Ron Giii

Ron Gillespie was born in 1944 at New Westminster, BC. His earliest training in art took place in 1962-64 at H.S.C. Prince of Wales College, Nairobi, East Africa. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1975. Giii established a signifant performance art practice during the 1970's which led to the co-founding of the Centre for Experimental Art and Communication (CEAC). By the early 1980s he had moved into drawing while retaining a strongly performative element in the compositions. Philosophy, geometry and the anti- modern figure prominently in the work with influences including Artaud, Darwin, Hegel and Spinoza.

In 2008, Giii's work was the subject of a touring survey exhibition, Hegel's Salt Man. This long overdue survey brought together a selection of work that ranges over 35 years. A key figure in the city's vibrant performance scene in the 1970s, Giii went on to develop a practice notable for the depth of its engagement with artmaking and its associated philosophical issues. The show featured some of the artist's early work, performance documentation and other ephemera, a selection from his voluminous writings and more recent drawings and oil stick paintings, and was accompanied by a 48-page catalogue, with essays by Rosemary Heather and Eli Langer. The exhibition was curated by Rosemary Heather and organized by the Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto, Scarborough. The catalogue is available at Paul Petro Contemporary Art.

Permanent collections include the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Windsor, Edmonton Art Gallery, and Carleton University Art Gallery.

Exhibition History
2024	The Effect of Temperature, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2022	Parallel Membranes, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2021	Italiano Teatro, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2020	Lithium Ion Critique, film, directed by Gaye Jackson Canaries in a Coal Mine, group exhibition, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2019	Geometry Street, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Art Toronto, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Papier 19, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Geometry Street, Headbones Gallery, Vernon, BC
2017	Kathy Acker Award Tributes and Tributaries 1971-1989, group exhibition, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Mike Hoolboom’s Book on Underground Funnel Performance of Internet Christ, Cinecycle, Toronto
2016	National Gallery of Canada, Library and Archives Is Toronto Burning?, group exhibition, York University Art Gallery, Toronto Screening of Taste, Super 8mm Film Festival, Cinecycle, Toronto John Porter Book on the Funnel Film Center Book launch of Oxygen Theatre, Impulse Magazine, Toronto
2014	The Green Cat, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2013	Papier 13, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2012	Papier 12, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2011	Thought Court, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2010	She Was Full of Moonlight, curated by Wren Jackson, Paul Petro Special Project Space, Toronto
2009	Slipstream, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2008	Hegel's Salt Man Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa The Words are Coming, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Scream Literary Festival, High Park, Toronto
2007	Hegel's Salt Man, Survey exhibition, Doris McCarthy Galery, University of Toronto (with catalogue), Toronto Throwing Words Off A Bridge, Paul Petro Contemporary Art
	Little Dude, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2006	The Identification Theater, (performance with Veronica Hunik, ABC No Rio, New York, NY On Representation, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto The Atomic Theater, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Independent Curator's Selection, Headbones Gallery, Toronto
2004	The White Prince, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2003	The Dreamer, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto
2001	Hydrogen, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto Group show, The West Wing gallery, Toronto Drawings in new acquisitions show, Art Gallery of Ontario. Toronto
1999	Drawings accepted into Edmonton Art Gallery Group show of photographs at Sayde Bronfman Centre, Montreal
1998	Group show at Tableaux Vivant Gallery, Toronto
1997	Wrote text for ABC No Rio performance, Chocolate Soup Drawings accepted by Windsor Art Gallery. Piano CD recording, Ron Giii Playing Solo, published by Random Parallel Gallery, Toronto.
1996	Published text in New York entitled, What Language Are We Having for Dinner?, collaboration with Bruce Eves. Recent acquisitions show, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Drawings accepted into Carlton University Art Gallery, Ottawa.
1995	Heavy Mental (group show, cur. Philip Monk) The Power Plant, Toronto (catalogue)
1992	The Geometry Shop, Evelyn Aimis Gallery, Toronto
1991	The Bourgeois Opera, Evelyn Aimis Gallery, Toronto
1990	The Anti-Conscious, The Atomic Theatre, Evelyn Aimis Gallery, Toronto
1989	The Gas Works, Evelyn Aimis Gallery, Toronto
1988	Body Is A Loaded Word (group show), Evelyn Aimis Gallery, Toronto
1987	The Dictator's Opera, Cold City Gallery, Toronto (brochure)
1986	The Atomic Theatre and The Dictator's Opera, 49th Parallel, New York (brochure)
1985	Group show at Postmasters Gallery, New York, NY
1983	New Acquisitions exhibition, Ottawa. Group show at Power Plant Gallery, Toronto.
1982	Founder of TRY Organization Theatre Co. for ex-mental patients Produced, directed and wrote text for production of The Outer and Inner Universe performed by members of TRY Organization, Art Resource Culture Gallery, Director, Derek Dowden, Toronto Produced, directed and wrote text for Schizophrenic Opera, TRY Organization Theatre Co. Joseph Workman Auditorium, Toronto Wrote text House with no Rugs, performed by TRY Theatre Co. Cameron Tavern, Toronto TRY Organization Performance at Rivoli Rest, Toronto
1981	Lecture and Performance at Remont Gallery, Warsaw, Director Henry Gajewski Performance Reading from Text on Polysexuality, Published by Semiotexte, New York Mercer Union Gallery, Toronto
1980	Contexual Performance and reading of text, entitled Jupe, A Space Gallery, Director, Peggy Gale
1979	Appointed Director of Television Production Studio, Toronto Organized, Language Art Performances, Poetry readings, video screenings, Performance Art Open Exhibits Produced, directed and wrote script for Video Body Art Performance entitled, Belt 23 mins, colour, æ inch format. Video Tape Body Art Performance shown on European tour of Missing Associates, Lilly Eng and Peter Dudar
1978	Group Theatre Performance, Alternative Space, Detroit City Contextual Performance, CEAC Gallery Toronto Invited to attend International Performance Festival, Remont Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
1977	Performance at London Art Gallery Feb 16th Contextual Art Performance, Franklin Furnace Gallery, New York, Director, Martha Wilson Behaviour Performance, Pier 52, New York, March 24th Wrote text The Last Individual, performed on Pearl St. CEAC Gallery, Toronto Text on Marxism and Alienation published in ACE Magazine, CEAC Gallery , Toronto Performance, Lecture, Seminar at Joseph Beuys, Free International Univ. Documenta 77, Kassel, Germany Performance, Lecture, Seminar, Univ. of Lecce, Italy, Leece., Director Franco Geli, Publisher of Genetic Art Magazine
1976	Spontaneous People Show, Organized and performed at CEAC Gallery, Toronto Perception Room (design) Summer of 76, CEAC Gallery, Toronto Body Art Performance, entitled Katchibatta, CEAC Gallery, Toronto Body Art Performance, entitled, The Biological Beggar, CEAC Gallery, Toronto St. Petri Lund, Sweden, Director, Jan Sellen Body Art Performance, Kunstmarkt, Dusseldorf Art Fair, W. Germany Body Art Performance, Lecture with students of Ferrara University, Museo de Arte Moderna, Director, Lola Bonara Body Art Performance at the ICC, Antwerp, Belgium Body Art Performance at Salvatore Ala Galleria, Milan, Italy, Director of Gallery, Salvatore Ala, Nov 2nd Screening of Super 8 mm film of Body Art Performance on Marlene Elasz CEAC Gallery, Open Screenings, Toronto
1975	Founder of Shitbandit Organization Organized show of Performances Art, drawings, sound recordings, video screenings, body-art, texts and installations. Gallery 76, Toronto Art Gallery of Ontario Chair Show Curated by Alvin Balkind, installation work

Permanent Collections
National Gallery of Canada Museo de Ferrara, Video Franklin Furnace Archives, Museum of Modern Art, NYC (video) York University Library Archives Art Gallery of Ontario Winnipeg Art Gallery Edmonton Art Gallery Art Gallery of Windsor Ronald Feldman Fine Art, New York Art Metropole, Toronto Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa Ricco-Maresca Gallery, New York

Education
1962-64	H.S.C. Prince of Wales College, Nairobi, East Africa
1972-75	Ontario College of Art, Hons. A.O.C.A. (Lieut. Gov. Gen. Medal)