In her new series of photographic portraits, Ottawa-based artist Olivia Johnston invited peers to pose as Christian saints and Madonnas, as well as other Biblical figures. Join her for a conversation with religious scholar and artist Janet Tulloch, discussing the influence of Christianity within the visual language of Western art and wider culture, in particular towards representations of gender.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome! CUAG is an accessible space with barrier-free washrooms.

Olivia Johnston is an artist based in Ottawa, Canada. She is the Photographic History Instructor at the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa. She was the winner of the RBC Emerging Artist Award in 2019, and was shortlisted for the inaugural New Generation Photography Award in 2018. Her work has been displayed nationally, including in the CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto, the Ottawa Art Gallery and as a part of the City of Ottawa’s collection. She has also shown her work internationally in New York, NY, Portland, OR, Saint-Louis, Senegal and London, England. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and books, and is held in national and international private and public collections. She holds a BA in Art History from Carleton University.

Janet Tulloch is an interdisciplinary scholar and fibre artist. From 2001, her academic teaching has included courses in ancient western religions and visual and material culture. Her academic publications have focused on the cultural history of women and religion in the Roman world. In October 2020, Dr. Tulloch will be artist-in-residence at The Booth in Scalloway, the ancient capital of Shetland. As Adjunct Research Professor in Carleton University’s College of Humanities her project is to investigate the 21st century phenomenon of religious references/practices in contemporary Canadian art and public art galleries.

Discount parking passes ($5.00 flat rate) will be available for purchase at the tunnel entrance from 6:45 p.m. - 7:10 p.m. Please see the visiting page of CUAG’s website for directions.