Four civilian artists offer new perspectives on military service, operations and remembrance through works developed after immersive Canadian Armed Forces deployments.
OTTAWA, Ontario — September 21, 2026 — The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, in partnership with Beechwood Cemetery, will present the Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP) Group 10 Exhibition at the National Military Cemetery from September 211 to December 6, 2026.
The exhibition, curated by Alison Campbell (Department of National Defense) brings together new work by Michael Love, Sora Park, Megan Dickie and Tanya Busse. Each artist was given direct access to Canadian Armed Forces personnel, activities and operations in 2022–2023. Their resulting works offer distinct perspectives on NATO service in Latvia, the identification of Canada’s missing war dead in France, and the ceremonial preparations for the Coronation of King Charles III.
The opening also takes place during a milestone year. In 2026, CFAP marks 25 years of connecting professional artists with the Canadian Armed Forces, while Beechwood marks the 25th anniversary of its designation as the National Cemetery of Canada. Together, these anniversaries underline the importance of preserving stories, honouring service and strengthening collective memory.
“Art gives us a different way to understand military service — through the people, places, memories and emotions that surround it. Presenting Group 10 at the National Military Cemetery creates a meaningful connection between contemporary artistic practice and Canada’s culture of remembrance.”
— Nicolas McCarthy, Director of Marketing, Communications and Community Outreach, Beechwood Cemetery
Four distinct artist perspectives
Michael Love — photography, collage and re-photography
Vancouver-based Michael Love is a photo-based artist, curator and educator whose work examines the relationships among architecture, history, ideology and systems of power. Born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts after studies at the University of the Fraser Valley and Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and earned a Master of Fine Arts in photography from Concordia University in 2009. His work has been exhibited in Canada and internationally.
For CFAP, Love was embedded with Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed on Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia, Canada’s contribution to NATO deterrence and defence efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. His photographs examine the continuing influence of the Cold War and the realities of service within a changing European security environment, moving between the scale of multinational military activity and the individuals responsible for carrying it out.
Sora Park — interdisciplinary practice, memory and identity
Sora Park is a Korean-Canadian interdisciplinary artist based in Langley, British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and a Master of Arts in Fine Arts from the Bergen Academy of Art and Design in Norway. Her practice explores diasporic experience, memory and the space between clarity and confusion, often using personal and archival materials to examine how people understand the past.
Park’s CFAP deployment took her to France to observe the Canadian Armed Forces’ Casualty Identification Program. The program combines historical, archaeological, anthropological, genealogical and scientific research to identify newly discovered remains and previously unknown graves of Canadian service members from the First and Second World Wars and the United Nations Operations in Korea. Park’s work reflects on themes of loss, evidence, remembrance and the profound act of restoring a name and identity to a fallen service member.
Megan Dickie — sculpture, textiles, movement and collective action
Megan Dickie is a Victoria-based artist and Associate Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Victoria. Working across sculpture, video, printmaking, textiles and performance, she uses physicality, choreography and humour to question established systems and structures. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Calgary. Her work is represented in public collections, including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the University of Saskatchewan.
Dickie deployed with the Canadian contingent assigned to Operation GOLDEN ORB, which prepared British and Commonwealth personnel to march in the Coronation procession of King Charles III. Her project Between Kings considers the power of thousands of bodies moving together and the pride expressed through military uniforms. Drawing on the camouflage patterns worn by Commonwealth nations, she explores the shared histories, discipline and symbolism embedded in ceremonial preparation.
Tanya Busse — moving image, installation and material systems
Born in New Brunswick and based in Tromsø, Norway, Tanya Busse is a multidisciplinary artist working across moving image, installation, photography and sculpture. Her practice considers deep time, invisible architecture and the ways power is produced through material relationships and histories of place. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, including at the Toronto Biennial of Art, Gallery 44 in Toronto, the Turku Biennial in Finland and Röda Sten Konsthall in Sweden.
Busse was also embedded with Canadian Armed Forces members supporting Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia. Drawing from that experience, her CFAP work considers the relationships among the body, technology, military systems and landscape. The resulting sculptures invite reflection on institutional power, human vulnerability and the personal connections that persist within complex operational environments. Busse will not attend the opening ceremony.
Exhibition details
Exhibition dates: September 21 to December 6, 2026.
Location: Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.
About the Canadian Forces Artists Program
Established in 2001, the Canadian Forces Artists Program gives professional civilian artists access to Canadian Armed Forces personnel and activities so they can observe, understand and interpret military experience through their own disciplines. Over 70 artists have now participated in this program. CFAP welcomes a broad range of practices, including visual art, photography, multimedia, writing, theatre, composition and music. The Department of National Defence administers the program, while members of Canada’s professional arts community select participating artists.
About the National Military Cemetery at Beechwood
The National Military Cemetery at Beechwood is a place of national remembrance for Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans. It serves as a setting for military funerals, national ceremonies, public education and reflection. Presenting the Group 10 Exhibition in the Beechwood National Memorial Center, shows the commitment to preserving military history and connecting Canadians with the people and experiences behind service.
Media contact
Nicolas McCarthy
Director of Marketing, Communications and Community Outreach
Beechwood Cemetery
nmccarthy@beechwoodottawa.ca
613-696-0112
