In this solo exhibition, Halifax-based artist and editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon presents his recent suite of caricature-portraits of Canada’s prime ministers past and present. Included are examples of works-on-paper and paintings created by MacKinnon between 1993 and 2017 that together depict all 23 prime ministers, from Sir John A. Macdonald to Justin Trudeau. Through MacKinnon’s signature wit and brand of satire, these works make visible the politics and events that have helped shape our country’s history and the society in which we live today.
Bruce MacKinnon (b. Antigonish, Nova Scotia) has been described as “among the new breed of distinguished artists” in editorial cartooning, a genre that goes back centuries. Since 1985, he has worked for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald and his work there has been widely recognized locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2011, he was made a member of the Order of Nova Scotia. In 2013, he was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from NSCAD University and the Friend of StFX Award from St. Francis Xavier University. Upon being appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016, a news release from the Governor General praised MacKinnon for being “fearless, thoughtful and provocative” and “one of Canada’s most talented and respected editorial cartoonists.”
LOCATION
Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre Art Gallery, Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
Image: Bruce MacKinnon, Rt. Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald (“Spiked drink”), 2016, acrylic on canvas 76.2 x 101.6 cm. Collection of the artist.
