Exhibitions

Joi T. Arcand, ekawiya nepewisi (don’t be shy), 2017, neon channel sign. Photograph by Toni Hafkenscheid

The RMG annually programs over twenty exhibitions across six gallery spaces. With a focus on modern and contemporary Canadian art, we present a variety of exhibitions that reflect a diverse range of artistic output, including painting, photography, sculpture, film, installation and performance. Reflecting our commitment to connect our communities through art, we strive to produce innovative and timely exhibitions that recognize our collective responsibility to contend with the past and vision a more equitable, just, and expansive future.  

View a selection of online exhibition catalogues here.

Oliver Husain: I ♥ Snail

June 6, 2026 - November 1, 2026

Special Exhibition

Curator: Leila Timmins

Artists: Oliver Husain

I ♥ Snail is an immersive video installation by Oliver Husain that examines IMAX cinema as both an experimental film format emerging in the 1960s and a technology later mobilized as a tool of nation-building. The exhibition title is drawn from a sticker found in the archived papers of Toronto-based filmmaker Graeme Ferguson, one of […]

Stephen Andrews: The sum of the parts

June 6, 2026 - November 1, 2026

Special Exhibition

Curator: Leila Timmins + Hannah Keating

Artists: Stephen Andrews

The sum of the parts brings together a constellation of works by Stephen Andrews that examine how systems of war, resource extraction, and global capital are permitted through complacency and constructed through incremental, often hidden acts. At the centre of the exhibition is The Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s recent acquisition of Cartoon (2007), a landmark work […]

Austin Henderson: RBC Emerging Artist Residency Exhibition

June 13, 2026 - August 9, 2026

Artist Residency

Curator: Hannah Keating

Artists: Austin Henderson

Engaging in archival research and familial self-reflection during his residency, Austin Henderson will produce new paintings, prints, drawings, and other multimedia works inspired by his Greek-Canadian grandfather, or papou. Upon coming out to his parents, the artist learned that his maternal grandfather had passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1988. Curious about the conversations they […]

Stories in Ink: Illustrations by Oscar Cahén

June 13, 2026 - January 3, 2027

Permanent Collection

Curator: Sonya Jones

Artists: Oscar Cahén

Before joining the abstract collective Painters Eleven in 1953, Oscar Cahén had already built a successful career as a publishing illustrator. He maintained an active illustration practice even as his painting increasingly moved toward abstraction. Known for his sharp observation and expressive style, Cahén became one of Canada’s most sought-after illustrators of the 1950s. This […]

Answering the Call: First Responders in Historic Oshawa

June 13, 2026 - January 3, 2027

Permanent Collection

Curator: Sonya Jones

In 2020, at the height of the global pandemic, communities came together to show support for first responders and health care workers. Painted rocks, handmade signs in windows, and messages posted on fences became visible expressions of gratitude and solidarity for those working on the front lines. Even without fanfare, frontline workers continue to show […]

That Summer: Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition 2026

August 14, 2026 - September 24, 2026

Community Partnerships

The Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition is a showcase of creativity and technical skill among members of the Oshawa Senior Community Centres, Oshawa Public Libraries, and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture, and more, this annual community exhibition is structured around a competition theme and prizes are awarded in three categories: Novice, Hobby, […]

Zoe Ann Cardinal Cire: In Plains Air

September 26, 2026 - February 14, 2027

Special, Special Exhibition

Curator: Leila Timmins

Artists: Zoe Ann Cardinal Cire

In Plains Air marks Zoe Ann Cardinal Cire’s first museum solo exhibition in Canada, presenting new work shaped by her time on her ancestral territories in Treaty 6. In the bush, the boundaries between inside and outside fall away—the land is home, shelter, and teacher. Cire turns to this context to rethink Western plein-air painting, […]