SPILL FEATURE: MELISSA AUF DER MAUR: MY ‘90S ROCK PHOTOGRAPHS @ ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO, TORONTO

MELISSA AUF DER MAUR: MY ‘90S ROCK PHOTOGRAPHS @ ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO, TORONTO

SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 – JUNE 6, 2027

In the early 1990s, Melissa Auf der Maur was pursuing a career in photography while working on her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University. As part of a school assignment, she committed to taking a photo of herself every single day. Little did she know, she was beginning to document her journey as one of grunge’s most renown bass players, as a member of both Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. From her photos of herself, Auf der Maur eventually turned the camera on the world around her, and onto the audience at Hole’s performances. She would eventually find herself with a point and shoot camera in her hand everywhere she went.

Auf der Maur spent her time documenting the chaotic yet exciting, up and down life of a rock star, but little did she know at the time that this collection would also both illustrate and mark the end of the analogue world. At the time, she was working with a several 35mm cameras, using a cable attached to the shutter to photograph the audience in front of her.  She collected and transported her rolls of film in specialized bags to protect them from airport security scanners and would typically have the rolls developed at one-hour photo labs on the road. She would capture everyday life with handheld VHS cameras of the day and would experiment with sound on a pocket-sized 4-track Tascam recorder. Having taken over 15,000 photos over the years, Auf der Maur has worked through the arduous task of narrowing it down to 200 photos, as well as parsing through original video clips and audio clips, which she has used to create a newly released soundtrack.

BASS WOMB ROOM: MY ’90S 4-TRACK DEMOS X FIELD RECORDINGS ALBUM REVIEW

The resulting collection is raw and intimate, taking one through a magical ride through the frenzied world of grunge. These photos are honest, candid shots. Puffy little plastic photo albums containing polaroid shots, facsimiles of setlists and letters, and copies of rock mags for which she was commissioned to photograph Hole behind the scenes, a white teddy bear with Hole written across its chest, her collection of 35mm cameras she used over the years. Backstage, onstage, on the road, every aspect of Auf der Maur’s life is on display, both as a musician.  She takes us by the hand and fondly walks us through her fantastic life on the rock ‘n’ roll roller coaster, as well as through the intimate and honest journey of self discovery as a woman. The exhibit concludes with the BASS WOMB ROOM, a multimedia glass pyramidal installation, which incorporates also features the analogue sounds, images, videos, and music. It features music from her most recently released album , BASS WOMB ROOM: My ‘90s 4-Track Demos X Field Recordings.

MELISSA AUF DER MAUR: MY ‘90S ROCK PHOTOGRAPHS INFO AND TICKETS

This is a loving tribute to her bandmates and to those who influenced her along the way. In her opening remarks before tonight’s book signing, Melissa Auf der Maur emotionally reminded the audience to be sure to do two things – to pursue your dreams, and to tell the people you love that you love them. In the media, Courtney Love has historically been vilified. Both in her memoirs, Even the Good Girls Will Cry, and in My 90s Rock Photographs, Auf der Maur has always shown herself to be a champion for women and has presented Love, as well as her other bandmates, both lovingly and with compassion, not as their faults, but in spite of their faults.

Melissa Auf der Maur: My 90s Rock Photographs takes us back to a time when not every minute detail of our day was on full public display.  Riding along on the last days of analogue technology and media, Auf der Maur takes us on a loving look back at rock celebrity, with a fascinating look at life on the road, right smack in the centre of two of the most celebrated grunge bands of all time. This will not only take you back, but it will make you feel like you were there. This adventure is definitely time well spent.

Melissa Auf der Maur: My 90s Rock Photographs is on display now at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) until June 6, 2027.

Artist Links

Background Photo Credit: Melissa Auf der Maur