Thinking Outside The Cube: SPAO Photo Walk
- Alan Bulley
- Dec 29, 2025
- 3 min read
The white cube gallery: Hanging work on its walls may be the hope of many photographic artists, but crossing its threshold can be intimidating to others.
Some galleries and museums look for novel ways to entice new visitors inside the cube, but the SPAO Photographic Arts Centre — in partnership with Ottawa’s Preston Street BIA — has done something much bolder: It has taken the work of more than 30 photo-based artists into the street.
The SPAO Photo Walk invites the public to use their smartphones to play a kind of treasure hunt moving throughout Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
In this case, each of the treasures is a large-scale reproduction of a photographic artwork installed for all to see on the side of a building. The year-round display of photographs was selected by a jury following a nationwide open call, representing diverse talents from across Canada.
Every installation features a QR code linked to contextual information about the artist and their work, as well as a digital map that uses a smartphone’s geo location software to identify the location of the next stop on the hunt.
One of the benefits of following this loop is that walkers can join it at any point. You might choose to begin at SPAO (now celebrating 20 years as a photographic hub in Ottawa), but you might just as easily encounter a piece of art by chance and start your discoveries there. The presence of the works on the street invites a social angle that is not always practical in a gallery setting — a group activity that doesn’t need to worry about noise or decorum, taking in stimulating art with the occasional break in a café or pub to continue the conversation.
At times, the photographs turn the tables on viewers and question them. Ann Thomas, former chief curator at the National Gallery of Canada and one of the Photo Walk’s jurors, underlines that “public art can have the power to engage people in space and perspective and can return the gaze instantly.” As an example of art returning gaze, explorers on the walk may come across Diana Thorneycroft’s “American Bachelorette” and “Canadian Bachelorette” on the side of the Adelaide apartment building. The diptych — one photograph featuring a diorama of plastic figurines from American pop culture alongside a similar photo containing Canadian figures — does two things at once: It comments cheekily on the differences between the two countries … and it separates its audience. Americans and tourists from other countries will likely know all or most of the U.S. cultural references, but only a Canadian is likely to get the references in both photographs. The art calls out its own public.
Ann also points out that the presence of art in public places cannot help but make us more aware of the pervasive use of art in urban advertising, particularly on billboards and murals. As a juror, then, the competition for visual attention was a key consideration in her selections:
“To me, the graphic element was important. You’ve got to stretch the imagination. And then stretch the scale, too, because you’re competing with big buildings and a lot of distractions. Bigger is better.”
The Photo Walk is not just removed from the white cube, but it’s also located away from downtown Ottawa. “It’s well chosen,” says Ann. “Not only because SPAO is located here, but because the location is diverse. There are commercial establishments, restaurants, bars, office towers, and homes. So, you’ve got a nice mix of people.”
That mix brings participants back to the social dimension again. While some might choose to explore the loop by themselves, there’s a good chance that many will opt to go with a partner, a friend, or even a group. Less precious than a gallery can be and much less frenetic than social media scrolling, the SPAO Photo Walk is a low-key way to democratize access to excellent photographic art.
While every Canadian city can point to pieces of public art, these have often been commissioned specifically to fit a political or commercial purpose. By contrast, the Photo Walk’s contemporary works point to the interests of the artists who made them and, by extension, to the state of photographic art itself.
Next time you are in the capital, bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes and make some time to experience an innovative and lively presentation of contemporary photography.
