The Power Plant

Emmanuel Osahor’s practice focuses on beauty as a necessity for survival, respite, and sanctuary. Known primarily for his paintings of lush, verdant gardenscapes—inspired by real and imagined locations—these works meditate upon the complicated histories of these sites that entail the domestication of lands, plants, and individuals alike. To dream of other places is the artist’s first major solo presentation in his home city of Toronto and includes paintings, drawings, prints, ceramic sculptures, and a site-specific photographic wallpaper commissioned for the Fleck Clerestory gallery at The Power Plant.

Conceived as a night garden, the exhibition presents Osahor’s work in a unique environment intended to immerse the viewer in a contemplative space where feelings of delight and sorrow coexist as reflections of the human experience. The artist’s poetic yet critical approach to a subject that has been well represented throughout art history reflects a practice that is profoundly engaged with beauty, painting, and the everyday at a time when meaningful encounters with art are needed more than ever. The exhibition is accompanied by an ambitious public program centred on Osahor’s keen interest in nature’s regenerative power.

About the Artist
Emmanuel Osahor holds an MFA at the University of Guelph (2021) and a BFA in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Edmonton (2015). His work has been presented in numerous solo and collective exhibitions, including at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton; SNAP Gallery, Edmonton; The Works Art & Design Festival, Edmonton; the Art Gallery of Guelph; BAND Gallery, Toronto; and MOCA Toronto. In 2018 Osahor received an honourable mention at the 20th RBC Painting Competition and in 2021 he received the Joseph Plaskett postgraduate award in painting. Osahor is an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at the University of Toronto.