Toronto, ON, Canada, b. 1976

 

Education

 

2014 MFA, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, British Columbia

 

Related Work

 

2014 Part-time professor of painting in studio arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

 

Selected Solo and Two Person Exhibitions

 

2022  Upcoming, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver BC

2022  COLLECTING AND PURGING, Qathet Art Centre, Powell River, BC

2020 — IN THE DARK, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2019 — SEA LEGS, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2018 — SLOW PERIPHERIAL MOVEMENTS, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, Esker Foundation, Calgary

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, McMichael Gallery, Kleinburg, Ontario

2016 — SOMATIC TRADITIONS, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2016 — THE LAST WOMAN STANDING, Violet Strays, Seattle

2015 — TREADING BUOYLINES, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver

2015 — WALKING AND FALLING… with Vanessa Brown, ESP, Toronto

2014 — OUTCASTS and SHADY TREES, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2014 — BALLADS FROM THE NORTH SEA, Galerie Laroche/Joncas, Montreal

2014 — COLLEEN HESLIN AND JEN AITKEN, Battat Contemporary, Montreal

2013 — Avant que je ne change d’avis, with Les Ramsay, Vevey, Switzerland

2013 — SLOW DOWN / GET LOST, with Les Ramsay, Kinderhook and Caracas, Berlin Germany

2011 — COUNTERFEIT TRADITIONS, with Les Ramsay, Bruno Arts Bank Vault Gallery, Bruno, Saskatchewan

2011 — PICNIC AT BLUEFISH CAVES, Black and Yellow Gallery, Vancouver

2010 — I SEE WATER, LES Gallery, Vancouver

 

Selected Group Exhibitions

 

2021 — HOLDING A LINE IN YOUR HAND, curated by Charo Neville, Kamloops Art Gallery, BC

2021 — AN INHERITANCE, curated by Kegan McFadden, Victoria Arts Council, Victoria BC

2021 — RESET, 330g, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2019 — SOMETHING MORE THAN NOTHING, Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam, BC

2019 — SOMETHING MORE THAN NOTHING, The Reach Gallery Museum, Abbotsford, BC

2019 — The Sun Poured in Like Butterscotch, Project Pangee, Montreal

2018 — THE OTHER SIDE, The Power Plant, curated by Justine Kohleal, Toronto

2018 — GLUT, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, UBC, Vancouver

2017 — ENTANGLED, The Vancouver Art Gallery (catalogue), Vancouver

2017 — OPEN HORIZONS, Tinos Cultural Foundation (catalogue), Tinos, Greece

2017 — ONLY ENTROPY COMES EASY, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2016 — AMBIVALENT PLEASURES, The Vancouver Art Gallery (catalogue), Vancouver

2016 — CONTEMPORARY VISIONS, Beers London, London, UK

2015 — GARDEN AVENUE, curated by Jennifer Carvalho, Toronto

2014 — HUMOR RISK, Kathleen Cullen Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2014 — SOFTENING THE CORNERS, Birch Contemporary, Toronto

2014 — TOWER, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver

2014 — IGNITION, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal

2013 — MYTHOLOGIES, Laroche/Joncas, Montreal

2013 — I.O.U.(SINCERELY,K.MIDAS) curated by Kalli Niedoba, Unit/Pitt Projects, Vancouver

2012 — DE-ACCESIONED, Cooper Cole Gallery, Toronto

2012 — THE CEDAR ROOM, curated by Kari Cwynar and Jenn Jackson, Portland, Oregon

2011 — WALK IN/HERE YOU ARE (3), curated by Cate Rimmer, City of Vancouver Public Art project, Vancouver

2010 — BEFORE AND AFTER, curated by Sophie Brodovitch, Queen Elizabeth Theater, Vancouver

2010 — NO SEX NO LIFE, 304 days, Vancouver

2009 — TAKE YOUR TIME, curated by Bill Jeffries, Rebecca Brewer, Damian Moppett, Ron den Daas, Heather Passmore,

Gary Pearson, Ben Reeves and Neil Wedman. Panel discussion and catalogue, SFU Gallery, Burnaby BC

2008 — COUNTRY HORSE AND WAGON, Pentiction Art Gallery, Pentiction, BC

2007 — TOO MANY WORDS, curated by Lance Blomgren, Helen Pitt Gallery, Vancouver

2006 — DEFINING SPACES, catalogue, Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby, BC

CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2011 — THE WRITING ON THE WALL, A 22 week text-based public art mural project

including 31 artists and collaborative groups, March 1 – August 1, Vancouver

2011 — A GOOD DAY FOR HORSE RACES, East Van Studio’s, Vancouver

2006 — PLACED AND FOUND, Access Gallery, Vancouver

1999-2015 — The Crying Room Projects, an independent space for emerging artists founder, curator, and director

 

Residencies

 

2016 — Wagon Station Encampment, Andrea Zittel, April 2016, Joshua Tree, California, USA

2014 — The Sointula Art Shed, July 1-31 (upcoming), Sointula Island, BC, CAN

2013 — Kinderhook & Caracas, June 19-July19, Berlin, Germany

2013 — Rats Collectif, July 20-30, Vevey, Switzerland

2011 — BRUNO ARTS BANK, August 1-31st, Bruno, Saskatchewan, Canada

 

Talks and Panels

 

2021 — Tanabe Award video interview with live QnA, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria

2017 — AMBIVALENT PLEASURES, Panel talk, The Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver

2017 — UBC Okanogan, Artist talk and studio visits, Kelowna, BC

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, panel talk with Marc Mayer and Sarah Stanners, McMichael Collection, Kleinburg ON

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, an exhibition talk, The Esker Foundation, Calgary AB

2016 — Emily Carr University, Alumina Panel, Vancouver BC

2016 — Art Toronto, Mentorship Panel talk, Toronto ON

2016 — University of the Fraser Valley, Artist Talk, Abbotsford BC

2015 — TREADING BUOYLINES, In conversation with Neil Campbell, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver BC

2014 — Feature, Niall McClelland and Colleen Heslin moderated by Bill Clarke at the Soho House, Toronto ON

2014 — Softening the Corners, exhibition panel talk, Birch Contemporary, Toronto ON

2014 — MATERIALITY AND PAINTING, panel talk, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver BC

2011 — Bruno Arts Bank Vault Gallery, artist talk with Les Ramsay, Bruno, Saskatchewan

2009 — TAKE YOUR TIME, panel talk with Ben Reeves and Rebecca Brewer SFU, Vancouver BC

 

Workshops

 

2017 — ENTANGLED, Three workshops, Educators, Teens and Family Fuse, The Vancouver Art Gallery

2017 — AMBIVALENT PLEASURES, Teen workshop, The Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, Open workshop, McMichael Collection, Kleinburg ON

2016 — NEEDLES AND PINS, Open workshop, The Esker Foundation, Calgary AB

 

Selected Press

 

 — Gallerieswest Colleen Heslin, “Needles and Pins”, exhibition review by Matthew Hills, March 16, 2016

 — Bordercrossing “Stitching in Time; The Artful Life of Colleen Heslin”, by Lee Henderson, Volume 34, Number 2, Issue No. 134, p.64-69, Summer 2015

 — Georgia Straight “Colleen Heslin displays immense confidence with Outcasts and Shady Trees”, solo review by Robin Laurence, June 17, 2014, Vancouver BC

 — Mkos “Ballads from the North Sea, Colleen Heslin”, Review by Joseph Henry, Montréal, June 10, 2014

 — Canadian Art “Can Painting Be Reinvented”, Online exhibition review by Britt Gallpen, posted April 21, 2014

 — Canadian Art “Painting Issue: Hot Jobs”, p.78-79, Winter 2014

 — Akimbo “Colleen Heslin & Jen Aitken at Battat Contemporary”, Review by Susanna Wesley, Feb 25, 2014

 — Blouin Artinfo “Interview: Colleen Heslin”, by Sky Goodden, 03/10/13

 — Artforum Magazine “De-Accessioned”, Cooper Cole exhibition review by Steven Kado, January 2013

 — Pyramid Power “SLEEPWALKING”, 4 page painting spread, issue 07 spring/summer, Vancouver BC

 — Capricious Magazine “The Animal Issue”, issue 8, Spring 2008, New York, NY USA

 — Purpose Magazine “The Childhood Issue” Webmag Photographic, issue 8, Autumn 2008, Paris, France

 

Awards

 

2021 — Tanabe Award for BC Painters

2017 — BC Arts Council Project Grant

2015 — Canada Council Project Grant

2014 — City of Vancouver Artist Live/Work Studio Award

2013 — Canada Council Project Grant

2013 — RBC Painting Competition

2013 — Lillian Vineberg Graduate Award in Painting and Drawing

2013 — Fine Arts Travel Award, Concordia University

2013 — BC Arts Council Scholarship Award

2012 — BC Arts Council Scholarship Award

 

Collections

 

National Gallery of Canada (Can)

Vancouver Art Gallery (Can)

Musee d’art Contemporain de Montreal, Montreal Quebec (Can)

McMichael Collection, Kleinburg Ontario (Can)

Canada Council Art Bank (Can)

Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia (Can)

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, UBC, Vancouver (Can)