Ben Portis

Ben Portis (1960-2017) lived in Toronto. He held the positions of assistant curator of contemporary art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and curator of the MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie. As a critic, he contributed ‎to Border Crossings, Canadian Art, C Magazine, Hunter and Cook, Momus, and The Dance Current.

Reviews• March 24, 2016

Fantasies Both Light and Dark in Veteran Mavericks Eldon Garnet and Max Dean

By Ben Portis

Two veteran mavericks whose wide-ranging practices gradually came to concentrate around photography are enjoying late-career exhibitions in Toronto. Max Dean has received recent accolades,…

Reviews• November 5, 2015

Cohering His Compulsions: Ken Nicol Advances at Olga Korper

By Ben Portis

Over five years, from 1992 to 1997, Tom Friedman produced 1000 Hours of Staring, a work of pure intention and immaculate material. A blank…

Features• December 23, 2014

Translation & Transcription: A Conversation with Shelagh Keeley

By Ben Portis

The narrow central clerestory of The Power Plant in Toronto rises from the main floor up between its east and west gallery zones. It…