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National Gallery of Canada Radioactive Exhibit Design

Credits
  • Designer: Josie Guenther
  • Curator: Carly Roberts
  • Design Manager: Stefan Canuel RGD
  • Photography & Editing: National Gallery of Canada
Project Description

Radioactive was an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives from March 25, 2025 to August 31, 2025. It included a selection of nuclear ephemera and records from the collection of art historian and curator, John O’Brian. The objective was to create an English and French exhibition brochure that gave the exhibiton a visual identity, as well as include a checklist for the artwork and an essay by the archivist and curator.

The brochures were placed in the exhibition space, and mailed to various galleries, museums and libraries to promote the exhibition and renowned archives collection. Rather than directly echoing the emotional intensity of the material, the design focused on complementing the essay’s objective tone and the simplicity and matter-of-factness of the atomic-age records. The design nods to many elements found in the ephemera: colour blocking, thin line work and monospaced fonts. The green cover suggests something almost radioactive in the viewer’s hands and reinforces the exhibition’s theme.