Exhibition: Bas Jan Ader: I’m searching…
Open until May 2
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG)
101 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON N2H 6P7, Canada
Free
Organized by Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG)
In 2025, the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Germany) mounted a large-scale exhibition of the fascinating work of Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975), exactly fifty years after his disappearance at sea. In 2026, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is thrilled to announce that we will be the only venue to be hosting this significant exhibition, mounted throughout all of our exhibition spaces.
Bas Jan Ader is regarded as a seminal figure for subsequent generations of artists – a so-called artists’ artist. Legendary among insiders, his 16mm films, slide installations, photographs and videos can now be experienced by a wider audience in this exceptional solo exhibition, along with extensive documentary material and ephemera, including early drawings from 1960-61.
Ader’s oeuvre can be described as at once melancholy and absurd, emotional and conceptual, simple yet complex. He made a profession out of the theme of falling as a symbol of failure, exploring this subject in diverse photographic series and films.
Organized by the Hamburger Kunsthalle. Curated by Brigitte Kölle. 12 December 2026 to 11 April (2 May) 2027.