Barbara Steinman D.F.A. (born February 3, 1950) is a Canadian artist known for her work in
video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
and
installation art
Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
.
Biography
Steinman was born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
in 1950.
She began her career as a pioneering videotape artist in Vancouver in the late seventies and evolved into creating elaborate video and multimedia installations.
After returning to Montreal in 1980, her video sculptures and installations received international recognition and were included in major exhibitions and biennials. As in Vancouver, Steinman was involved with Montreal's video and alternate art production: she was co-director of Vidéo Véhicule, the centre for independent media arts production, and also a director of the artist-run La Centrale / Powerhouse Gallery.
A common theme in Steinman's work is the fate of the disenfranchised and the dispossessed. In 2019, ''Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art'' wrote that she "effectively memorialises subjects denied a common name, a concrete identity, a reasonable life." She works in multiple media, including video, photography, neon, and
installation art
Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
.
Exhibitions and Commissions
Steinman’s artworks have been shown in exhibitions in Canada and internationally, including the biennials of Seoul, Sydney, São Paulo and Aperto in Venice, as well as exhibitions at the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
(MoMA) in New York, the
Stedelijk Museum
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. in Amsterdam, the
Tate Liverpool in England, the
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto and the
National Gallery of Canada.
In 2021, she had a show of images of flowers in various stages of their life cycles titled ''Keeping Time'' at the Olga Korper Gallery in Toronto which represents her. She was inspired to start this subject as a way to mark the passage of time during a year of lockdown in Montreal caused by
Covid-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and then it became about time itself.
Her public art projects have received widespread recognition, including the award for Design Excellence for an outdoor public artwork in Vancouver (1998), a commissioned work for
Canada House (Berlin)
Canada House (german: Kanada Haus) is a diplomatic and office building in Berlin. It is the location of the Embassy of Canada to Germany, which is the List of diplomatic missions of Canada, diplomatic mission of Canada to Germany.
History
Unlike ...
(2005), and the design of a featured artwork for the Canadian Embassy in Moscow (2010).
Public Collections
Her work is included in the collections of the
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal and the
National Gallery of Canada.
as well as in the Collection
Fonds national d’art contemporain (FNAC), Paris;
Maison européenne de la photographie, Paris; the Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul;
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec ( en, National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec), abbreviated as MNBAQ, is an art museum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The museum is situated in Battlefield Park and is a complex consisting of four bui ...
;
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montréal;
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa;
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa; Collection Prêt d’œuvres d’art du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec;
Museum London
Museum London is an art and history museum located in London, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the forks of the Thames River. It started its operations in 1940 with London Public Library and amalgamated with London Regional Art Gallery and Lon ...
, London, ON;
Art Gallery of Hamilton;
MacKenzie Art Gallery
The MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG; french: Musee d’art MacKenzie) is an art museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The museum occupies the multipurpose T. C. Douglas Building, situated at the edge of the Wascana Centre. The building holds e ...
, Regina;;
Vancouver Art Gallery;
Winnipeg Art Gallery;
Art Gallery of Windsor; Rare Books and Special Collections,
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, Montréal; and the Donovan Collection, St. Michael’s College,
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, Toronto.
Awards
Barbara Steinman received the
Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts
The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually with the prize amount is $25,000
Created in 2000 by then Governor General Adrie ...
(2002) and was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
in Montreal (2015).
In 2022, she was awarded the Paul-Émile-Borduas Prize.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinman, Barbara
1950 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian photographers
20th-century Canadian women artists
21st-century Canadian photographers
21st-century Canadian women artists
Artists from Montreal
Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners