The Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts 2023
Launched in 1999, the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts (GGArts) celebrate the exceptional careers of Canadian artists. Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Awards are this country’s most prestigious distinction for the artists, curators and craftspeople who make up Canada’s vibrant visual and media arts community.
Up to eight prizes are awarded each year: six for artistic achievement, one for artistic merit in the fine crafts (the Saidye Bronfman Award), and one for an outstanding contribution to the contemporary visual arts, media arts or fine crafts.
To celebrate this year’s Awards, the winners will be displaying their work throughout the Gallery’s contemporary and historical collections. From installations in the Gallery’s public spaces to interventions disrupting narratives within the permanent collection, the eight laureates offer a new and unexpected take on art today.
Organized by the National Gallery of Canada in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts.
Date
Location
Winners installed in the Permanent Collection Galleries
FFastwürms - B108
Mulmur, Ontario
Artistic Achievement Award
DGDavid Garneau - A104
Regina, Sakatchewan
Outstanding Contribution Award
Recognizes an outstanding contribution to contemporary visual arts, media arts or fine crafts.
GKGermaine koh - Rotunda
Vancouver, British Columbia
Artistic Achievement Award
SWShannon Walsh - A112
Vancouver, British Columbia
Artistic Achievement Award
NWNettie wild - B109
Vancouver, British Columbia
Artistic Achievement Award
EEvergon - C220 + C206
Montréal, Québec
Artistic Achievement Award
GNGrace Nickel - B201
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Saidye Bronfman Award
Recognizes the exceptional work of artists who have made significant contributions to the development of the fine crafts in Canada.
TWTim Whiten - C214
Toronto, Ontario
Artistic Achievement Award
Artwork
Grace Nickel, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Grace Nickel. Photo: NGC
Grace Nickel, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Grace Nickel. Photo: NGC
GO FISH, 2023, directed by Nettie Wild and Scott Smith. Three-channel video triptych, 15 min. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Nettie Wild / Scott Smith. Photo: Scott Smith
GO FISH, 2023, directed by Nettie Wild and Scott Smith. Three-channel video triptych, 15 min. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Nettie Wild / Scott Smith. Photo: Scott Smith
David Garneau, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © David Garneau. Photo: NGC
David Garneau, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © David Garneau. Photo: NGC
Evergon, The Caravaggio, 1984. Instant dye print (Polaroid), 244.1 × 113.1 cm. CMCP Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1986. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Evergon. Photo: NGC
Evergon, The Caravaggio, 1984. Instant dye print (Polaroid), 244.1 × 113.1 cm. CMCP Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1986. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Evergon. Photo: NGC
Germaine Koh, HMH Boothy, 2017. Aluminum, plexiglass, wood, steel, electrical system, 86.4 × 86.4 × 203 cm. Collection of the artist. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Germaine Koh. Photo: NGC
Germaine Koh, HMH Boothy, 2017. Aluminum, plexiglass, wood, steel, electrical system, 86.4 × 86.4 × 203 cm. Collection of the artist. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Germaine Koh. Photo: NGC
Shannon Walsh, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Shannon Walsh. Photo: NGC
Shannon Walsh, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Shannon Walsh. Photo: NGC
Tim Whiten, Court, 2023. Wood and resourced cobalt glass, height: 7.6 cm; dia: 243.8 cm. Collection of the artist. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Tim Whiten. Photo: NGC
Tim Whiten, Court, 2023. Wood and resourced cobalt glass, height: 7.6 cm; dia: 243.8 cm. Collection of the artist. Installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © Tim Whiten. Photo: NGC
FASTWÜRMS, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © FASTWÜRMS. Photo: NGC
FASTWÜRMS, installation view at the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts exhibition, National Gallery of Canada, 8 December 2023 – 3 March 2024. © FASTWÜRMS. Photo: NGC
Meet the 2023 Winners
Throughout their exceptional careers, these eight remarkable artists have contributed to the vitality of visual and media arts in the country. Discover this year’s winners in the short video portraits below.
Grace Nickel
Visual Artist
David Garneau
Visual Artist, Curator, Critical Art Writer
Evergon
Gay Politico and Eroticist Working in Lens-Based Art
FASTWÜRMS
Visual Artists
Germaine Koh
Artist
Shannon Walsh
Filmmaker
Tim Whiten
Image Maker and Creator of Cultural Objects
Nettie Wild
Filmmaker