Exhibition Description

This exhibition features the work of Hamilton-based comic artist David Collier, alongside that of his father Trevor Collier, his son James Collier, and his partner—and James’s mother—Jennifer Hambleton. Spanning three generations, it traces the family’s remarkable creative legacy through comic strips, paintings, drawings, sketchbooks, and ephemera, while mapping their connections to the region and selected works from Glenhyrst’s permanent collection. Collier’s Family Daze, titled after the holiday of the same name, challenges the notion of the artist as an isolated figure by emphasising the influence of familial relationships on artistic development. In other words, the exhibition points to the nuanced ways in which family dynamics inform aesthetics and subject matter, while considering how these influences may be shared across generations. Visitors are invited to reflect on narratives within their own family histories, as the exhibition contemplates both the construction and erosion of memory. These themes take on added significance as Trevor Collier lives with Alzheimer’s disease, framing the exhibition as an act of remembrance rooted in familial bonds. Accompanying the exhibition is an original comic strip essay by David Collier, How Poppa’s Paintings Ended Up in the Glenhyrst Gallery, produced in collaboration with Glenhyrst. The publication offers a biographical account of Trevor Collier’s life and artistic journey, exploring his emigration from England to Canada, his periods of artistic self-doubt, and his experience living on a farm in Prince Edward County, Ontario.