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Steven Shearer Awarded Audain Prize for Visual Arts

Alumni October 14, 2026
A portrait painting of a pale-faced figure in red holding an orange paintbrush against their cheek, rendered in textured greens, blues and pinks within a deep red wooden frame.
Steven Shearer, 'Working from Life,' 2018. Oil on linen on wood panel in artist's frame. (© Steven Shearer. Courtesy Galerie Eva Presenhuber, and David Zwirner.)

The prestigious recognition is considered one of the highest arts honours in Canada.

Celebrated artist and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) alum Steven Shearer (BFA1992) is the recipient of the 2026 Audain Prize for the Visual Arts. 

For more than three decades, Steven’s multidisciplinary practice has evolved around his obsessive engagement with the collection, transformation and transmission of material drawn from art history, heavy metal, popular culture, youth subcultures and the vast visual archive of the internet. 

“I think I just looked at all those ele­ments as a sort of mir­ror of myself, of my times, of my perspectives on art his­tory,” Steven said in an interview with the Vancouver Sun. “I saw it as something that I could relate to and reflect on. As time has marched on, the face in the mir­ror changes, what I reflect upon has changed, and that can have an effect on the paint­ings.” 

A painting of a long-haired figure sitting hunched forward on a blue upholstered bench beside a window, rendered in rich blues, reds and oranges.
A colourful painting of a long-haired figure in striped overalls seated on a yellow geometric-patterned couch, surrounded by religious imagery and surreal figures.
A framed portrait painting of a long-haired figure in a green shirt, seated before a window, rendered in muted greens, purples and earthy browns.
A large rectangular artwork composed of hundreds of small photographs showing people sleeping in different positions and settings, displayed on a white gallery wall.
A close-up of a photographic collage showing people asleep in beds, chairs, vehicles and other settings, with one central figure reclining beneath a red cloth.
A framed painting of an upside-down face rendered in shimmering greens, yellows and blues, surrounded by abstract shapes in purple, teal and orange.
A painting of two pale-faced figures with long dark hair, one looking forward and the other smoking in profile, rendered in deep blues, greens and purples.
A painting of a long-haired, bare-chested figure shaping clay on a pottery wheel, surrounded by shelves of colourful ceramic vessels in warm greens, oranges and browns.
A large black-and-white text installation on a white building surrounded by leafy trees, featuring a poem in bold capital letters beginning with “Triumphant Secretions.”
A surreal painting of a long-haired figure in a textured blue sweater, seated among layered paintings and sculptural imagery in shades of blue, green and purple.
A framed painting of a long-haired figure smoking in profile, with a flowing-haired figure and stylized clouds in the background, rendered in soft blues, greens and pinks.

The Audain Prize for the Visual Arts is one of Canada’s most prestigious honours. Awarded annually, the $100,000 prize recognizes the global accomplishments of British Columbia’s artists. 

As 2026 awardee, Steven joins esteemed past recipients including ECU community members Brian Jungen (BFA 1992), Rebecca Belmore (Hon. Deg. 2018), Professor Emeritus Ian Wallace (Hon. Deg. 2007), James Hart (Hon. Deg. 2004), Stan Douglas (Alum 1982), Susan Point (Hon. Deg. 2008), Carole Itter (Alum 1963) and Paul Wong (Hon. Deg. 2023).  

Since emerging on Vancouver’s art scene in the 1990s, Steven’s distinctive practice has garnered international recognition. He represented Canada in 2011 at the 54th Venice Biennale and has exhibited at leading galleries and institutions including the Tate Modern in London, David Zwirner in New York, and, in Canada, at the Polygon Gallery, the Power Plant and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Two people pose at an awards ceremony, holding a framed certificate recognizing artist Steven Shearer, with a projection of artwork behind them.
Steven Shearer (left), who rarely allows his picture to be taken, with Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Director of National Engagement at the National Gallery of Canada, at the Audain Awards gala in 2026. (Photo by Jamie-Lee Fuoco / courtesy Audain Foundation)

Steven’s work “collapses the traditional hierarchies between ‘high art’ and the vulnerable and aggressive energy of teen rebellion,” writes Capture Photography Festival director and chief curator Emmy Lee Wall, who sat on the 2026 Audain Prize Selection Committee. “The selection committee is thrilled to recognize the work of a BC-based artist who is exhibiting at the highest level internationally.” 

Still a resident of Vancouver, Steven notes his gratitude for the recognition and for the success his work has enjoyed. 

“I like liv­ing and work­ing in this city,” he said. “Artists from a gen­er­a­tion before me whom I admired also lived and worked here, while their art reached out the world bey­ond. In a sim­ilar way, I have been for­tu­nate to see my work travel while some­what hid­ing away in Van­couver. I feel a little removed from it, so receiv­ing the award was a won­der­ful sur­prise.” 


More About Visual Arts at ECU

For independent and fiercely creative students, ECU’s Visual Arts program offers exceptional freedom and choice. As you build your creative skills, you’ll develop a deep understanding of how various art forms and histories connect, intersect and inform today’s practices.

Your faculty members, practicing artists who define the Canadian creative landscape, will guide you as you refine your techniques and follow your curiosity. After graduating, you’ll have a mature and exceptional body of work to launch your career.

Visit our website to learn more.

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By: Emily Carr University