Six of Canada's most compelling contemporary artists come together in a landmark exhibition

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 3, 2026 /CNW/ -- Art lovers are invited to meet the shortlisted artists for the 2026 Sobey Art Award (SAA), Canada's most established contemporary visual arts prize, at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) this evening. In partnership with the Sobey Art Foundation, the NGC will launch the 2026 Sobey Art Award Exhibition at 6 p.m. in the Scotiabank Great Hall, offering the public a unique opportunity to meet the artists and see their work. The exhibition will be on view through January 3, 2027.

Bringing together sculpture, installation, photography, painting, film, textiles, metalwork and land-based practices, the 2026 SAA exhibition reflects the breadth and vitality of artistic production taking place across Canada today. The shortlisted artists explore themes such as memory, language, land, identity and cultural traditions.

The SAA is organized by the National Gallery of Canada and funded by the Sobey Art Foundation. It recognizes artists whose work demonstrates innovative approaches and thought-provoking perspectives in contemporary art in Canada. Last year's winner was Tania Willard (Pacific), whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted in Secwépemc knowledge, values and aesthetics.

"The Sobey Art Award exists to champion artists whose work expands our understanding of contemporary art and reflects the complexity and creativity of our time," said Rob Sobey, Chair of the Sobey Art Foundation. "This year's shortlisted artists demonstrate remarkable vision, originality and commitment to their practices. We are proud to support their work and to partner with the National Gallery of Canada in presenting an exhibition that fosters meaningful dialogue and celebrates the strength of contemporary artistic voices across the country."

"What makes this year's exhibition especially resonant is the opportunity to experience the dynamic work of each of these shortlisted artists together in a single space," said Jonathan Shaughnessy, Director, Curatorial Initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada and Chair of the 2026 Sobey Art Award Jury. "We are excited for visitors to engage with and draw their own connections with these six compelling and distinctive creative voices shaping the visual arts in Canada today."

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• Circumpolar region finalist Melaw Nakehk'o's multimedia works rooted in Dene knowledge systems and land-based and community-driven approach to art making. Working across a variety of media, from Mostly Human (2026) a soft sculpture crafted from caribou hide that she tanned herself, to her paintings Sinew Theory Pink (2025) and All That Is/Shifts (2026), she honours the caribou that sustains her community and art practice;
• Pacific region finalist Samuel Roy-Bois's sculptural and photographic investigations of the built environment, expressed in three- and two-dimensional works from the series Balloon (2025) and Sovereign (2019), consider the ways in which human existence is shaped by material encounters, and how objects and spaces operate as active agents within institutional and cultural frameworks;
• Prairies region finalist Audie Murray's process-based works that draw on Métis and Cree knowledge and ceremony, seen in her mural To Make Smoke which uses charcoal made from the remnants of smudging sweetgrass, cedar and sage and water sourced locally. The result is a subtly powerful "container" of smudge smoke: markings that evoke labour, bodily movement and presence;
• Ontario region finalist Lotus L. Kang's installations exploring memory, impermanence and transformation through photographic materials and cast sculptural forms. Her work on display in the exhibition is titled Azaleas II, 2025. Modelled after a tool used to dry processed 35-mm film, the kinetic sculpture rotates according to a score that combines the syllabic metre of poems by Kim Sowŏl and Kim Hyesoon;
• Quebec region finalist Caroline Monnet's multidisciplinary works addressing language, territory and Indigenous experience. Her sculpture and embroidered works Papakinede (2024) and Eyes on the Prize (2024) use diverse materials including those used in construction such as polyethylene and cement to speak to contemporary Indigenous lived experiences, from language preservation to lack of adequate housing; and
• Atlantic region finalist Shane Perley-Dutcher's sculptural reinterpretations of Wolastoqey basketry traditions that combine his skills as both a metal smith and ash splint basket maker. The Crown (2024) and Palitahamso/Proud (2023) demonstrate how he creates imaginative and innovative forms that merge his formal training as a metal smith while honouring the basket weavers who came before him.

The winner of the 2026 Sobey Art Award will be announced on November 14, 2026, during a celebration at the National Gallery of Canada and will receive $100,000. Each of the five other shortlisted artists will receive $25,000, while the longlisted artists will each receive $10,000.

About the Sobey Art Award

The Sobey Art Foundation was established in 1981 by the late Frank H. Sobey, a dedicated collector of Canadian art. The Sobey Art Award (SAA) is Canada's preeminent prize for Canadian contemporary visual artists. Created in 2002 and privately funded by the Sobey Art Foundation (SAF), the award aims to promote new developments in contemporary visual arts and help to propel the careers of artists through financial support and recognition in Canada and beyond. The SAA has been jointly administered by the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) and SAF since 2016.

The past SAA winners are: Brian Jungen (2002), Jean-Pierre Gauthier (2004), Annie Pootoogook (2006), Michel de Broin (2007), Tim Lee (2008), David Altmejd (2009), Daniel Barrow (2010), Daniel Young and Christian Giroux (2011), Raphaëlle de Groot (2012), Duane Linklater (2013), Nadia Myre (2014), Abbas Akhavan (2015), Jeremy Shaw (2016), Ursula Johnson (2017), Kapwani Kiwanga (2018), Stephanie Comilang (2019), Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (2021), Divya Mehra (2022), Kablusiak (2023), Nico Williams (2024), and Tania Willard (2025).

About the National Gallery of Canada

Founded in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada is among the world's most respected art institutions. As a national museum, we exist to serve all Canadians, no matter where they live. We do this by sharing our collection, exhibitions and public programming widely. We create dynamic experiences that allow for new ways of seeing ourselves and each other through the visual arts, while centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Our mandate is to develop, preserve and present a collection for the learning and enjoyment of all—now and for generations to come. We are home to more than 90,000 works, including one of the finest collections of Indigenous and Canadian art, major works from the 14^th to the 21^st century and extensive library and archival holdings. Our dazzling, light-filled building is situated on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation, in Ottawa.

SOURCE National Gallery of Canada