Artist Talk: Dawit L. Petros

Join multidisciplinary artist Dawit L. Petros for a special lecture presented in conjunction with his major survey exhibition on view at The Image Centre.

Lecture Room: IMA-307
Enter via: The Image Centre
33 Gould Street, Toronto

Please have your Eventbrite registration and valid ID ready upon arrival. The name on your ID must match the name on your ticket or registration. All bags may be subject to inspection by gallery security upon entry.

Image above: Dawit L. Petros, Matthios, 2005, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist and Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal

Scotiabank Photography Award: Dawit L. Petros
Curator: Gaëlle Morel

This survey exhibition celebrates the career of Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Dawit L. Petros, winner of the 2025 Scotiabank Photography Award. Spanning over 20 years, this presentation of more than 80 photographs, serigraphs, and books traces a long-standing inquiry into the legacy of colonial history across Africa, Europe, and North America. Rooted in rigorous scholarly research and extensive travel, Petros's practice is defined by his creative use of archival photographs, colour, and abstraction. The artist challenges photography’s documentary function while investigating migration, belonging, displacement, and the lingering effects of colonial memory.

Image above: Dawit L. Petros, Colourscape, Coordinate #5, (Dakar, Senegal), 2012, pigment print. Courtesy of the artist and Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal

Artist Bio

Dawit L. Petros (Eritrean/Canadian, b. 1972) is a visual artist, researcher, and educator. He holds an MFA in visual art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, Boston. Recent exhibition venues include Remai Modern and the University of Saskatchewan’s College Art Galleries, Saskatoon (2025); the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2024); Oslo Kunstforening, Norway (2020); the 13th Biennial of Havana, Matanzas, Cuba (2019); and Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2018).

Petros has been awarded an Independent Study Fellowship at the Whitney Museum of American Art (2012) and an artist residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2008), both in New York City. A winner of the Duke and Duchess of York Prize from the Canada Council of the Arts (2021), he is an associate professor of studio art at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. Petros is represented by Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal, and Tiwani Contemporary, London, UK.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming experience for all visitors. Available amenities include:

• Accessible entrance;
• Large-print texts for all exhibitions;
• Wheelchair available on site;
• Folding stools in the gallery;
• Accessible and gender-neutral washroom;
• Change tables.

Please let us know if we can provide any accommodations to support your participation in this event.

Image above: Dawit L. Petros, Between Departures, Returns and Excesses of Image, Part III, 2021, serigraph on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Image Centre, 33 Gould Street, Toronto, Canada

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