Artist

Colin Campbell

"Born in Reston, Manitoba, 1942, Colin Campbell studied at the University of Manitoba (BFA) and Claremont Graduate School in California (MFA), then taught at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick in the late 1960's and early 1970's, where he made his first video works. He moved to Toronto in 1973 and taught first at the Ontario College of Art, now the Ontario College of Art and Design, and then, beginning in 1980, in the Department of Fine Art at University of Toronto. Campbell died of cancer in October 2001 and is greatly mourned by friends and colleagues.

"Canada’s premier video artist and author of over fifty titles, Campbell was active in the artist-run centre movement in Canada, a founding member (and for many years president) of Vtape independent video distribution. He curated video and performance programs in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Rio de Janeiro, and published texts in FILE and Fuse magazines, as well as the artist’s books The Woman from Malibu (1978) and Modern Love (1979), commissioned by Art Metropole, Toronto. A retrospective exhibition, Colin Campbell: Media Works 1972–1990, was mounted by curator Bruce W. Ferguson for the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1990, and toured nationally the following year. Campbell received the Bell Canada Award in Video Art in 1996.

"Colin Campbell represented Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1980 and at biennial exhibitions in Sao Paulo in 1977 and Istanbul in 1992, as well as at
OKanada in Berlin (Akademie der Künste, 1982) and Documenta in Kassel, Germany in 1977. He exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée National d’Art Moderne (Paris), the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), and at museums and galleries elsewhere in Europe and throughout Canada and the United States. His video and film were included in the television series Ghosts in the Machine (Channel Four Television, London) and Video Art Vidéo (TVOntario) and aired on Vision Television (Toronto). His work has been screened at the Melbourne Film Festival, British Film Institute Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Festival of Festivals (the precursor to the Toronto International Film Festival), the Chicago International Film Festival, and elsewhere."

- Peggy Gale, excerpted from her text "About Colin Campbell" on the Video Art in Canada Website (Vtape/Virtual Museum of Canada, 2006)

Artist Code: 020

Videography

Dangling By Their Mouths: The Collected Works of Colin Campbell

2008, 766:00 minutes, colour/B&W, English

Que Sera Sera

2001, 18:00 minutes, colour, English

Dishevelled Destiny

2000, 29:00 minutes, colour/B&W, English

Déjà Vu

1999, 18:00 minutes, colour/B&W, English

Rendez-vous

1997, 12:55 minutes, English

Skin

1990, 18:00 minutes, colour, English

Fiddle Faddle

1988, 26:00 minutes, colour, English

Black and Light

1987, 53:00 minutes, colour, English

No Voice Over

1986, 27:00 minutes, colour, English

Bennies from Heaven

1986, 25:00 minutes, colour, English

The Woman Who Went Too Far

1984, 10:00 minutes, colour, English

Un Mois en Languedoc

1983, 21:00 minutes, English

White Money

1983, 08:00 minutes, colour, English, Spanish

Snip, Snip

1981, 30:00 minutes, colour, English

Conundrum Clinique

1981, 14:00 minutes, colour, English

Dangling By Their Mouths

1981, 60:00 minutes, colour, English

He's A Growing Boy - She's Turning Forty

1980, 40:00 minutes, colour, English

L.A. Flex

1980, 20:00 minutes, colour, English

Bad Girls

1980, 65:00 minutes, colour, English

Modern Love (Part 1, 2, 3)

1978, 90:00 minutes, B&W, English

Rat's Country

1978, 12:00 minutes, B&W, English

Shango Botanica

1977, 41:30 minutes, B&W, English

Hollywood and Vine

1977, 18:30 minutes, B&W, English

Last Seen Wearing

1977, 24:00 minutes, B&W, English

Culver City Limits

1977, 09:00 minutes, B&W, English

The Temperature in Lima

1976, 10:00 minutes, B&W, English

The Woman From Malibu

1976, 12:00 minutes, B&W, English

Hindsight

1975, 22:00 minutes, B&W, English

This is an Edit/This is Real

1974, 16:50 minutes, B & W, English

Secrets

1974, 30:00 minutes, B&W, English

I'm a Voyeur

1974, 15:20 minutes, B&W, English

Janus

1973, 18:00 minutes, B&W, silent

Real Split

1972, 12:00 minutes, B&W

Sackville, I'm Yours....

1972, 14:40 minutes, B&W, English

True/False

1972, 09:00 minutes, B&W, English

Critical Writing

Toronto Living with Aids
by Ryan Conrad. Toronto: Public Books, 2024.
Form Follows Fiction: Art and Artists in Toronto
by Luis Jacob. Toronto: Art Museum, 2020.
The Extended Scene
by Francisco-Fernando Granados. Drain, 2016, v. 13:2. Drain Mag, 2016.
Time Being: The Moving Images of Daniel Cockburn
by Tom McSorley. Canadian Film Institute, 2013.
Explosion in the Machine: Essays and Documents on Toronto Artists'...
by Chris Gehman. Toronto: Images Festival, 2013.
Traffic: Conceptual Art in Canada 1965-1980
by Grant Arnold and Karen Henry. Edmonton: Art Gallery of Alberta, 2012.
Colin Campbell
by Nadja Sayej. ArtUS, 2009, no. 26.
Toying with boundaries of reality and fiction
by Peter Goddard. The Toronto Star, Dec. 18, 2008.
The Curatorial Incubator v.4: That 80s Show
by Lisa Steele. Toronto: Vtape, 2007.
Toronto Video: Challenging forms, channelling change
by Marc Glassman. The State of The Arts: Living with Culture in Toronto, 2006. Toronto: Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in publication, 2006.
The Lingering Present: Canadian Video Art in its Youth: 1968-1986
by Lisa Steele. Analogue, 2006. Preston: Electronic and Digital Art Unit, 2006.
Video Art, A Guided Tour by Catherine Elwes (Books)
by Tom Sherman. Border Crossings, Aug. 2005, v. 24, no. 3.
agYU: A Very Personal Look: Toronto Video Art from the '7-'s to...
by Shay Gibson. agYU, 2005. Toronto: Art Gallery of York University, 2005.
Video Stars
by Scott Lingley. FAVA Scope, 2005.
Cheezie Vogue: The essential modern cinema povera of Colin Campbell
by Randy Gledhill. Take One, Mar. 2002, v. 10, no. 36.
The great pretender: Homage to video maker and performance artist...
by Bambi Acconci and dj Blazay. Lola, Summer 2002, no. 12.
Video Primer: A Series of 5 Video Programs: Masquerade
by Michelle Jacques. Video Primer, 2002. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2002.
The Singing Dunes: Colin Campbell, 1943-2001
by John Greyson. C Magazine, Summer 2002, no. 74.
Like Mangoes in July: The Work of Richard Fung
by Helen Lee and Kerri Sakamoto. Insomiac Press, 2002.
The grace of aging: Video artist Colin Campbell's multple personae
by Andrew Griffin. Capital Xtra!, Feb. 16, 2001.
Colin Campbell: Video Fictions
Colin Campbell: Video Fictions, 2001. Ottawa: Available Light Screening Collective, 2001.
Passionate pioneer of video art: He made important, often funny...
by Sarah Milroy. The Globe and Mail, Nov. 17, 2001.
Feelings: About a girl
by Bruce LaBruce. EYE WEEKLY, Nov. 22, 2001, v. 11, no. 7.
Colin Campbell: June 7, 1942 - Oct 31, 2001
by Andrew Paterson. Xtra!, Dec. 27, 2001, no. 448.
Colin Campbell: 1945 - 2001
by Unknown. Colin Campbell 1945 - 2001, 2001. Toronto: Vtape, 2001.
Colin Campbell: 1945 - 2001
Arts Court, 2001. Ottawa: Arts Court, 2001.
Project/Process: An Introduction to Magnetic North: 1945 - 2001
by Jenny Lion. Program - Video Pool Inc., Winnipeg, Nov. Fall 2000.
Tranz<->Tech 1999 Catalogue
Toronto: Vtape, 1999.
Queer Art Stock-Taking
by Kim Fullerton. Xtra!, Dec. 30, 1999, no. 396.
Vtape: FAQ & info
by Lissa Gibbs. The Independent, July 1999.
Hot New Stuff on Video from All Over the World
by Cameron Bailey. NOW, Oct. 21, 1999, v. 19, no. 8.
Picturing the Toronto Art Community: The Queen Street Years
by Phillip Monk. C Magazine, Sept. 1998, no. 59. Toronto: C International, 1998.
Colin Campbell: Video Artist
by Roger Matuz. Contemporary Canadian Artist, 1997. Toronto: Gale Canada, 1997.
Mirror Machine: Video and Identity
by Janine Marchessault. YYZ Books, McGill University, 1995.
Beyond Queer Alibis / Thoughts on The Fruit Machine and Little...
by Thomas Waugh. Parallelogramme, 1994, v. 20, no. 3.
The Fruit Machine
by Thomas Waugh. Cinematheque Film Programme Guide, Fall 1994. Toronto: Cinematheque Ontario, 1994.
Perspectives Of the Body In Canadian Video Art
by Dot Tuer. C Magazine, Winter 1993, no. 36.
And they're at the post...: Noises Off
by Unknown. The Globe and Mail, Apr. 7 Spring, 1993. Toronto: The Globe and Mail, 1993.
Colin Campbell: Invention
by Peggy Gale. Colin Campbell: Invention, 1993. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1993.
Colin Campbell: Invention
Colin Campbell: Invention, 1993. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1993.
Retrospective tracks career of video visionary Campbell
by Deirdre Hanna. Now, Dec. 12, 1991, v. 11, no. 15.
Video retrospective dallies with sexuality
by John Bentley Mays. The Globe and Mail, Dec. 26, 1991.
Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
by Colin Campbell. Fuse, Fall 1991, v. 15, no. 1-2.
Colin Campbell: Media Works 1972-1990
by Bruce W. Ferguson. The National Art Gallery, 1991. Ottawa: The National Gallery of Canada, 1991.
Otherwise Worldly
by Bruce W. Ferguson. Colin Campbell : Media Works, 1991. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1991.
Colin Campell Media Works 1972 - 1990: Opening: The Video and Film...
Colin Campbell Media Works 1972-1990, 1991. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1991.
Images 90: Opening: The Video and Film by Artists Series
by Fran Gallagher-Shuebrook. C Magazine, 1991, no. 28.
Canadian Colinization: Opening: The Video and Film by Artists Series
by Andrew Sorfleet. C Magazine, Fall 1991, no. 31.
Newfoundland co-op merges folk and personal resources
by Cameron Bailey. Now, June 7, 1990, v. 9, no. 39.
Interrogative Video Works From Colin Campbell
by Bruce Ferguson. Tableau, Nov. 1990.
AIDS Video Highlights survey of artist's work
by Randal McIlroy. Winnipeg Free Press, Dec. 22, 1990.
From A Reservoir of Predictions
by Tom Sherman. From A Reservoir of Predictions, 1990. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1990.
From Resevoir of Predictions
by Tom Sherman. Art Metropole, 1990.
The Façade of Obsession: By Way of Fiction
by Colin Campbell. Fuse, Apr. 1989, v. 12, no. 5.
Images '89
by Donna Lypchuk. Cinema Canada, Sept. 1989.
Feminist foibles target of Campbell's satiric video
by John Bentley Mays. The Globe and Mail, Mar. 3, 1989.
Images 89: New festival celebrates Canada's film and video...
by Helen Lee. Now, May 4, 1989, v. 8, no. 34.
Cinema Canada: Festivals
by *Not Documented. Cinema Canada, Sept. 1989.
Art Speaks in the 80's
by Colin Campbell. Parallelogramme, Summer 1988, v. 14, no. 1.
Bad Acting: Performing and Characterization on Screen
by Sara Diamond and Gary Kibbins. Trade initiatives; 3 programmes of Canadian video, 1988. Vancouver: Satelite Video Exchange Society, 1988.
First-generation Video
by Carole Corbeil. The Globe and Mail, June 14, 1988.
Video Structures: Back to Basic Memory
by Clive Robertson. Parallelogramme, Summer 1987, v. 12, no. 5.
Video In Drag: Trans-sexing the Feminine
by Dot Tuer. Parallelogramme, Feb. 1987, v. 12, no. 3.
Lesbians on the Loose
by Colin Campbell. Fuse, Spring 1987, v. 10, no. 6.
Another World
by Colin Campbell. Fuse, Fall 1987, v. 11, no. 3.
Notes on a Local History: Both
by Bruce Ferguson and Colin Campbell. Toronto: A Play of History (Jeu d'histoire), 1987. Toronto: The Power Plant, 1987.
Colin Campbell Interviewed
by Kathleen Maitland-Carter and Bruce LaBruce. CineAction!, Summer 1987, no. 9.
An official guide to the periphery
by Geoffrey James. Maclean's, Aug. 3, 1987, v. 100, no. 31.
On Signs & Sex: Visual Evidence "A series of video screenings,...
by Kathy McLeod and Nancy Shaw. Fuse, Fall 1987, v. 11, no. 3.
Video Culture
by Colin Campbell. Cinema Canada, Sept. 1987, no. 144.
"Habits" by YYZ, Toronto: Invitation To A Screening
by Phil Van Steenburgh. Cinema Canada, July 1986, no. 132.
Hot Art In A Cool Medium: Invitation To A Screening
by Brian D. Johnson and Mark Budgen. Maclean's, Mar. 3, 1986.
La Video S'en Va...
by Renee Baert et al. Parachute, Spring 1986, no. 42.
Making privateness public in stunning art
by Christopher Hume. The Toronto Star, Apr. 4, 1986.
First-generation video
by Carole Corbeil. The Globe and Mail, June 14, 1986.
B. Mode
by Colin Campbell. Cold City Fiction, Spring 1986. Toronto, Canada: Eldon Garnet, 1986.
Introduction
by Renee Baert. Vintage Video: Early Canadian Video Art to 1974, 1986. Toronto: Artculture Resource Centre, 1986.
Video In Canada: In Search of Authority
by Renee Baert. From Sea to Shining Sea, 1986. Toronto: The Power Plant, 1986.
Videotape by Colin Campbell
by Kerri Kwinter. Videoseries 86/87, 1986. New York: 49th Parallel Centre for Contemporary Art, 1986.
No Voice Over
by Colin Campbell. Video by Artists 2, 1986. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1986.
Habits:Five Video Premieres
by Varda Burstyn. Canadian Art, Fall 1986, v. 3, no. 3.
It's a Long Time to Hold Your Breath
by Colin Campbell. Fuse, Winter 1986.
Letters
by Renee Baert et al. Parallelogramme, 1986, v. 11, no. 3.
National Gallery Cuts Video Program: Artists Protest
by Renee Baert et al. Video Guide, 1986, v. 8, no. 1.
TWO MEN EMBRACING: GAY VIDEO IMAGES
by John Greyson. Video Guide, Dec. 1986, v. 8, no. 4.
Video Sampling Just a Taste of Artist's Homespun Talent
by John Bentley Mays. The Globe and Mail, Feb. 26, 1985.
Introduction
by Colin Campbell. Videotapes from Brazil and Chili, 1985. Ottawa: The National Gallery of Canada, 1985.
Canada - Video: A Medium in Search of its Task
by René Coëlho. Canadian Video Art, 1985. S.N., 1985.
Consolidation and Resistance:: Video in Toronto, An Overview
by Elke Town. Canadian Video Art, 1985. S.N, 1985.
Consolidation and Resistance:: Video in Toronto, An Overview
Bandes video du Bresil et Chili, 1985. Toronto: Video au musee des beaux-arts du Canada, 1985.
Video in Canada: Process and Production
by Renée Baert. Video '84, - Recontres Vidéo Internationales de Montreal, 1984, v. sept.
Tapes by a Tribe of Storytellers: New Work Show evidence that...
by John Bentley Mays. The Globe and Mail, Sept. 1, 1984.
Performance in Moment'Homme
by Colin Campbell. Moment'Homme, 1984. Montreal: Tangente Danse Actuelle, 1984.
La Vidéo canadienne et les procédés de l'ironie
by Jean Gagnon. 24 Images, Fall 1984, no. 22.
Canada (cont.)
by Unknown. Video 84, 1984.
Canada (cont.)
by Jane Wright and Jeremy Walsh. British/Canadian Video Exchange '84, 1984. London: Canada House Cultural Centre, 1984.
The New Work Show
by Victor Coleman. Vanguard, Nov. 1984, v. 13, no. 9.
The New Work Show
by B.D. Hershorn. Toronto: Litho Offset, 1984.
Colour Video/Vulgar Potential
by Peggy Gale. Parachute, Sept. Winter 1982, no. 25.
Sophisticated N.Y. Video Artists Babes From High-Tech Toyland
by John Bentley Mays. Globe, Feb. 19, 1982.
Colin Campbell
by Colin Campbell. Mannersm A Theory of Culture; Mannerism: A Theory of Culture, 1982. Vancouver: The Vancouver Art Gallery, 1982.
Protest Against Censor: Two Canadian artists pull out of VideoFest
by Jonathan Gross. The Toronto Sun, Sept. 9, 1982.
Video Video: See what's being Said
by Bruce Kirkland. The Toronto Sun, Sept. 2, 1982.
VIDEO/VIDEO: If this event was a dry run for PAY-TV, one must view...
by Clive Robertson. Fuse, Nov. 1981, v. 5, no. 8 & 9.
Persona
by Lynn Gumpert and Ned Rifkin. Persona, 1981. New York: The New Museum, 1981.
Discontinuous Notes on and After a Meeting of Critics, By One of...
by Vera Frenkel. artscanada, Mar. 1981, no. 240.
Colin Campbell, 'Peripheral Blur'
by Martha Fleming. Artforum, Jan. 1981, v. 19, no. 5.
Modern Love
by Kerri Kwinter. Fuse, Jan. 1980, v. 4, no. 2.
On Video Distribution
by Lisa Steele. Fuse, May 1980, v. 4, no. 4.
Biennale 1980: A View from Venice
by Theodore Allen Heinrich. Vanguard, Oct. 1980, v. 9, no. 8.
Introduction: Colin Campbell
by Bruce Ferguson. Canada Video, 1980. Ottawa: The National Gallery of Canada, 1980.
Colin Campbell: Peripheral Blur
by Colin Campbell. Performance Text(e)s & Documents, 1980. Montreal: Parachute, 1980.
Video is not television, Performance is not theatre: Peripheral Blur
by Martha Fleming and Douglas Durand. Body Politic, June 1980, no. 64.
Hetero-geneous: L'histoire d'une ville dessinée
by Lutgart Reynen. Anna R., June 1980, no. 1.
Introduction
by Bruce Ferguson. University of Chicago Press, Aug. 1980.
Quelques-uns des Nouveaux titres du Catalogue de Art Metropole
by Rene Blouin. Parachute, Spring 1979, no. 14.
Modern Love
by Tim Guest. Centerfold, Apr. 1979, v. 3, no. 4.
Video '79 - Roman Style: Art in the Back Seat - Again.
by Colin Campbell. Centerfold, Aug. 1979.
Modern Love
by Colin Campbell. Toronto, New York: Art Metropole, The Foundation for Art Resources, 1979.
Automatons/Auto Morons
by AA Bronson. Performance By Artists, 1979. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1979.
Women & Infanticide
Centerfold, May 1979, v. 3, no. 4.
But is it art?
by John Bentley Mays. Maclean's, Nov. 5, 1979.
I Am Here, This Is Real
by Peggy Gale. Autobiography: Film/Video/Photography, 1978. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1978.
Video: The Martini of the Visual Arts: Notes on the newest (and...
by Jay Scott. The Globe and Mail, Apr. 19, 1978.
Southland video anthology on exhibit at College Five: Notes on the...
by Paul S. Hersh. City on a Hill Press, Oct. 12, 1978.
The Woman From Malibu
by Colin Campbell. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1978.
Video Has Captured Our Imagination
by Peggy Gale. Parachute, Summer 1977, no. 7.
Vidéo: regard introspectif: Toronto Video: Looking Inward
by Peggy Gale. vie des arts, Spring 1977, v. 21, no. 86.
Colin Campbell - Windows and Mirrors
by Peggy Gale. Video by Artists, 1976. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1976.
Structural Videotape in Canada
by Eric Cameron. Video Art: An Anthology, 1976. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976.
Video Art in Canada: Four Worlds
by Peggy Gale. Studio International, May 1976, v. 191, no. 981.
Postface: Video Music Film
by Brian Dyson et al. Centerfold, Sept. 1976, v. 1, no. 2.
Colin Campbell: La belle histoire d'Art Star: Colin Campbell: The...
by Eric Cameron. vie des arts, Spring 1975, v. 20, no. 78.
La vidéographie dans un contexte d'art
by Eric Cameron. Vie des arts, Fall 1975, v. 20, no. 80.
Truth & Beauty
by A.A. Bronson. File, Fall 1975, v. 3, no. 1.
Videotape & The University Art Programme
by Eric Cameron. Studio International, June 1974, v. 187, no. 967.
Video as Art
by Eric Cameron. Video Circuits: An Exhibition of Videotape as Art, 1974. Guelph: S.N., 1974.
Videoscape in Toronto: An Interview with Ian Birnie
by Pat Fleisher. Art Magazine, Fall 1974, v. 6, no. 19.
Colin Campbell
by Elizabeth Chitty. Video Guide, Mar., v. 3, no. 4.