Abstract art has been a part of the RMG’s Permanent Collection story from its foundation. The collection was founded in 1967 with an initial donation of 37 works by Alexandra Luke. The artworks included in this gift shaped the RMG’s early focus on the abstract collective Painters Eleven and contemporary Canadian art and laid the groundwork for one of Canada’s most significant collections of abstract art.

This exhibition presents contemporary abstraction acquired over the past five years that demonstrate our continued commitment to telling the ongoing history of abstraction in Canada. These acquisitions broaden that history by embracing a wider range of voices and perspectives, demonstrating how abstraction is an evolving and dynamic genre of art.

In our busy lives, it is easy to overlook the beauty found in ordinary objects and moments that shape our daily existence. A simple meal, daily chores, and familiar household objects are often dismissed as mundane and given little aesthetic value.

This exhibition explores how artists capture the aesthetics of everyday life through depictions of common objects, quiet moments, and scenes of daily life. Some of the selected works are examples of the art historical traditions of still life and genre painting. Still life painting focuses on inanimate, everyday objects, often using them symbolically to reflect on themes of mortality, abundance, and the passage of time. Genre painting, meanwhile, celebrates scenes of domestic life and labour, revealing the significance of ordinary human experience. Both artistic traditions use the familiar to explore deeper truths about life and society. Contemporary artists continue this exploration, using everyday subjects to reflect the complexities and nuances of human experience.

Drawn from the Permanent Collection, the artworks in this exhibition invite viewers to reconsider what is worthy of notice and to reflect on how everyday matters shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

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 up every day, as those in their professions have long done before them.

Drawn from the Thomas Bouckley Collection, this exhibition looks back at the first responders and health care workers who have served the Oshawa community across generations. Images of firefighters, nurses, doctors, ambulances, and more recent social services trace a history of care, protection, and public service in the city. While these photographs do not depict the everyday heroes of today, they remind us that the dedication and service of those who came before continue to shape and sustain our community.