Art in the Shwa: September’s Layered Art Scene from LEGO® to Legacy

In a city which is more than used to using what's at hand to make art, the new exhibit by Toronto-

based artist Ekow Nimako ‘Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships’ speaks to Oshawa

like few others. The exhibition opens during Oshawa’s annual celebration of its makers, Convergence, on Saturday Sept 20 2025 at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, located at 72 Queen St. in the Civic Centre.

Don't miss Ekow Nimako's "Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships' which opens at the RMG on Saturday, September 20th.

Nimako’s ‘Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships’ explores what might have been when

ruler Abu Bakr II of the Mali Empire chose to abdicate his throne and set out across the Atlantic, in

1312, some centuries before Columbus, as documented by Arab historian al-Umari of Damascus.

Nimako uses LEGO® as his medium, marrying up his playful childhood hobby with his formal arts

education to create Afrofuturistic themed sculptures and environments. This use of ready-made

materials, this re-imaging of their use is something akin to HipHop which saw the record album and

turntables as instruments in themselves. Nimako’s work also vibrates with Durham Region artists

such as Viktor Tinkl, Marylynn Cherry, and Edward Falkenberg who also refine found objects into

artful creations. This is multi-layered stuff running as deep as a child’s imagination and well worth

spending time with.

Georgia Fullerton, Vindication Vibe, 2022, Mixed Media Collage.

Also worth spending time with at the RMG are the other exhibitions currently running. These include

Georgia Fullerton’s ‘Being In and Moving Through’, the appropriately titled exhibit of historic

postcards from Oshawa,’Wish You Were Here’, and ‘We Are Ten Thousand Hands That Plant

Seeds’.

On Sept 13 from 11 am to 4:30 pm there is a special event planned around this latter exhibit where

one can learn from the artists involved. There is no admission and lunch will be available. That's a

win-win. Activities include “Mapping with Embroidery” with exhibiting artist Sharmistha Kar 11am to 1

pm and “Sounds of Resistance” with exhibiting artist Soledad Fatima Muñoz 2 pm to 4:30 pm. Lunch

will be from 12:30 pm to 2 pm.

On Sept 28 there will be the official opening of Fullerton’s exhibit from 1 pm to 3 pm with the artist

present.

'Wish You Were Here!" exhibit is on until January 2026 at the RMG.

As mentioned above September’s art activities include the city’s annual gathering and showcase

under the title Convergence. This year the event is on Sept 20 and there is a strong focus on the

importance of artists to the area’s culture in the Art Zone with displays by Dimension X, and a line-up

of vendors. Dimension X includes artists Melissa McKnight and Jason Dasti’s ‘Cosmic Mushrooms’,

Chris Trubela’s ‘Izzy’s Donuts’, ‘Shadows of the Yuletide Beast’ by Jordan Anderson, ‘Albino Reef’ by

James Zirco Fisher, and ‘Laundrette Lagoon’ by chrrie.

Other art exhibits around Convergence include ‘Al Roc City’ by Steven Frank at Bond St. Events and pop-ups by the Living Room Art Studio mobile bus and the Oshawa Art Association.

Steven Frank’s ‘Al Roc City’ is one of particular note to those visiting Oshawa as its an exhibit of

posters by promoter Al Cole who booked shows for over three decades at various iconic clubs in the

city earning him a posthumous OMA Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Frank

has produced a limited edition book entitled Young Fast & Scientific: the DIY World of Al Cole’ which will be available for purchase at the exhibit.

So yes from LEGO® to donuts to posters to paintings September’s art scene in Oshawa is one which

incorporates the highbrow and the lowbrow. We call it Unibrow here in the Shwa!