‘Surface Tension’ is a group exhibition showcasing the work of a dozen local and international designers and artists. It explores the forces at work on water, and considers water’s many dualities.

Exploring the theme of water from material, aesthetic, cultural, political, poetic, and ecological perspectives, ‘Surface Tension’ seeks to engage a range of topics integral to thinking about water in its broadest senses. These include habitat, climate change, waste, value, survival, access, place, and beauty, expressed in film and video, sculpture, installation, functional objects, and photography. The exhibition asks how the attributes of, and tensions within, water manifest within contemporary culture as both a physical substance and salient topic.

The exhibition features the work of Karen Miranda Abel, Atelier Mey, Douglas Coupland, Julie Gladstone, Robert Hengeveld, Colin Hill, Lisa Hirmer, Eva Kolcze, Lisa Myers, Polymetis, Eli Schwanz, and Unit Lab.

This exhibition is curated by DesignTO, and co-presented with Harbourfront Centre. It is generously supported by the British Council and the Government of Ontario. Thank you to our external jurors Anique Jordan and Melanie Egan.