Bau-Xi Gallery is thrilled to present When We Were Small, the inaugural solo exhibition by Celia Lees, a rising voice in Canadian abstraction, and the newest addition to Bau-Xi Gallery's esteemed roster of artists.

Lees draws on the raw wonder of early memory, transforming emotion into vibrant colour and form. Her rhythmic, intuitive compositions invite viewers into a world before meaning was fixed - a return to presence, play, and pure sensory experience.

The exhibition will be on view from September 11th – October 6th at Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin in Toronto (1384 Dufferin Street). An opening reception will take place on Saturday, September 13th, from 2 – 4 pm with Celia Lees in attendance.

Join us again on Saturday, September 20th from 2:30 pm - 4 pm at 1384 Dufferin Street for an artist talk, hosted by Kyle Matuzewiski, the Co-Director of Bau-Xi Gallery. Guests will be treated to an in-depth conversation with Celia Lees about her ever-evolving practice.

Artist statement:

"This body of work returns to the world as it once felt, bright, boundless, and brimming with the unselfconscious joy of childhood play. In When We Were Small, I explore the shapes, colours, and rhythms that once seemed to appear effortlessly in our lives, before we learned to measure them, name them, or weigh them with meaning.

The works are built from a place of remembered freedom: afternoons spent making things for no reason, games invented on the spot, objects treasured for their texture or colour alone. Circular forms drift across the paintings like balls rolling out of sight, skipping ropes caught mid-swing, or the brief rainbow caught in your eyes when light shifts unexpectedly. They carry a sense of movement and repetition, like the simple games we played again and again just to feel the motion in our bodies.

In the studio, I chase that looseness, not to recreate it perfectly, but to find its residue. There is care in each gesture, but also permission to let things stay imperfect and open-ended. Some works feel light and playful, others more grounded, as if holding the knowledge that childhood play will never return in full, yet its essence can still be touched through a new lens.

When We Were Small invites you into a place of discovery and presence. It asks you to notice what is truly there, colour as emotion, form as feeling rather than function. It creates space for quiet reflection and calls to those rare, dream-like moments when the world fades away and only the pure experience of the present remains. In that space, longing and presence exist together, quietly intertwined.” – Celia Lees

About the artist:

Celia Lees (b. 1996) is an abstract painter living and working in Toronto. Her artistic journey began as a search for self-expression and a deeper connection with life and herself.

Lees' abstract works seek to capture the ephemeral – creating while living in the moment, channelling inner emotions, and conveying that which cannot be articulated. The artist utilizes an abstract approach, allowing her to communicate through physical gestures and instinctual mark-making. She works with large applications of paint and deftly balanced compositions while embracing the chaos throughout the process.

The artist's work is held in private collections across Canada, the United States, as well as Europe and Asia. Her paintings have also been placed in commercial spaces such as 200 Amsterdam in New York, Aria in Las Vegas, and The Laurel in West Palm Beach.

Celia Lees has been represented by Bau-Xi Gallery since 2025.