David Kaarsemaker focuses on the sublime experience of looking by representing objects he finds on trails with a glowing monochromatic treatment. His paintings are generated from long walks or backpacking trips, but he recognizes how the settler myth of “wilderness” constructs and obscures the realities of consumption and exploitation. 

David Kaarsemaker holds a BFA from Concordia University and an MFA from the University of Ottawa. David has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. He was a finalist in the 2017 RBC Painting Competition and his work is included in the collections of Global Affairs Canada, the City of Ottawa, the City of St John’s, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, and the Newfoundland Provincial Art Bank.