Artist’s Talk:
Stan Douglas, Tales of Empire
Saturday, December 6, 2025 | 2 pm
Join us for a special talk celebrating the opening of Stan Douglas: Tales of Empire.
Internationally acclaimed artist Stan Douglas will be joined by award-winning Canadian author André Alexis for a conversation exploring the themes and ideas that shape Douglas’s practice. Tales of Empire brings together five major photographic series that examine the global legacies of colonization—an enduring focus in Douglas’s work.
The exhibition offers a powerful reflection on history, memory, and the lasting imprint of empire on both landscapes and lives.
About
Stan Douglas
Stan Douglas is a visual artist from Vancouver whose practice spans photography, film, video, installation, and theatre. Since the 1980s, he has explored the intersections of history, collective memory, and colonial legacies through technically ambitious and conceptually layered projects. His work often restages pivotal cultural and political moments, blurring the boundaries between documentary and fiction.
Douglas has exhibited widely, including five appearances at the Venice Biennale—representing Canada in 2022—and solo exhibitions at major institutions such as the Centre Pompidou, MoMA, and the National Gallery of Canada. His work is held in leading museum collections across North America and Europe.
Douglas lives and works in Vancouver.
About
André Alexis
André Alexis is a fiction writer who grew up in Ottawa. His novels Fifteen Dogs and Days by Moonlight won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize in 2015 and 2019. He has also received the Scotiabank Giller Prize, CBC’s Canada Reads, and the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. His eighth novel, The Ring, is the fifth book in his “quincunx” series exploring philosophical themes. Born in Trinidad, Alexis lives in Toronto.
Sponsors
Generously Supported By
Robin and Malcolm Anthony
Debra and Barry Campbell
Carol Gray
Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation
Kololian Family
Liza Mauer and Andrew Sheiner
Julia and Gilles Ouellette
Eleanor and Francis Shen
Lesley Stowe and Geoffrey Scott
Acquisition Sponsor
Claudia Beck
Media Partner
Photo & Video Release
Please be advised that staff from the McMichael may be capturing photos and video footage during our special events. These images may be used, repurposed, and published across various platforms, including news articles, social media channels, and our website. Additionally, these images may be shared with our event partners/sponsors.