47 must-see visual art exhibitions this fall

Anna Leonowens Gallery Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 12pm-4pm, Granville Square, 1891 Granville Street
Topiary Rich floral scenes grounded in moody palettes are Zachari Logan's signature. To Sep 23
Works by Mario Doucette Mario Doucette explores a new version of history with his mixed-media works that reframe key figures of our colonial past. "My work stems from the hypothesis that history is a lie that no one ever questions," his artist statement says. Sep 26-Oct 7
Big Pictures Gül Ilgaz, Kim Morgan, and Abdi Osman are sharing large-scale snaps on billboards around town as part of the Photopolis photography festival. Here, the works find a centralized location and common theme of identity. Oct 24-Nov 13
A Cadence for Unremembered Shades A fascination with oil painting leads Nam Nguyen and William and Isabel Pope to do a deep dive into the medium and its possibilities. Oct 24-Nov 13
Works by Alvin Comiter As part of the nPhotopolis photography festival, Alvin Comiter shares 80 photographs, in the dark, on a carousel projector: "Thinking back over a lifetime of looking at photographs, arguably, my best memories are from student days when visiting artists would turn off the lights and a carousel projector would flip through a tray of 80 slides that no one had seen before. Here are my 80 photographs...taken in Halifax parks and gardens over the last five years," his artist statement adds. Oct 24-Nov 13

Argyle Fine Art Sun-Mon Closed or by appointment, Tue-Sat 10am-5:30pm, 1559 Barrington Street
Hiraeth Megan LeForte and Caitlin McGuire show off new works on a variety of themes. Sep 15-30
New works by Katharine Burns Burns brings a slew of sea-themed canvases that catalogue crashing waves in their many glorious forms to Argyle Fine Art. It's perfect timing as scenes like these seem to be harder to come by with summer's end looming. To Sep 22
The Entomologist Miniature artist Damien Webb and watercolour artist Michelle St-Onge combine creepy-crawly forces, transforming Argyle Fine Art's lower gallery into an ark of bugs and fireflies in domes, jars and terrariums made from paper and reclaimed objects. Oct 1-Nov 1
Insecticide Miyoshi Kondo explores our interactions with insects—and how we are both dependent upon and destructive of each other—in softly-defined gouache canvases. Oct 1-Nov 1
New Works By Kim Floyd The thorough cataloguer of Maritime culture (and quirk) returns with a new stack of paintings. Nov 1-30
Slow Century Andy MacDonald dishes up serious retro vibes with his twee, textured paintings cataloguing Cadillacs, airstream campers and other 20th-century stylings. Nov 1-30

Art 1274 Hollis Daily 10am-6pm, 1274 Hollis Street
Out of the Blue Artisanal jewellery by Bonnie Baillie and paintings by Beverley Hubley will have you feelin' blue—and cobalt and chambray and cerulean—at this multi-hued show. To Oct 4

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Mon-Wed 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-9pm (5-9pm free access), Fri-Sun 10am-5pm., 1723 Hollis Street
Centuries of Silence: The discovery of the Salzinnes Antiphonal In 1550s Belgium, nuns scrawled hymns and scraps of daily life in choir books—but none as beautifully, perhaps, as the nameless writer who crafted the large-scale, vellum book known as the Salzinnes Antiphonal. Thought to have travelled to Halifax in the luggage of an Archbishop, the then-unidentified piece was discovered at Saint Mary’s University library in 1998. Now, finally cleaned up and ready for its debut, the book arrives at the AGNS to show off its curly script and gilded trim. To Oct 29
An Expression of Faith: Sacred Art of Centuries Past Twenty Northern European works from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries explore an ancient, longstanding tie between artistic movements and religious iconography. To Oct 29
Prime Suspects: Canada's Prime Minsters in Caricature Editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon premieres his latest renderings of the various residents of 24 Sussex Drive—from John A. Macdonald to Justin Trudeau—with this solo show. To Apr 1, 2018
An Abecedary of Printmakers in Nova Scotia An Abecedary is an ABC Book, but this walk-through alphabet doesn't focus on 'A is for Apple': Rather, it's about the print makers behind each letter, with each scene acting as a sequential self-portrait. Oct 21-Mar 4
Perfect Brightness: Discovery and Escape in Contemporary Photography A swath of photographs from the AGNS' permanent collection, Perfect Brightness follows the rules of straight photography: Each shot depicts a scene or subject in sharp focus, highlighting the differences between photography and other mediums like painting. Nov 10-Apr 29

Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 1055 Marginal Road
The Space Between Held Hands Charley Young's highly-detailed bronze casts capture the negative space between held hands, evoking intimately beautiful moments between families, old friends or new acquaintances. To Nov 12, free

Chase Exhibition Room Monday to Friday 8:30am-4:30pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, 6016 University Avenue
it's getting hot i need you more than ever Lisa Cochrane's 3D panels and abstract sculptures—crafted from decommissioned firehose—create a highly-textured world all their own. To Sep 28

Corridor Gallery 1113 Marginal Road
Ropeworks Violet Rosengarten's stunning painted-rope pieces are a study in texture. The artist's statement sums it up best: "I am inspired by nature, the debris on beaches, old barn doors and other time-worn surfaces. My investigations into texture have led to experimentation with rope and paint. Given the importance of rope in maritime culture, I am using this material symbolically to express my attachment to this place." To Sep 28

Craig Gallery Tue-Fri 12-5:30pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm, Alderney Landing, 2 Ochterloney Street, Dartmouth
Convergence The dedicated volunteers behind this fall's photography fest Photopolis show off a swath of photos they've snapped at this group show. To Oct 8
peasant magic: invocations in wax Ann Morash puts all her eggs in one basket with this show, a showcase of the diverse oval shells she's decorated with wax and dye. To Oct 8
Seasons of Change The 19th annual art exhibition and sale raising funds for mental health returns. Oct 12-29

Dalhousie Art Gallery Tue-Fri 11am to 5pm, weekends 12-5pm, closed Mondays, 6101 University Avenue
Dana Claxton: The Mustang Suite An Indigenous woman dressed in scarlet, fringes chasing downward from her raised arms to the floor, stands in one of Dana Claxton’s five large-scale portrait photos from The Mustang Suite. The stark background and crackling crispness of the image show why the works by this artist of Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux ancestry have travelled the country before becoming part of the Dalhousie Art Gallery’s permanent collection. Tackling themes of western assimilation and Indigenous identity, the provocative snaps pose family members next to various refigured mustangs—from a muscle car to a white woman with horse blinders and mouth bit. The gallery calls them simply “iconic as they layer social commentary and critique." To Oct 1
The Porter Collection A slew of recent additions to the gallery's vault, The Porter Collection is a series of Maritime scenes on paper by various artists. Together, the pieces create a rich visual history of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the early 20th century. To Oct 1

The Dart Gallery 127A Portland Street, Dartmouth
Resonance Chris Brobeck and Faith Wiley share a stack of highly-emotive, slightly-surrealist life drawings and paintings. Sep 15-28
SPRAYD: A Hopscotch Collective The Dart gets in on the spirit of Hopscotch, Halifax's urban arts festival, with this spirited show. Sep 29-Oct 13
The Magic in the Path I've Chosen Wendy Bissett Beaver brings a collection of whimsical paintings inspired by our local surroundings to The Dart. Oct 14-Nov 2
The Pixar Show Grab the Mike to your Sully, the Dory to your Marvin, and head to this sweet show that celebrates the wonderful world of Pixar! Nov 17-Dec 1

Gallery Nineteen Nineteen 6025 Stanley Street
Figments Wayne Boucher, Ted Lind, Donna Boyko, Sharon Irving-Kennedy, and Sophie Paskins share a slew of abstract works. To Oct 6
Art Off the Map A swish showing of 40 Atlantic Canadian artists on the Halifax Art Map. Oct 11-Nov 8
Life: Land Ice Fire Experience Monika Wright, Sarah Jane Conklin and Andrea Pottyondy share a stack of paintings inspired by a trip to Iceland they took in 2015. Nov 12-Dec 8

Hermes Tues-Thu 1pm-6pm, Fri-Sun 1pm-4pm, 5682 North Street
Works by Chad Jagoe and Michael Fuller Jagoe's abstract, sculptural paintings blend the hard physicality of a canvas with a light use of colour. Fuller, meanwhile, shares a selection of photographs snapped over a 15 year span. to Oct 1: Saturdays, Sundays.
New works by Thierry Delva and Steven Holmes Two artists who have spent the last two and a half decades discussing art share this show riffing on themes of mortality and health with photographs of burial grounds and casts of artificial hips. Oct 7-29

Khyber Centre for the Arts Tue-Sat 12-5pm, 1880 Hollis Street
We Met Online: Finding Each Other A twitching video collage, full of stock photo therapists (all thin and white), repeats the phrase "Mom, I started going to therapy" in Mandarin and English. It sets a powerful, pixilated scene: One that first generation Chinese-Canadian artist Stephanie Wu created to push for diversity in discussions of mental health and queerness. They share a sculpture and video exhibition at The Khyber as they reflect on how many queer/trans people of colour to go online in search of visibility, community and support. Sep 21-28

Mary E. Black Gallery Tue-Fri, 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun, 11am-4pm, 1061 Marginal Road
Creases, Fold An exhibition of new work by emerging craftspeople in ceramics, jewellery, metal, textiles and book arts—including pieces by Kaas Ghanie, Laura Horrocks-Denis, Violeta Izquierdo, Amanda Kopas, Juliana Naccarato, Eunseon Park and Nicolas Soni. To Sep 17
Oh! Canada A Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council jury selected collection, Oh! Canada celebrates 150 years of the confederation, riffing on Canadiana symbols like maple leaves and geese. Sep 21-Nov 5
John Little – Forging a Life A retrospective of works by Nova Scotia’s premier blacksmith, John Little. Nov 10-Dec 22

Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 1-5pm, 166 Bedford Highway
Bodies in Translation: Age and Creativity A multi-artist show documenting various facets of aging, including age-related disability, arrives at the MSVU gallery. To Nov 12
We Shall See Ian Willms documents his father's months of hospitalization (and eventual death) following a motorcycle accident. Unframed photos printed on easily-bruised, tissue-weight tracing paper stand despite a fraught relationship, capturing unknown emotional terrain through love, grief and mortality. To Nov 5
Annual Mount Community Show 2017 An exhibit open to MSVU students, staff, faculty, alumnae and families to display their creative works in visual arts, music, performance, poetry, crafts and more at this annual event. Nov 15-Dec 10

Nocturne 2017
Nocturne, the wildly wonderful night that turns Halifax's streets into art gallery halls, turns 10 this year. While we can't wait to see the celebrations and programming that art's big night out will have in store, we're filling the waiting time envisioning riffs on this year's theme: Vanish. nocturnehalifax.ca, Sat Oct. 14

Photopolis 2017
Catch the festival's official kickoff at the ViewPoint Gallery (1272 Barrington Street) on October 6. Every three years, the city’s sharpest shutterbugs gather to celebrate all things camera and celluloid related. See galleries across town get in on the fun with photography exhibitions covering a swath of styles and themes. Oct. 1-31

//RESPONSIVE: INTERNATIONAL LIGHT ART PROJECT
Projecting feelings? Not cool. Projecting light? Brilliant! See a slew of local and international light artists make the city streets into gallery walls as Responsive, the international light art festival, takes over the downtown—and make sure to check out the special light-themed exhibits at the Anna Leonowens Gallery (Granville Square, 1891 Granville Street) too. Oct 18-21, 7 p.m.-12 a.m.

Saint Mary's University Art Gallery Loyola Building, 5865 Gorsebrook Avenue
FORGED Steve Wadden’s meditative photographs capture sharp shards of light—and document life in the steel-working neighbourhood of Whitney Pier, Cape Breton. Shot over a decade of steep economic downturn, FORGED records the city’s devastation and re-construction, tracing the community’s cultural responses to its changing circumstances. To Nov 12

Secord Gallery Mon-Thu 9:30am-5:30pm, Fri 9:30am-8pm, Sat 10am-5pm, 6301 Quinpool Road
Saving Maud Laura Kenney and Steven Rhude explore and reimagine the life and legacy of folk art icon Maud Lewis with this collection of works. To Sep 29

Studio 21 Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm, Mon by appointment only, 1273 Hollis Street
Go Figure A collection of figurative works by artists Brian Burke, Marcus Jones and Michael Harrington envision human and animal forms in a multitude of beautiful, bizarre ways. Sep 15-Oct 11
Ron Shuebrook & Jordan Broadworth Two prolific names in the Canadian abstract scene combine forces for this highly-textured show. Oct 13-Nov 15