Art Gallery of Guelph features photography of Roberta Bondar on 25th anniversary of space mission

The Art Gallery of Guelph presents Light in the Land: The Nature of Canada, featuring photographs by scientist and environmental interpreter Dr. Roberta Bondar that explore varied Canadian landscapes as well as their biodiversity and sustainability. The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday September 14th, at 7 pm. All welcome; free admission.

Presented by the University of Guelph in 2017 to mark the 25th anniversary of the astronaut and photographer’s space mission, the exhibition of the University of Guelph alumna’s work captures that critical moment of inspiration: “My view from the spacecraft Discovery 25 years ago forever changed my view of Earth, and it was on that flight that I committed to protect this magnificent planet.”

Informed by a blend of artistic and scientific vision that is tied to her unique combination of expertise as a researcher, astronaut, medical doctor and neurologist, the exhibition explores varied aspects of the distinctive and significant landscape that is Canada – from Long Beach to the Gros Morne Mantle and Mingan Monoliths.

This exhibition is organized by The Roberta Bondar Foundation with the support of Ontario150 and the Power Corporation of Canada and presented by the University of Guelph.

About the artist

In her careers as scientist and physician, Dr. Roberta Bondar developed new techniques for colour and black and white photography using both fluorescence and electron microscopy. A neurologist, Dr. Bondar sub-specialized in neuro-ophthalmology – how we see and view the world around us. Influenced by the wide horizons that she viewed out of the spacecraft window, she has used medium and large format cameras to document natural landscapes from the ground, capturing a planet in evolution.

In 1997, Bondar was featured in the National Gallery of Canada exhibition Beauty of Another Order ~ Photography in Science. For three years, Dr. Bondar also photographed Canada’s National Parks producing the book Passionate Vision ~ Discovering Canada’s National Parks, as well as an exhibition of large photographs that has been displayed at venues including the Canadian Museum of Nature and The Royal Ontario Museum.

She has continued to produce photo-based publications and exhibitions that have addressed Canadian landscapes including the Arctic, as well as the American Southwest and other major deserts of the world. Dr. Bondar’s photographic prints have been exhibited by The Loch Gallery, Toronto, Calgary and Winnipeg, The Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, and Hoopers Gallery, London, UK. Her works can be found in private, corporate and institutional collections in Canada, the USA, and England.