TO SCATTER SEEDS

SPAO is pleased to present to scatter seeds, an exhibition featuring the photo-based work of Maddie Alexander, Anh Dao, Magida El Kassis and Frances Free.

The artists in this exhibition are interested in modes of transmission and translation across mediums and systems of knowledge. From distributing information about natural HRT therapy through seed paper to tracking hormonal shifts through daily self portraits, these 4 artists disseminate knowledge and experience through material and alternative process experimentation.

Curated by:
Katie Lydiatt

Exhibition On View:
Saturday, September 19 - Saturday, November 1, 2026
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday, 12PM - 5PM

Reception:
Friday, October 16, 5PM - 7PM
The SPAO Centre, 77 Pamilla St. 

Magida El-Kassis

Magida El-Kassis is a Toronto lens-based artist whose practice blends traditional and experimental approaches to image-making. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally, and has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Ottawa.

Maddie Alexander

Maddie Alexander (They/He) is a trans artist, archivist, and arts worker based in Halifax, NS. He holds a BFA from OCAD University (2016), and an MFA from NSCAD University (2020), where they received The Reznick Family Fund for Student Creativity. Their work has been exhibited locally and internationally.

Anh Dao

Anh Dao’s creative process is grounded in questions about what it means to live and create in the Anthropocene, particularly in relation to environmental changes brought about by industrialization. Influenced by ideas of deep time, she considers the lifecycles and environmental impacts of artistic production.

Her work investigates sustainable and circular approaches to making, including plant-based photographic development made from locally available plants and organic waste.

Frances Free

Frances Free is a visual artist, photographer and object collector living and working in Ottawa/Adàwe. Often using a multi-layered method and intuitive approach, her work seeks to understand the tension between translucency and opacity. Utilizing craft, found objects, fibre arts and photography, Free’s materials led practice is experimental in nature, and through layering and assemblage, she investigates the body as a site of intimacy and ambiguity.