |
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The World Over Donna Conlon, Glenda León and Rivane Neuenschwander May 2 to June 22, 2013 |
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Eugenio Dittborn The Museum of Means and Ends February 7 to March 30, 2013 |
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Andreas Fogarasi 2018 September 20 to November 24, 2012 |
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Pascal Grandmaison Half of the Darkness May 3 to July 21, 2012 |
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Uriel Orlow The Short and the Long of It 9.0 February 3 to April 21, 2012 |
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Susan Hiller The Last Silent Movie September 22 to November 26, 2011 |
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David Lamelas Time as Activity (Buenos Aires) September 8 to 18, 2011 |
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Marie-Jeanne Musiol Black Holes May 5 to July 23, 2011 |
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Rabih Mroué The Inhabitants of Images February 5 to April 23, 2011 |
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To Be Real Lars Laumann, Helen Reed and Althea Thauberger September 23 to November 27, 2010 |
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Zineb Sedira MiddleSea May 6 to July 24, 2010 |
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Guido van der Werve The King’s Gambit February 4 to April 24, 2010 |
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Willie Doherty Passages September 24 to November 28, 2009 |
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Christian Giroux and Daniel Young Every Building in the City of Toronto May 7 to June 27, 2009 |
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Harun Farocki One image doesn’t take the place of the previous one March 19 to April 25, 2009 |
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Patrick Bernatchez The Chrysalides Trilogy January 29 to March 7, 2009 |
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Laurent Grasso Projection September 25 to November 22, 2008 |
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Andrew Wright Survey June 19 to July 26, 2008 |
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Rosângela Rennó The Last Photograph May 1 to June 7, 2008 |
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Bettina Hoffmann Décalage March 13 to April 19, 2008 |
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Oscar Muñoz Imprints for a Fleeting Memorial January 25 to March 1, 2008 |
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Donald Swearingen Salvation at 1 AM September 29 to 30, 2007 |
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Sales Performance Vera Frenkel, John Greyson, Johanna Householder, Tanya Mars, Andrew J. Paterson, Lyla Rye, Dana Samuel, R.M. Vaughan & Shannon Cochrane and Natalie Wood June 21 to July 28, 2007 |
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Angelika Middendorf and Andreas Schimanski 25sec.—Toronto June 21 to July 28, 2007 |
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Spring Hurlbut Deuil May 3 to June 9, 2007 |
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Lida Abdul War Games March 15 to April 21, 2007 |
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Robert Bean Metamorphosis January 25 to March 3, 2007 |
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Finnbogi Pétursson Sphere September 28 to November 25, 2006 |
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Maia Urstad Sound Barrier June 17 to July 29, 2006 |
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Dawit Petros Remix May 4 to June 10, 2006 |
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Annika Larsson Power Plays March 16 to April 22, 2006 |
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Chris Marker The Hollow Men January 27 to March 4, 2006 |
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Exhibit A: Photography from Atlantic Canada Scott Conarroe, Marlene Creates, Lorraine Field, John Haney, Thaddeus Holownia, Steve Payne, Paulette Phillips, Ned Pratt and Scott Walden September 29 to November 26, 2005 |
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Isabelle Hayeur Verge June 16 to July 30, 2005 |
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Damage Done Patrick Altman, Thomas Barrow, Max Dean, Robert Frank, Jennifer Givogue, Fiona McLaughlin May 5 to June 11, 2005 |
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Lorna Simpson 31 March 17 to April 30, 2005 |
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Runa Islam Scale (1/16 Inch = 1 Foot) February 3 to March 12, 2005 |
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Walid Raad The Truth Will Be Known When the Last Witness Is Dead: Documents from the Fakhouri File in the Atlas Group Archive September 16 to November 27, 2004 |
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Peter Kingstone One a Day July 8 to August 7, 2004 |
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Stan Douglas Every Building on 100 West Hastings May 6 to June 26, 2004 |
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Yael Bartana Trembling Time March 18 to May 1, 2004 |
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Wang Qingsong Present-Day Epics January 29 to February 28, 2004 |
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Steve Payne Motels September 27 to November 29, 2003 |
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Susan Kealey Ordinary Marvel June 28 to July 31, 2003 |
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David Small The Illuminated Manuscript May 29 to June 28, 2003 |
Prefix ICA presents sound works in its Audio Art Gallery, a specialized gallery devoted to audio art, one of the first of its kind in the world. The Audio Art Gallery is specifically designed and exclusively dedicated to the presentation of sound art in all of its manifestations, from experimental, electroacoustic and radiophonic works to improvised, found sound and spoken word. With soundproof walls, acoustical panels and a state-of-the-art sound system, the Audio Art Gallery provides an ideal environment for deep listening. Modelled on the listening rooms in music libraries, the Audio Art Gallery enables visitors to hear recordings from our public reference library in an ambient way, rather than at a computer station with headphones. Past highlights have included works by Tony Conrad, Wyn Geleynse, Jacob Kirkegaard, Christof Migone, John Oswald, Kathleen Ritter, Janet Rogers, Debashis Sinha and Bear Witness, among others.
Current Exhibition
May 1 to July 17, 2021
Chris Myhr
Fathoms: The Weight of Smoke
April 7 to 24, 2021
Sahar Askary Hemmat
Gav-Khouni
Site-Specific Art
Prefix ICA commissions the creation of original site-specific installations for exhibition in its surround gallery, a ten-metre-long glass enclosure the surrounds the main entrance to the facility. Beginning in 2016 and continuing on an annual basis, the exhibitions will typically employ media such as digital-imaging transfers, vinyl, paint, ink or other direct applications to the wall or glass.
Traveling
Prefix ICA presents traveling exhibitions of the work of Canadian and international artists. In so doing, it promotes cultural exchange and institutional collaboration regionally, nationally and and internationally. Past traveling exhibitions have featured the work of Edward Burtynsky, Chris Marker and Oscar Muñoz, among others.
