Past Exhibitions

Carl Zimmerman: Lost Hamilton Landmarks

1 February to 10 March

An important photographic series by Cape Breton artist Carl Zimmerman consisting of 29 photographs of interiors and exteriors of vast public structures in Hamilton, Ontario, including "The Warehouse," "The Wading Pool," "The Mausoleum" and "The City Reservoir." These massive forms, reminiscent of 1930s architecture, embody social ideals of communism, fascism and New Deal social democracy. While the series is calculated to suggest a factual documentation of pre-WWII era North American and European architecture, in fact the buildings portrayed are small scale maquettes made from common materials and then photographed. On the face of it the work speaks to the ability of the camera to lie, while at the same time creating a kind of poetic experience based on memory. 'Lost Hamilton Landmarks' is in the Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, purchased with funds from the Canada Council for the Arts Aquisitions Assistance Fund and the Friends of the Owens Art Gallery.

Image: Carl Zimmerman,Lost Hamilton Landmarks: Powerplant- Mount Hamilton Hospital, 1997, photograph. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery