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Exhibition: Baseline by Anna Gaby-Trotz
DATE :
DEADLINE: August 22, 2026 - 7:00 pm
Artist: Anna Gaby-Trotz
Dates: July 3 to August 22, 2026 in the A/P Main Gallery
460 42 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
Reception Details: Friday, July 3, 2026 from 7 to 9pm
About the Exhibition
Shifting baseline syndrome is an acclimatization to one’s surroundings. In 1995, Daniel Pauly used this term to reference fisheries and the environment. In regards to climate change, it means that each generation adapts to its current environment and defines a new baseline. As extreme weather, fires, floods and droughts become commonplace, forthcoming generations will know this as the reality and may have little understanding that the world was and could be different.
This installation features a collection of images gathered while examining the changing climate through the North West Passage. These waters – situated between Kugluktuk, Nunavut and Greenland – have a deep history of colonial conquest and now, once impassable due to ice, are open to commercial passage, mining of resources, and military access.
Over a decade has passed since this journey, and the situation has only worsened. The Arctic is melting twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet, which has an immense impact on the communities and ecosystems that rely on this land and water. As I travelled through this landscape, I was struck by the lack of ice. Days passed, and the water was still open. Then the first iceberg floated onto the horizon. It was almost the size of our ship. How long did it last before being absorbed into the ocean? Will future generations know a diverse environment with sea and glacial ice? How is the opening up of this once closed passage going to change our world?
Baseline is an attempt to shift this narrative: to challenge us to change, to listen, to act.
I would like to acknowledge that the lands depicted in these images are not my home. This land and water belong to the Inuit people of Canada and Greenland. I am grateful to have been welcomed into their homelands and acknowledge the problematic nature of being a settler within this space. Climate change impacts us all, but not all equally.
Artist Bio:
Anna Gaby-Trotz (she/her) is a printmaker and photographer whose work critically explores social issues, identity, and the natural environment. With an MFA in Printmaking from The University of Alberta, her practice centers on the transformative power of art, particularly in creating inclusive spaces for marginalized communities. Anna has worked on significant community projects, such as Be Our Ally with Sheatre, addressing homophobia among rural youth. She also founded The Queer Print Project at The University of Guelph, where she teaches screen printing and fosters a supportive, creative environment for queer artists.
From 2015 to 2021, Anna served as Technical Director at Open Studio in Toronto, where she initiated a North/South Printmaking Residency with The West Baffin Cooperative and has overseen numerous creative projects with national and international artists. Anna’s work Baseline was shown at Open Studio in Toronto. Her recent collaboration with Richelle Forsey, The Landscape is Dead was featured at the CAFKA25 Biennale. Anna co-curated the show Queer Print Project: Body Language at the Art Gallery of Guelph. Her work is in collections including The University of Alberta, The Edmonton Arts Council and Open Studio. Anna has taught at The University of Alberta, The Ontario College of Art and Design University and is currently an Assistant Professor in Studio Art at The University of Guelph.
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