Glass, Concrete, and Stone

Humans have been documenting their changing environments for as long as art has been made. Landscapes can transport us to places we’ve never seen, preserve sites of significance, and record the passing of seasons and time. But when does a landscape become unnatural, and what role do humans play in that transformation? Is it possible to consider human intervention as a natural process, as in the case of bee hives and beaver dams, and if so, how do we move toward that possibility? What can our current urban environments tell us about our path towards or away from such a future?

Drawn from the Art Gallery of Guelph’s collection, the works by Michael Adamson, Sheila Ayearst, Susan Dobson, Wanda Koop, and Christopher Pratt assembled here subvert traditional expectations of landscape representation as untouched, pristine, and sublime by reframing the land through the lens of industrialization. They ask us to consider both the beauty and banality we perceive in environments influenced by humans—how development, sprawl, and industry have not only shaped and transformed the landscapes we inhabit but also the ways we see and move through them every day.

Throughout, monotone pallets of concrete and geometric shapes of built structures stand in stark contrast to the elemental presence of the sun, sky, and rain—urban forms that both obscure and redefine landscapes. Together, the works question whether beauty is still possible in these environments, or if urbanity inherently robs them of this capacity.

Image details: Susan Dobson, 725 Steeles Avenue, 2011, C-print from digital file, 83.8 x 207.6 cm. Gift of the Artist, 2021. Art Gallery of Guelph Collection.