Untitled Portals, Variations at White Water Gallery in North Bay

Untitled Portals, Variations

White Water Gallery
159 Main Street East
North Bay, ON,
P1B 1A9
January 16-March 7, 2026

Opening Reception
January 16, 2026
7pm-9pm

Untitled Portals, Variations presents a series of collages, an installation piece, and a virtual space by Laura Kay Keeling, initially as part of CAFKA.25 Field Guide to the Understory. Through a process-centered approach, the artist experimented with and merged analog and digital processes to expand on an earlier series, Untitled Portals.

These pieces incorporate natural elements that have been photographed both digitally and on 35mm film, scanned using a flatbed scanner and a 3D scanner, digitally manipulated, and then brought into physical form. Continuing a dialogue between the natural and digital world, the work explores connections to where we find ourselves, the incredible and important ecosystems that surround us, and the joys that can come from everyday moments of being in and engaging with our surroundings through reciprocal care and respect.  

How can we maintain and evolve connections to the natural world in an increasingly isolating and technology-dependent society?

Can virtual spaces be used to encourage folks to take pause and explore, and can moments of joy and excitement be replicated in these virtual environments?

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario for supporting this project through an Exhibition Assistance Grant.