Jun 25, 2025
Tim Whiten in His Own Words
In these two videos, the acclaimed image-maker delves into the aims of his practice
Tim Whiten with his work, He is Called Spagyrist, installed at Art Gallery of Ontario. Photo: Craig Boyko © AGO.
Upon entering the exhibition, A Little Bit of Light, it’s likely that a visitor’s gaze will first gravitate toward familiar forms like walking canes, rolling pins, books and birdcages. As they take a closer look, Tim Whiten’s meticulous blends of organic material, mysticism and ancient ritual just might propel them into a dialogue with the infinite. Since the 1970s, the Gershon Iskowitz Prize-winner has been exploring naturally occurring materials, creating sculptural monuments that fuse the physical and spiritual realms to better understand what it means to be alive.
On view now until August 17 at the AGO, Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light features over 30 key works. The exhibition ranges from works on paper and cotton, to other three-dimensional objects and mixed-media installations. Among them is Awk (1989), Whiten’s sleeveless leather dress with a shark jaw chest panel; the coffee-stained hospital sheets of his Enigmata Series (1994-96); and Lucky Lucky Lucky (2010), Whiten’s life-sized glass rocking horse exploring the transcendent power of play.
Installation view: Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light, March 29 - August 17, 2025, Art Gallery of Ontario. Artworks © Tim Whiten. Photo: AGO.
To form a clearer sense of the complex intentions behind Whiten’s practice and grasp what the multidisciplinary image-maker feels his work is, it is important to hear him speak about his practice directly. The following videos feature Whiten offering candid insights about his process.
“What I make, I consider to be cultural objects. The work that I do comes from an awareness from my everyday experiences.”
In this short documentary produced by the Canada Council for the Arts in honour of Whiten’s 2023 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, he outlines the practical and experiential value of his work for those who may encounter it. In addition, he speaks about his affinity for sharing his work with others and allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions.
“In a sense, what we’re doing is looking at the changing condition of the worlds which we participate in. We don’t participate only in one world. At times, what we see in the world around us is only an indication of a world which we don’t see.”
In this AGO Art in the Spotlight video from 2020, Whiten speaks with AGO conservator Sherry Phillips and curator Georgiana Uhlyarik about his practice, focusing on his works Metamorphosis (1978-1989) and Elysium (2008). Whiten delves into the reasoning behind his choice of materials and their greater spiritual and historical context.
Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light is on view now until August 17 in the Philip B. Lind Gallery on Level 1 of the AGO. Canadian curator and writer Carolyn Bell Farrell’s book, Tim Whiten: Life & Work, is available now at Shop AGO.
