Moira Ness is a queer visual artist and designer-maker from Toronto. She reverse-engineered a nearly extinct woodworking technique known as Crown of Thorns, a style of joinery from the "tramp art" tradition. Practiced by itinerant craftsmen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Crown of Thorns uses intricate notched sticks that interlock at right angles to form repeating, self-supporting, prickly structures. Each object is assembled by hand from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of individual notched components. Her work reorients the traditional crown of thorns style for a contemporary context. Through designing novel art objects, she aims to point the craft toward a living, practical future.

She has exhibited extensively throughout North America, including The Harbourfront Centre, Gallery 44, Lonsdale Gallery, Roman Susan Gallery, Latcham Gallery, The Art Gallery of Mississauga, The Gladstone, and Kunstwerk Carlshütte. Moira serves on the board of directors and gallery committee of Arts Etobicoke, and is a mentor through RBC's Newcomer Artist Mentorship Program.


Moira Ness Studio

South Hill
Toronto


@moiraness
moira@moiraness.com
Full CV upon request

MOIRA NESS




SOLO SHOWS


2020Life Cycles, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto
2019Maladaptation, BBAM Gallery, Montreal 

HEX, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

I Hit My Head And Everything Changed, collaboration with Brian Harman and Esprit Orchestra, Koerner Hall, Toronto
2018Revelation, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
2017Nightscapes, Akasha Art Projects,Toronto.
    SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS


    2025Top Of Mind, 558 Window Gallery, Toronto
    2024VIBE Arts Auction, Broadview Hotel

    Numeric Routes, Main Street Gallery, Toronto
    2022ACT 3 - WATER, Collaboration with Esprit Orchestra, Koerner Hall, Toronto
    2021Artist to Curator, 2gallery, Prince Edward County

    The County Collects, 2gallery, Prince Edward County 

    PIXEL Exhibition, Garden Square, Brampton

    Exchange Piece, DesignTO Festival Thematic Exhibition, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
    2020Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto

    Rebel Lens, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto

    SNAP! Live Auction for ACT, Toronto

    Studio Showcase, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

    Causality Loop, BUMP TV, Toronto


    2019Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto

    proudTObe, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

    Inaugural, 2 Gallery, Prince Edward County

    Main Street Arts Residency Alumni Exhibition, Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY

    GRAND, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

    [ click here to edit ], OCADU, Toronto
    2018Darling…, BBAM Gallery, Montreal

    Swash & Serif 5, Toronto Design Directory, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

    Tension Becomes Wrinkle, Narwhal Contemporary, Toronto

    Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto

    Salon 44, Gallery 44, Toronto

    The Artist Project, Better Living Centre, Toronto

    SCAN – HOLD RESIDENCY - Cargo Collective

    Moira Ness + Keight Maclean, Black Cat Gallery, Toronto


    2017Denial as the Leading Principle, 222lodge, Netherlands

    DIS[ ] : ARBITRATION Pavilion, The Wrong’s New Digital Art Biennale

    Slideshow, Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago

    Carmichael Canadian Landscape Exhibition: Tradition Transformed, Orillia Museum of Art and History, Orillia

    Format: Top Talent Salon, Unloveable Gallery, Toronto

    repost_modern, OMNI MODERN, Austin, Texas

    NordArt, Büdelsdorf, Germany

    The Amended Landscape, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville

    Deep Roots, Living Arts Centre, Mississauga

    2016 Bright Lights at Nuit Blanche, The Red Head Gallery, Toronto


    SELECTED AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES   


    2018Memorandums, Peripheral Forms Residency

    Catherine Bratty Award for Best of Art Fair, judged by Bruce Eves, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

    Main Street Arts Residency, Rochester, NY

    The Emerging Artist Award, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

    2017The 108 Residency, Germantown, NY

    The Artist Project - UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition finalist and winner, Toronto

    OAC Provincial Government Exhibition Assistance

    PROFESSIONAL


    2025Clark Centre for the Arts, Exhibitions Juror

    2020

    "Cancellations, unpaid bills, eviction threats: Inside the grim reality of being an artist right now", CBC Arts, article

    “It's hard to take a photo of the moon: here's how to do it better”, CBC Arts, article

    EDGE: Youth Art Show Juror, Artscape Youngplace, Toronto

    2019RBC Newcomer Artist Mentor, Toronto Arts Foundation

    Appointed to Arts Etobicoke Gallery Committee

    EDGE: Youth Art Show Juror, Artscape Youngplace, Toronto

    Main Street Artist Residency Artist Panel, Clifton Springs, Toronto
    2018Booth Camp 2018 Panel, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto

    Nightscapes Workshop, Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY

    CyberArts Workshop, Lakeshore Arts and Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, Toronto

    EDGE: Youth Art Show Critique, Artscape Youngplace, Toronto    2017Appointed to Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors

    PRESS

    2018Moira Ness: Nightscapes / Akasha Gallery, review, ArtToronto

    How 20 Artists See the Color Red, article, Format Magazine

    30 artists to look for at the Toronto Artist Project, article, blogTO

    2017"Pure in existence, wild in form": an interview with Moira Ness, interview, Split Lip Magazine

    TOAF: Award Recipients 2017, article, Akimbo

    Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, 2017, article, Art Toronto

    What To See At The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, article, blogTO

    Must-Sees This Week: July 6 to 12, 2017, article, Canadian Art

    Latcham Gallery exhibit to portray human effects on environment, article, Metroland Media

    The Amended Landscape: Edward Burtynsky, Moira Ness, Eve Gane, Marco Francisco, Shavon Madden, article, Akimbo

    Explore Hot 2017 Art Trends at the Artist Project, article, Reno and Decor Magazine


    PUBLICATIONS


    2018Cyclical, Uppercase, Magazine
    2017WOTISART August, Arts and Literary Magazine

    I SAVED EVERYTHING, Split Lip Press, Arts and Literary Magazine

    A5 – Portfolio #3, Art Magazine

    Die Angst, Art Magazine




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    Information  Selected Work