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)