Saskatchewan Artist

Bill Burns

Bill Burns was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1957. He studied in British Columbia at the University of Victoria under sculptors Mowry Baden and Roland Brenner and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980. In 1987, he completed his Masters of Fine Arts in England at Goldsmiths' College at the University of London, where he studied under Gerard Hemsworth and John Latham.

Burns is known for both his visual art and his books. Of the former, his first solo exhibition, “Safety Gear for Small Animals” is particularly notable. Consisting of miniature safety equipment including gloves, vests, and triage tents, the work was first shown in 1994 at New York's 303 Gallery, and has also appeared at the Museum of Modern Art (New York, 2005-2006) and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London, 2008), as well as in Seoul, Havana, and several Canadian cities.

Other works include “Everything I Could Buy on eBay About Malaria” (exhibited in 2002 at Wellcome Trust, London, England) and “Boilersuits for Primates,” which includes items that prisoners receive when arriving at Guantanamo Bay.

Burns' books include Okay Behavior (1993), How to Help Animals Escape from Degraded Habitats (1997), and Dogs and Boats and Airplanes (2008), among numerous others.

Burns has received awards from the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation.

Burns' work is represented in numerous collections, including Wellcome Trust (New York), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina), Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon), Saskatchewan Arts Board, Cleveland Art Institute, Musee de Marimont (Belgium), University of Syracuse, Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Getty Center (Los Angeles), Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo), University of North Carolina, and Cabinet des estamples (Geneva), among many others.

Burns lives and works in Toronto.