This site is an overview of the decades of my art practice, public art, commissions, exhibitions and awards.
For specific exhibitions, please visit the Corkin Gallery and the Paul Kyle Gallery websites.
For up to date information please follow my Instagram page @astmanba
WINNER OF THE 2024 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARD IN VISUAL AND MEDIA ART
prestigious distinctions for artistic merit and outstanding contribution to the visual and media arts in Canada.
Launched in 1999, the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts (GGArts) celebrate the exceptional
careers of artists in Canada. Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Awards are this country’s
most prestigious distinction for the artists, curators and craftspeople who make up Canada’s vibrant visual
and media arts community.
Barbara Astman belongs to a visionary group of artists who have continued to radicalize visual culture since the early
1970s by defining new ways of seeing. Over four decades, she has explored a wide range of photo-based media and
produced work, which has received national and international recognition. She is represented in important public,
corporate and private collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Bibliothèque Nationale,
Paris, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Deutche Bank, New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Her artist’s archives are held in the E.P. Taylor Research Library & Archives, AGO.
As a Professor Emerita at OCAD University, Toronto, she has been instrumental in inspiring generations of emerging
artists. Active in the Toronto arts community, Astman has served on numerous boards and advisory committees,
including the AGO Board of Trustees (2009- 2013) and was President of the Board of Directors at Prefix (ICA) Institute of
In 2024, Astman was awarded the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.
Astman is represented by Corkin Gallery, Toronto and Paul Kyle Gallery, Vancouver.