From Saturday, December 12, 2026 to Sunday, May 2, 2027 – The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) presents Bas Jan Ader: I’m searching…. Experience his 16mm films, slide installations, photographs and videos in this exceptional solo exhibition, along with extensive documentary material & ephemera. KWAG will be the only venue to be hosting this significant exhibition, mounted throughout all of their exhibition spaces.
A rare opportunity to view the work of an artist’s artist
Dutch conceptual & performance artist and photographer Bas Jan Ader is regarded as a seminal figure for subsequent generations of artists – a so-called artists’ artist. In 2025, the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Germany) mounted a large-scale exhibition of Ader’s fascinating work, exactly 50 years after his disappearance at sea. Now, KWAG is thrilled to announce that they will be the only venue to be hosting this significant exhibition, mounted throughout all their exhibition spaces. This exhibition offers an incredibly rare opportunity to view a large selection of the artist’s work, including early drawings from 1960-61.
Ader made a profession out of the theme of falling as a symbol of failure, exploring this subject in diverse photographic series and films. The moment of loss of control became a conscious decision. Failure was merely an inevitable life experience. Ader continually sought to localize the human being existentially, setting out in quest of the hidden and the miraculous, all the while accepting the risk of bodily harm and ultimately his life.
Works will be loaned for exhibition by the Estate of Bas Jan Ader (administered by Meliksetian | Briggs), the Hamburger Kunsthalle and private collections in the United States and Germany.
”Ader’s oeuvre can be described as at once melancholy and absurd, emotional and conceptual, simple yet complex.”
– The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
About Jan Bas Ader
Born in Winschoten, Netherlands, Bas Jan Ader (1942 – 1975) was a conceptual and performance artist. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles (1965) and his Master’s of Fine Arts at the Claremont Graduate School and University Center, Claremont, California (1967). His work has been exhibited widely in recent years and is included in important public collections in galleries around the world. Read more about him here.
In 1963, Bas Jan Ader moved to Los Angeles, where he and his wife, Mary Sue Anderson-Ader, established a second home. In 1975 (age 33), as part of an artistic trilogy entitled In Search of the Miraculous, Ader set off in a small sailing boat from Cape Cod, Massachusetts on a solo crossing of the Atlantic, heading for Falmouth, Great Britain. He would never reach his destination. Months later, the boat was found off the Irish coast, but Ader remained missing. With his disappearance at sea, the artist’s yearning, romantic search for the miraculous became a parable of human vulnerability and failure.
About the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) is the oldest, largest collecting public art gallery in Waterloo Region (Ontario), and has grown from a small, locally-focused volunteer organization to a major force in the Canadian art world. KWAG presents up to 15 exhibitions annually and their touring exhibitions are on display in different cities across Canada each year. The Permanent Collection now contains more than 4,400 works by local, national and international artists. KWAG also hosts programs tailored for children, youth, families, schools, seniors and community partners. Read more about the gallery here.
About the Hamburger Kunsthalle
The Hamburger Kunsthalle was founded by citizens of Hamburg. It is the largest museum in the city and ranks among the most important art museums in Europe. The three striking buildings of the Hamburger Kunsthalle house one of the most significant public art collections in Germany today, comprising around 145,000 works of art dating from the 14th century onwards, with around 1,000 works on permanent display. Read more about the museum here.
(Photo credits: Bas Jan Ader (1942–1975), The Boy Who Fell Over Niagara Falls, 1972. Photographic documentation of the performance at the Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst (Cabinet for Contemporary Art), Bremerhaven, 1972. © Jürgen Wesseler / Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst, Bremerhaven / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025.)
Event details
Hosted by: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG)
Type of event: solo image exhibition
Featured artist: Bas Jan Ader
Organized by: The Hamburger Kunsthalle
Curated by: Dr. Brigitte Kölle, with curatorial assistance by Julia Kersting
Curatorial coordination for the KWAG by: Darryn Doull
Dates: Saturday, December 12, 2026 – Sunday, May 2, 2027 *The exhibition will be mounted throughout all gallery spaces until April 11, 2027. Following April 11, the exhibit will only be mounted in some spaces, and not all the works will be displayed.
Gallery hours: Please confirm the gallery’s hours on the website for the week you plan to visit.
- Sunday: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM ET
- Thursday: 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM ET
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Cost: Admission to KWAG is free. They encourage you to donate and support their ongoing work during your visit.
Location: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, 101 Queen St. North, Kitchener, ON, N2H 6P7
Visiting info: Map, directions & parking info here.
FAQ page: Find answers to frequently asked questions here.
Contact details: The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, 101 Queen St. North, Kitchener, ON, N2H 6P7, Canada; (519) 579-5860, ext. 0 (front desk), mail@kwag.on.ca, kwag.ca
Accessibility: KWAG is wheelchair-accessible and located on the main floor of Centre in the Square. Strollers and walkers are also welcome. The main entrance is accessed via the Ellen or Otto Street lobby doors – both are accessible. The gallery has one wheelchair-accessible washroom with a fold-out change table. Washrooms are all-gender. More info here.