Spectral Bodies: Fragments from a Journey
- jeannettesirois
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Justin Ogilvie — Selected Works, 2015–2025 Cowichan Public Art Gallery, Duncan, BC, September 5 - November 15, 2025
A few weeks ago, I visited Spectral Bodies: Fragments from a Journey at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery, a solo exhibition of selected works by Vancouver-based painter Justin Ogilvie. The show spans a decade of practice, bringing together paintings created between 2015 and 2025 that trace Ogilvie’s evolving exploration of the figure, abstraction, and the act of seeing.
From the moment I entered the space, I was struck by how thoughtfully the gallery had staged the exhibition. The Cowichan Public Art Gallery may be small, but its curatorial team continues to demonstrate that scale doesn’t limit ambition. The intimacy of the space enhances the experience, drawing viewers close to each painting and allowing a direct, personal encounter.
Ogilvie’s paintings swing between being figurative and abstract. As the exhibition text says, “Sometimes, the body looks complete; other times, it fades into hints, a ghostly form made up of marks, fragments, and gestures” (Exhibition Statement, 2025). As I stood in front of these pieces, I kept bouncing between recognizing something and questioning it, spotting figures in one group and then losing it in the layers of color and texture in the next. The works beautifully showcased the artist's creative journey.
The show is grounded in experimentation and process. “At the core of Ogilvie’s practice is a commitment to discovery. His work moves through shifting themes of image, mark, and form, reconfigured to challenge perception and awaken new ways of seeing” (Exhibition Statement, 2025). This openness to discovery animates the entire exhibition, making each work feel alive and constantly unfolding.
In its final section, the exhibition reflects on the complexity of being human in a digital world. “Informed visually and conceptually by the digital world, Ogilvie’s painting approach reflects both a subtle complicity with and a quiet critique of our media-saturated culture” (Exhibition Statement, 2025). The result is a haunting and poetic reflection on how meaning emerges through fragmentation, absence, and renewal.
This exhibition also reminded me why the Cowichan Public Art Gallery has become such an important venue for contemporary art on Vancouver Island. Their exhibitions are ambitious, thoughtful, and consistently engaging. Spectral Bodies is another example of their commitment to presenting high-caliber work in a setting that encourages close looking and reflection.
If you have the chance, visit before it closes on November 15, 2025. Spend time with the paintings. Let them shift in front of you. Ogilvie’s work, and the care with which it is presented, make this exhibition well worth the trip.
Exhibtion page:
Cowichan Public Art Gallery: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
126 Ingram St. Duncan, BC
Justin Ogilvie Instagram:
Justin Ogilvie:
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