Can Con

Composition 0303
2025
Wood panel, canvas, acrylic paint, ChromaLife100+ ink, paper 
16 inches diameter
Approximately 1,848 paper pieces 

Can Con Composition 0304 by Lesley Luce is a visual mixtape—an intricate celebration of Canadian music, memory, and identity. Built from hundreds of paper fragments cut from album covers and CD liner notes in the artist’s personal collection, the piece weaves together iconic moments in Canada’s musical history.

Arranged in concentric circles on a black backdrop, the primarily black-and-white palette is accented with cool blues and rainbow-coloured rings—adding a sprinkling of vibrancy and movement throughout the composition. Each ring represents a different musical icon, spanning decades of Canadian sound—from garage rock, folk, indie, and hip hop, to jazz legends like Oscar Peterson and classical greats.

The title “Can Con” nods to Canada’s content regulations, which helped shape the landscape of homegrown radio—and by extension, the soundtrack of Luce’s youth. This piece is both a tribute and a time capsule, echoing a deep sense of nostalgia, community, and pride. From a distance, the work appears abstract, but a closer look reveals a chorus of familiar shapes and stories—hidden, layered, waiting to be found.