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David McDougall is a Canadian artist whose practice bridges traditional sculptural methods with emerging technologies. With a foundation in figurative sculpture, his work has evolved to encompass kinetic installations, electronic art, new media, and short animation. Drawing on his academic background and two decades of creative exploration, McDougall's projects often interrogate the shifting relationships between the human body, technology, and the environment.
His artistic inquiry is grounded in a deep interest in artificial intelligence, the natural world, and the invisible systems that mediate our experiences. From autonomous drawing machines to animated short films, his work engages both materiality and metaphor, often inviting audiences to consider the limits of control, perception, and agency in an increasingly mediated world.
As a long-time instructor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa, McDougall brings a research-driven and experimental approach to both his teaching and creative work. His ongoing artistic and pedagogical practices are informed by a commitment to interdisciplinarity, play, and critical reflection.
He lives and works in Ottawa as a guest on the traditional, unceded, and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin People.
DEGREES
2008 MFA Visual Arts, Sculpture York University, Toronto
2005 BFA (Hon) Visual Arts, Studio Queen’s University, Kingston
EXHIBITION RECORD
2024 Facing Forward- Marianne Van Silfhout Gallery, Brockville, ON, (Juried)
2024 Spoiled Lemons, Wall Space Gallery, Ottawa, ON
2022 HUFF Hull underground film festival, DAÏMÔN, Gatineau, QC
2018 VAM40, Art Gallery of Mississauga Juried Exhibition, Mississauga, ON
2017 Transient, University of Ottawa pilot lab, Ottawa, ON
2017 Ontario Wide Juried Exhibition, Thames Gallery, Chatham, ON (Juried)
2016 Blue, Cube Galley, Ottawa, ON
2014 Rite-of-Way, BYPASS Nuit Blanche 2014, collaboration w/Sasha Phipps, Ottawa , ON
2010 2010 Biannual Juried Exhibition, Grimsby Gallery, Grimsby, ON (Juried)
2010 Plague Ledger, 2 of 2 Gallery, Toronto, ON, Pari Nadimi Galleries (solo show)
2009 Showcase ’09 Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge, ON, (Juried)
2008 Veruccio Dante’s Sexy, 2 of 2 Gallery, Toronto, ON, Pari Nadimi Galleries (solo show)
2008 Love, Us., XSpace Gallery, Toronto (Catalogue), Curator: Yvonne Singer, York University
2008 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Gales Gallery, Toronto (solo show)
2007 Here is Where we Meet, Gales Gallery, Toronto (Juried), Curator: Sara Knelman
2006 Adventures in Science, ACA Gallery, Toronto (solo show)
2005 I’ve got something against you, Verb Gallery, Kingston(solo show)
2005 BFA on view ’05, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston (Juried), Curator: Andy Fabo
2005 Art, Art revolution, B.F.A Graduate Show, Queen’s University, Kingston
2005 Cynical Garbage, Union Gallery, Kingston
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2008-present
Part-Time Professor
Department of Visual Arts, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2007-2010
Instructor
Department of Visual Arts, York University, Toronto Ontario Canada
RESIDENCIES
2024 the REAL DMZ PROJECT
Yangji-ri , Republic of Korea
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2025 City of Ottawa, Creation and production fund for professional artists
2024 Canada council for the arts production grant in collaboration with Adrian Gollner
2017 Juror’s Choice Award, Thames Gallery, Machined Migration
2008 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation
2007 York University Research Cost Grant
2006 York University Talent Award
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2016 Digital Fabrication in Art, OMMIC, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
2016 ALECC 2016: making common cause, Kingston, ON
