 Hi, art lovers! | | |  | Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP | | | There are dozens of new Canadian novels you could be reading this long weekend, but one literary genre has been generating more heat than usual. The business of romance is booming, and as Commotion recently pointed out, Canadian authors are burning up the bestseller list, and specialty bookshops are opening across the country. Does it have something to do with our Harlequin heritage? Whatever the reason, audiences are smitten.
Why do we love romance? Back in 1992, CBC Radio’s Ideas asked that same question, and last week, they re-aired a classic audio documentary, Paperback Love. Have a listen and you’ll discover the answer to their query is a tale as old as Big City Career Gal Moves to Small Town and Marries Widowed Christmas Tree Farmer With Chiselled Abs. People love a happy ending.
The genre, and its fans, have evolved since then. But 34 years and an off-Broadway Heated Rivalry musical later, we’re still trying to understand the power of a formulaic swoon. We’re still talking about it too! I mean, just look at all the stories Commotion’s been working on. Why aren’t we seeing more romcoms at the movie theatre? Here’s the program’s take. Plus the show discussed the series finale of Outlander (“a very complicated example” of the genre’s appeal) and the controversy over a new Hallmark TV movie, All’s Fair in Love and Mahjong. | | | | | Because we promised you eye candy ... | | | | |  | Artwork: Rajni Perera and Marigold Santos; Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images | | While the newsletter was on pause last week, the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale got underway, and CBC News has coverage of the opening, which was marked by protests, boycotts and a walkout by the event’s international jury. Correspondent Megan Williams also wrote about a “bright spot amid political discord” — the biennale’s central exhibition, In Minor Keys. Curated by Koyo Kouoh, who died of cancer last May, the show includes work by several Canadian artists, including Rajni Perera and Marigold Santos, whose collaborative work (Efflorescence/The Way We Wake) is pictured here. Montreal’s Abbas Akhavan has the Canadian pavilion at Venice this year. CBC News reviewed his installation, Entre chien et loup. | | | | |  | Artwork: Jessica Wee; Photo: McBride Contemporain | | McBride Contemporain in Montreal is hosting a solo exhibition by Jessica Wee, and if you’re intrigued by this picture, you’ll definitely want to scroll through her Instagram for a closer look. For the show (On Shelves, in Stacks, Scattered), Jessica took inspiration from a traditional style of Korean still-life painting where shelves are lined with meaningful objects, and she’s depicted her own belongings in the work. The exhibition tells a story about the many places she’s called home: Canada, France, the U.S. and South Korea. | | | | |  | Artwork: Jason Baerg; Photo: Selina Whittaker | | ImagineNative is the largest Indigenous film and media arts festival in the world, and the 2026 edition launches next month in Toronto. Can’t think that far ahead? Some of the event’s art programming is already on view! Drop by the city’s A Space Gallery to see laser-cut paintings and animation by Jason Baerg. The exhibition (Aen Nistwayr Mayshkotoonikayhk/First Story) is up through July 11 and is one of the highlights on the festival’s annual art crawl. | | | | |  | David Crompton | | Out on the West Coast, it’s the last day of the Vancouver Art Book Fair. David Crompton is among the artists and publishers who’ll be there with zines to sell, but this picture is from another project of his. It’s a hand-cut collage David created using photos from his personal archive. (See more here.) | | | | |  | Artwork: Celina Eceiza; Photo: Josefina Tommasi | | If there’s someone in your life who’s an expert at building blanket forts, you’ve got to show them this. Argentine artist Celina Eceiza opened a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington in Ontario this weekend. This particular photo is from one of her past shows at the Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art, but Celina’s created something just as incredible for the AGB: an entire environment spun from colourful fabric. | | | | |  | Artwork: Celina Eceiza; Photo: Ema Walters/Art Gallery of Burlington | | A little bonus content for you: a behind-the-scenes look at the installation process at the AGB. | | | | |  | Roya DelSol | | | | | What if a museum were more like a playground? At the Power Plant in Toronto, a new exhibition invites visitors to touch — and even climb on — the art. | | | | |  | Paprika Festival | | | | | Toronto’s Paprika Festival offers another way. Now in its 25th year, it’s doubling down on its mission to support emerging talent. | | | | |  | Apple TV | | | | | | | Emmy Award-winner Tatiana Maslany returns to the screen this month in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. The streaming series is a comedic thriller about a woman who’s forced to “rediscover herself” at 40. | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
