JASON SETNYK
Artist Fred McSherry’s exhibition Homage unites two decades-long projects, After 1914 and Suffragette, to honour individuals whose bravery shaped the early 20th century. Working in painting and etching, McSherry draws from archival photographs and newspapers, reframing historical images into moving narratives.
The inspiration for after 1914 came after McSherry saw a photo of a Newfoundland regiment in the Globe and Mail. “I was just struck by some of the faces,” he said. “How young some of these soldiers were… about to embark on what would be pretty tragic for most of them.”
McSherry noted how studying portraits draws him closer to the past: “Looking closely at faces, you lose a sense of time-it becomes real. You start looking for clues, expressions, things that foreshadow a future.”
His Suffragette series, still expanding, features more than 60 portraits of leaders, critics, and allies of the Manchester-based Women’s Social and Political Union. Together, the works explore both the trauma and resilience of history. “Conflict doesn’t just affect combatants,” McSherry reflected. “Whole communities are traumatized. It makes you hope for resolution.”
Homage invites viewers to reflect on the personal costs and enduring impact of civic action.
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