John Scott: Firestorm

John Scott: Firestorm presents the work of the late Canadian artist John Scott (1950–2022), gathering paintings, drawings, and sculptures made by Scott from the 1980s through the 2010s.

The exhibition focusses on works that explore machine imagery, conflict, violence, and surveillance. Growing up on the Canadian/American border in Windsor, Ontario, in the 1950s and 1960s, Scott developed an acute awareness of American politics and militarism. Depictions of stealth bombers, firearms, and tanks were used by Scott to comment on human vulnerability and the threat of nuclear arms, violence, and the threat of tyranny – all subjects expressed in his raw and urgent graphic style.

Firestorm is guest curated by Dr. John O’Brian, who has undertaken new research to position Scott’s accomplishment within a global context. The exhibition celebrates a unique and singular voice in the history of Canadian art, one grappling with the acute threats to humanity in our times.