Exhibition documentation from Kathleen Daly: Northern Exposures by Toni Hafkenscheid.
Kathleen Day: Northern Exposures Revisited
23 August – 23 November 2025
Curated by Darryn Doull
Kathleen Frances Daly Pepper (b. Napanee, Ontario, 1898, d. Toronto, Ontario, 1994) is widely known for her portraiture and depictions of communities in northern Québec and Labrador. Her most iconic images convey a quiet warmth of humanity; an intimacy of close looking.
Part I of this series, Northern Exposures, was held in 2024 and focused on a series of paintings primarily resulting from three trips. The first, in 1954, was spent on a trawler around the coasts of Newfoundland. In 1960, Daly boarded a government steamship for a three-month voyage through the Eastern Arctic. Finally, in 1961, Daly spent seven weeks depicting the Inuit of Puvirnituq and surrounding areas.
For Part II, Northern Exposures Revisited, we focus on Daly’s drawings and sketches. Many of these are from the same trips noted above. While Daly is perhaps best known for her paintings, much of the critical acclaim often circles back to an appreciation for the drawing and construction of the image – they way that Daly captures light falling on a subject, and the humanity that shines through her deep connection to the Canadian landscape and its people.
