Can Con

Composition 0502
2025
Wood panel, canvas, acrylic paint, ChromaLife100+ ink, paper 
31 inches in diameter
Approximately  3,024 paper pieces 

Can Con Composition 0502 by Lesley Luce is a visual mixtape—an intricate celebration of Canadian music, memory, and identity. Built from thousands of paper fragments inspired by album covers and CD liner notes from the artist’s personal collection, weaving together iconic moments in Canada’s musical history.

Arranged in concentric circles, 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.