Myfanwy MacLeod: Trophies

June 12–August 30, 2026

Opening reception: Thursday, June 11, 6–9 pm

Featuring a performance by local experimental, neo-psychedelia brother duo Malcy at 6 pm.

Trophies draws from the Burnaby Art Gallery’s history as a former fraternity house, investigating frat life’s hypermasculine, ritualistic and exclusionary behaviours through classical and contemporary portrayals. Examining the connections between ancient Greek rites and sculpture and contemporary fraternity culture’s visual and performative codes, Myfanwy MacLeod proposes alternative rites and relations. Leaning into the concept of a “trophy” as a marker of achievement, the exhibition offers a nuanced exploration of success, failure and recognition.

Of Welsh and Scottish descent, Myfanwy MacLeod (b. 1961) lives and works in Vancouver. Her artistic practice has resulted in a substantial body of nationally and internationally recognized work, which is held in the public collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, and City of Burnaby Permanent Art Collection.

Known for works that examine public and private spaces and their relationship to gender, class and the marginalised, MacLeod rethinks hierarchies and intersections between “high” and “low” art forms. Employing various forms of humour to challenge assumptions about gender and value, she delivers a feminist critique of notions of mastery and power.

Curator's noon hours tours for Myfanwy MacLeod: Trophies
Thursday, July 16 and August 27, noon. Free, no registration required.

Join exhibition curator Jennifer Cane for a free lunch time tour of the current exhibition Myfanwy MacLeod: Trophies. In this engaging guided talk, you will learn about the brief moment of history when the Fairacres Mansion, which now houses the Burnaby Art Gallery, hosted an emerging fraternity, and how MacLeod has responded to this history through unexpected materials. 

Artist and curator talk: Myfanwy MacLeod, Kathleen Ritter and Jennifer Cane
Friday, August 28, 1–3 pm. Free, registration required. Please call 604-207-4422

“To reclaim the stain as a form of knowledge is to affirm that what leaks out—what embarrasses, incriminates, or refuses to disappear—might also be what allows us to see more clearly the structures shaping our lives.” – Kathleen Ritter in the publication Trophies.

To celebrate the closing weekend of Myfanwy MacLeod’s exhibition Trophies, we host the artist alongside curator and writer Kathleen Ritter and BAG Director/Curator Jennifer Cane for a conversation. This rich dialogue will explore the subjects that have persisted throughout MacLeod’s multi-decade practice alongside particular themes that have emerged in Trophies.

Take the self-guided audio tour

Virtual tour