Highlights
About the exhibition
Known widely for his sculptures of farm animals, Joe Fafard’s oeuvre covers a range of subject matter, from portraits of famous artists to those of family and friends. Whatever the subject, he is playful in his practice — manipulating proportions, stretching, shortening and hollowing out.
The retrospective exhibition Joe Fafard, organized by the National Gallery of Canada and the MacKenzie Art Gallery, features 69 artworks in a variety of media including bronze, plaster, earthenware, steel and works of art on paper. Included in the show are public favourites such as Western Dancer (2003) and Silvers (1999), along with works from the artist’s private collection including Mon père and Ma mère, the intimate portraits he created of his parents in 1972.
This exhibition promises to provide Canadians and international visitors with unparalleled access to one of the nation’s best known and most loved contemporary artists, who, through his skill, vision, and ingenuity, brings bronze to life.
About the artist
Joe Fafard’s career as an artist has earned him honours such as the Order of Canada, the Prix Montfort and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
Although his interest in art developed at an early age, Fafard discovered his love for sculpture in University. He began his formal art training at the Winnipeg School of Art and went on to complete a Masters of Arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly after, he began teaching sculpture and pottery at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. Fafard then decided to return to his rural roots and moved to Pense, a village just west of Regina, to begin his career as a full-time sculptor.
In 1973, Fafard and his series of sculptures of Pense townspeople were featured in the National Film Board documentary I Don’t Have to Work that Big. Aired later that year by the CBC, the film catapulted the young artist into the national spotlight. Fafard’s career took yet another turn in the early 1980s when he won the Toronto Dominion Bank’s call for a new public art installation. The commission propelled him into a new phase of creation with a new medium, bronze. He later experimented with innovative casting techniques for bronze, which he perfected at the foundry he established in honour of his mother.
Now at the peak of his career, Fafard continues his work in studios north of Regina on his beloved prairie land. Whether he draws his inspiration from the animal kingdom or fellow artists, Fafard’s sculptures still amaze and capture the public’s attention.
Discover more details about this fascinating artist in:
CyberMuse’s Joe Fafard showcase
