The Power Plant

RBC continues to reflect on the impact the RBC Canadian Painting Competition has made on emerging artists over its 20-year history. The competition emerged as an opportunity to discover promising new artists in the early stages of their careers, and today shines a spotlight on their contributions to the cultural fabric of Canada.

Over the past two decades, the RBC Canadian Painting Competition has welcomed submissions from emerging Canadian artists. Applicants are divided into three regions: Eastern, Central and Western Canada. Five finalists are selected from each of the regions by a two-member regional jury consisting of artists, curators, gallery directors or art critics. All six jurors and one international guest juror convene to view the 15 works and determine the national winner and two honourable mentions, who receive a purchase prize of $25,000 and $15,000 respectively. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, the national winner will also receive a residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The remaining 12 artists receive $2,500 each to put toward their practices.

Alongside the current finalists, RBC in collaboration with The Power Plant presents the exhibition The Other Side, comprised of artworks by several RBC Canadian Painting Competition alumni: Rebecca Brewer, Brenda Draney, Colleen Heslin, Nicolas Grenier, Vanessa Maltese, Shaan Syed and the late Teto Elsiddique. This exhibition aims to explore the ways in which these artists grapple with ongoing painterly concerns even as their practices expand to include media not associated with painting, such as rope and nail polish; linen and dye; carpet runners and cardboard. As both a concept and an exhibition, The Other Side thus becomes not a final destination, but a site of prolonged growth and continued reflection.

This year’s jury members include: Natasha Chaykowski (Researcher, Writer & Curator), Mark Igloliorte (Artist & Assistant Professor, Emily Carr University of Art & Design), Crystal Mowry (Senior Curator, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery), Erin Stump (Director, ESP I Erin Stump Projects), Alexandra McIntosh (Director of Programs and Exhibitions, Fogo Island Arts), and Julie Trudel (Artist and Assistant Professor at Université du Québec à Montréal).

Finalists in this year’s RBC Canadian Painting Competition are: Amanda Boulos (Toronto), Keiran Brennan Hinton (Bronx), Krystle Coughlin (Vancouver), Sarah Davidson (Guelph), Angela Fermor (Calgary), Karine Fréchette (Montreal), Stephanie Hier (Toronto), Ally McIntyre (Edmonton), Emmanuel Osahor (Edmonton), Lauren Pelc-McArthur (Montreal), geetha thurairajah (Kitchener-Waterloo), Kizi Spielmann Rose (Halifax), Joani Tremblay (Montreal), Tristan Unrau (Vancouver), and Joy Wong (Toronto).