ArtToronto

Author: artoronto

  • ineffable plasticity/the experience of being human

    November 18, 2011
    Opening Reception 8-11pm
    Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
    curated by Camilla Singh
    Artists: Matt Brown, Sherri Hay, Faith La Rocque, Jordan MacLachlan, Anders Oinonen, Susy Oliveira

    The receptions for these two exhibitions proved lively as the art and fashion crowd came out to view the contemporary art works and socialize.

      Leonard Brooks, Mocca curator David Liss, Simon Cooper Cole. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    The exhibit ineffable plasticity, the experience of being human in compassed a variety of media from painting to installation. Matt Brown’s Circle of Willis (ink on matte board) detailed drawings were engaging and colourful. The 30 works were depicting a recounting of the history of the world, lined the east wall of the gallery.

    Visitor in front of Matt Brown’s Circle of Willis. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Jordan MacLachlan’s terracotta plaster fired figures reflecting a cross section of life, are mounted on a series of tables stretching through the gallery, captured the attention of visitors. MacLachlan used a variety of oil paints and other media such as nail polish to colour his figures. The artist works out of car garage in downtown Toronto.

     Jordan MacLachlan’s terracotta plaster figures.

    Artist Jordan MacLanchlan. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Anders Oinonen‘s dark brooding paintings were compelling. Sherri Hays mixed media works were wonderfully graphic and revealing.

    Artist  Anders Oinonen. Photo: Phil Anderson

    Artist Sherri Hays. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Two of my favourite works were Crystal Ladder and Salt Ramp With Celestial Children by artist Faith La Rocque. The ladder with crystals suspended from the gallery’s ceiling was beautifully simple but embracing the theme of the exhibition.

    Salt Ramp With Celestial Children by artist Faith La Rocque. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Salt Ramp With Celestial Children by artist Faith La Rocque. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Hot Wet Planet and Nature Stoned (chromira prints on card with foam core) by Susy Oliveira were oozing of wild green garden imagery.

    Visitors check out work by Susy Oliveira. Photo: Phil Anderson

    Curator Camilla Singh has a reputation for putting together intriguing exhibitions and once again has not failed to deliver a clever and thoughtful exhibition that reminds us that we are bound by nature and its hold on us.

     Curator Camilla Singh, Artist Matt Brown & friend. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Visitor George Whiteside, photographer and friend. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Visitor, Eldon Garnet, artist. Photo: Phil Anderson

    Arnaqurk Ashevak, The Artist’s hand, 1991, from Human Nature. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Visiors with by Susy Oliveira’s Petal Piece. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Photo: Phil Anderson

    The galleries of MOCCA were packed and it would require a second visit to check out the works in details. It was a fun opening with nearby galleries also having openings at Edward Day Gallery and Clint Roenisch Gallery.

    The opening at Edward Day Gallery. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

    Text by Phil Anderson

  • Holiday Wanderlust

    Opening: Thursday, November 24, 6-10 pm
    PARTS GALLERY
    1150 Queen Street East
    Toronto, ON M4M 1L2
    T: 416.465.8500
    Hours: Wed–Sat 12–6, Sun 12-5 pm
    info@partsgallery.ca
    www.partsgallery.ca

    Please join us this Thursday evening for Leslieville’s annual Holiday Wanderlust.

    Along with many of our gallery artists, we will be featuring paintings by Kim Atlin and a new series of ink on paper drawings by Gary Clement.

    Drop in for some holiday cheer and plenty of unique gift ideas starting at $50 !!

  • Holiday Show: Small Artworks

     Karo Alexanian, Unité, 2001, mixed media on canvas, 20½” x 20½”

    November 26, 2011 – January 6, 2012
    Opening: Saturday, November 26, 10-6 pm
    GALLERY GEVIK
    12 Hazelton Ave
    Toronto, ON M5R 2E2
    T: 416.968.0901
    Hours: Tues – Sat 10-6
    E-mail: info@gevik.com
    www.gevik.com

    As the holiday season commences, so too will searching for the perfect present. Painting or sculpture makes a wonderful gift; it can be unexpected and it is always personal.

    For this exhibition, Gallery Gevik has selected a number of its artists’ small canvases to make the seach simpler and to provide refreshing alternative gift ideas.

    This exhibition features works by

    Karo Alexanian

    Janine Carreau

    Pauline Conley

    Christian Deberdt

     Henry Wanton-Jones

    Tony Kew

    Sylvia Lefkovitz

    Danièle Lemieux

    Rita Letendre

    Daphne Odjig

    Pierre Patry

    Carol Wald

    Jeff Willmore

  • Group exhibition

    Mirror sculpture by Robert Kananaj

    November 24, 2011 – January 21, 2012
    Opening: Saturday, November 26, 3-7 pm
    Robert Kananaj Gallery
    1267 Bloor St. West
    Toronto ON M6H 1N7
    T: 416 289 8855
    www.robertkananajgallery.com
    info@robertkananajgallery.com
    Hours: Tues to Sat 11 – 6 pm

    The group show  includes artists whose work has been shown at the gallery previously, and some new ones as well.

    Exhibiting Artists:

    Vullnet Alushaj
    Isaac Applebaum
    Clara Bacou
    Claude Breeze
    Agron (Gon) Bregu
    Soraya Hutchinson
    Robert Kananaj
    Lula Motra
    Mike Parsons
    Tim Noonan
    Tina Oehmsen-Clark
    JP Rautio
    Stefan Thompson
    David Van Drunen
    Szonja Vucsetics
    Ilir Zefi

  • GRAFT: Linking Textiles, Art and Science

    Azza El Siddique, digital print on silk organza over silkscreen print on cotton

    December 3, 2011 –  January 22, 2012
    Opening: Friday December 9, 5 – 7 pm
    TEXTILE MUSEUM OF CANADA
    55 Centre Avenue
    Toronto, ON, M5G 2H5
    T: 416.599.5321 x. 2239
    E: alopes@textilemuseum.ca
    www.textilemuseum.ca
    Hours: daily 11-5, Wed 11-8

    GRAFT features a selection of printed textiles created by OCAD University students in response to the 50th anniversary of the discovery of stem cells by Canadian researchers, Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch. 

    “Till and McCulloch’s discovery in 1961 was unparalleled at the time and their findings continue to influence the field of stem cell research to this day,” said Drew Lyall, Executive Director of the Stem Cell Network. Inspired by this landmark research, the array of creative interpretations featured in the exhibition explores the intersection of art and science.

    Working with textile media through silk screen and digital design techniques, each banner offers a unique perspective on the visual culture of science, highlighting the imaginative dimensions entailed in rendering visible that which is invisible to the eye. Designs range from illustrations of the medical uses of stem cells to abstract depictions of regeneration and birth.

    Placing textile practice in the larger context of scientific visualisation and communication, GRAFT is presented as part of the Textile Museum of Canada’s ongoing interdisciplinary initiatives, establishing continuities between inherited and innovative creative practices and promoting the knowledge-building role of the visual arts.

    GRAFT is organized by the Ontario Science Centre in collaboration with OCAD University and presented by the Textile Museum of Canada.

    About the Museum: An international repository of cultural heritage, the Textile Museum of Canada is one of Toronto’s most engaging visual arts organizations. With almost 13,000 objects representing more than 200 countries and regions and 2000 years of human history, the TMC is uniquely positioned to speak to cultures and identities in a global context. The Museum offers a broad variety of exhibitions based on its permanent collection and the contemporary work of Canadian and international artists. Programs bring artifacts and art practices to the public in engaging and interdisciplinary ways that connect art and design, tradition and innovation.

  • Tony Scherman: Black October

    Nun, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas,  54 x 60 in

    October 20 – November 26, 2011
    Opening: Thursday, October 20,
    Georgia Scherman Projects Gallery
    133 Tecumseth Street
    Toronto, ON M6J 2H2
    T: 416-554-4112
    infoo@gergiaascherman.com
    Hours: Tue – Fri 10 – 5, Sat 11 – 5pm

    Scherman, one of the leading figurative artists of his generation, is known for his arresting cinematic portraits and his finely articulated still lifes. Influenced by the grand narratives of art history, Scherman references the lineage that joins Velázquez to Manet and Manet to Lucian Freud and in so doing attempts a contemporary reading of the tradition. Often deriving inspiration from historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Abraham Lincoln and from particular events or periods surrounding them, Scherman positions historical facts within an assumed narrative thus providing the viewer with a new—or potentially more complete—understanding of the subject.

    In the new series Black October, Scherman looks back at Pierre Elliot Trudeau at the time of the 1970 October Crisis. In response to the intensified violent action of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and the group’s kidnapping of British Trade Commissioner James Cross and murder of Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte, Prime Minister Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act, which gave the government powers of arrest and detention without trial and provisionally suspended civil liberties.

    Scherman imagines a broad historical and social context for Trudeau’s authorization of the War Measures Act.  In making his decision on October 16, the Prime Minister was sustained by his cabinet ~ and surrounded by Machiavelli, St. Ignatius Loyola, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Napoleon, Karl Marx, Réne Lévesque, Barbara Streisand and the Goddess Fortuna…

    Scherman is drawn to subject matter—moments and episodes—that bear witness to history that continue as open and deep wounds, and imprints on  the psyche. But he is neither a history nor a moralistic painter. Scherman  paints to understand the contingencies of our world with source material that is extracted from the public domain of film, photography, and magazines—and sometimes from life, although he does not privilege any  single source, wrote curator Ihor Holubizky, 2011.

    The luminescence of wax, the timelessness of this luminous substance that flows, coats, incorporates, fills, protects but also slips through, insinuates itself, infiltrates, hollows and breaks down and divides colours and humans.

  • Tony Scherman: “Black October”

    Georgia Scherman Projects Gallery
    October 20 – November 26, 2011

    Toronto based artist Tony Scherman is best known for his perfection of the encaustic technique; a painstaking and challenging process involving the dripping of  wax, one colour at a time, directly onto canvas.  Black October  features thirteen pieces, consisting of large-scale encaustic paintings some combining the technique with oil pastel. It is not the technical skills displayed in these paintings however, that captures the viewers interest but rather the exploration of a narrative based on the October Crisis.  Despite the weakness in metaphorical allusion, Scherman’s paintings still manage to capture his view on this important aspect of Canadian history, based substantially on Pierre Trudeau, his influences and to some extent personal life.

    Trudeau, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas, 84 x 84 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

    Black October can be seen as a response, reflection and personal interpretation of the series of events that happened in the month of October 1970, an episode called the ‘October Crisis’.  In the press release by Georgia Scherman Projects, the essential understanding behind  Black October is stated: “Scherman imagines a broad historical and social context for Trudeau’s authorization of the War Measures Act.” What  makes this episode powerful and emotional in Scherman’s view?

    Fear, love, brutality, death and ego are the dominant themes of this exposition and transcend into the physicality of the artworks. It could be the large round eyes and sullen pout in Pierre Trudeau’s portrait that lead us to associate his persona with a distinct egotism.  Imaginably, it could be the quiet smugness brought out by the partial exposure of Barbara Streisand’s face that leads us into the realms of Trudeau’s love life, making it a source of influence in the eyes of Scherman.  The face of Machiavelli together with the presence of Karl Marx proceed to make this narrative dark or perhaps furtive giving us reasons to believe that the October Crisis was much more than just a public scandal: rather it was a result of several factors and historical influences.  One could say that Trudeau is represented as Canada’s Napoleon.

    Machiavelli, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas,  84 x 72 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

     Tony Scherman has constantly insisted that he isn’t an ironist, yet some of his work, perhaps the entire Black October series may lead us to think differently. From the presence of the trilogy of flower paintings  The Death of Pierre Laporte and Conversations with the Devil to the somewhat superficial subject matter, this exhibition  may intensify our reason to believe differently.

    Nun, 2010-11, encaustic, oil pastel on canvas, 54 x 60 in. Courtesy of Georgia Scherman Projects, Toronto

     We must remember that Tony Scherman deploys the use of subtlety; instead of painting the Quebec workers on strike he chooses to display more glamourized aspects of this moment of history, such as the face of Barbara Streisand,  giving the presentation of the involved themes a quiet but powerful undercurrent. Furthermore, the physical appearance of the artwork, does play a particularly important role in the manifestations of themes imagined by the artist. For example: the scab-like texture of the encaustic paints makes for a very striking collection of artwork, whilst outlining the wounds within Canadian history, even if unintentionally.

    Haafiz Karim

  • Black & White Fundraising Gala

    Saturday, November 12th, 2011
    VIP RECEPTION: 6:00PM
    VIP Dinner: 7:00-9:30PM
    BINARY PARTY: 8:00PM – 2:00AM
    Design Exchange

    Design Exchange  2011 Canadian Honourees are Karim Rashid, Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture, whose works and achievements were celebrated at Binary, the Design Exchange’s annual Black & White Fundraising Gala on November 12, 2011 at the DX. Each year the Design Exchange honors exceptional Canadian designers who are advancing the world of design.

    “Design Exchange has chosen to honour these three Canadian designers for their individual and collective achievements that have propelled them to international acclaim and helped brand Canada as a design-led nation,” says Design Exchange Chairperson, Tim Gilbert. He also notes that “Karim, Hani, and Lise Anne are role models for all aspiring young architects and designers, but especially to young women and newcomers to Canada.”

    Design Exchange VIP Gala Dinner- catered by Eatertainment Special Events

    Tim Gilbert, DX president and chair, honouree Lise Anne Couture (Asymptote Architecture), Cheryl Tiegs, honouree Hani Rashid (Asymptote Architecture), and honouree Karim Rashid, Karim Rashid Inc.

    Mosha Lundstrom Halbert, associate editor, Flare & Tanya Kim, host, Etalk

    Design Exchange after party on the trading floor (second floor)

    Dancer from DLM Dance Studio

    DX After party crowd

    Shireen Nathoo, Associate Director, Scotiacapital FX-Sales; Shay Lowe, Jewellery Designer; Stephanie Phillips; Ben Baldwin; Chris Mudry

    Photo by George Pimentel

  • Photorama 2011

    Robyn Cumming, Lady 9, 2010

    December 2 – 10, 2011
    Opening: Friday, December 2, 6 – 9 pm
    Sale continues: Sat, Tues – Sat 12 – 6 pm
    Gallery TPW
    56 Ossington Ave.
    Toronto ON M6J 2Y7  
    T: 416-645-1066
    info@gallerytpw.ca 
    Hours: Tues – Sat, 12 – 5 pm

    This year marks the 25th anniversary of Gallery TPW’s annual Photorama fundraising exhibition featuring over 70 artists exhibiting contemporary photography and lens-based work. Photorama has become one of the most successful seasonal art sales in the city, and this year’s selection will not disappoint. Photorama 2011 is open to the public from December 2 – December 10, 2011 with an exclusive Collectors Preview on December 1st, 6 – 9 pm.

    Photorama features work by some of Canada’s most accomplished artists and promising young photographers. With most works priced below $600, Photorama offers seasoned collectors and first-time buyers alike the opportunity to buy limited edition photographs and artwork. Each sale from Photorama directly assists with the operations and programming at Gallery TPW, while also supporting local artists and culture in Toronto.
    Highlights at Photorama 2011 include works by some of Canada’s most esteemed photographers such as Edward Burtynsky, Suzy Lake, Robyn Cumming, and a new piece by Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge. A complete list of participating artists can be found online at gallerytpw.ca/photorama2011.

    On Thursday, December 1st, 6 – 9 pm Gallery TPW invites Collector Members to attend an exclusive Collectors Preview of Photorama 2011. Collector Members are given first opportunity to purchase art works before Photorama opens to the public. Collector Memberships can be purchased online for $75 at gallerytpw.ca/membership or by contacting the gallery at 416.645.1066. Photorama opens to the public on Friday, December 2nd,  6 – 9 pm with an opening reception.
    Photorama is Gallery TPW’s major annual fundraising event featuring artists selected by Gallery TPW’s Board of Directors. Photorama 2010 was the most successful year ever, with sales exceeding $57,000. Nearly $20,000 was paid out to artists in sale fees and $30,000 was raised in direct support of the gallery’s programming and operations. This year, Gallery TPW hopes to raise $35,000 towards the support of its innovative programming and community building events.About Gallery TPW Gallery TPW is an artist-run centre dedicated to the presentation and critical investigation of contemporary lens and screen-based art. Gallery TPW operates an exceptional exhibition space located in the heart of Toronto’s West Queen West Art and Design District. The gallery’s programs address the vital role that images play in contemporary culture and explore the exchange between photography, new technologies and time-based media. Gallery TPW facilitates critical discourse through its exhibitions, screenings, live events, public discussions and commissioned critical writings.

  • Darlene Cole: Vintage Suite

    Vintage Suite (words to be true), oil on canvas, 11×14 inches, 2011

    December 3 – 17, 2011
    Opening: Saturday, December 3, 2-4 pm
    BAU-XI GALLERY
    340 Dundas St. West
    Toronto, Ontario M5T 1G5
    T: 416.977.0600
    E: toronto@bau-xi.com
    www.bau-xiphoto.com

    Darlene Cole is well known for the ethereal quality of her sof t dreamscapes and the narrative tension within them. Her work focuses on the disappearance of childhood and the loss of spontaneity and innocence as we transform into adulthood. Vintage Suite takes this concept to another place. Inspired by her artist’s retreat, a cottage built in 1909 on the shores of Lake Scugog, Cole taps into the feel of an earlier era. The patina of the retreat’s worn walls, the timeworn red velvet cur tains, and the texture of vintage linens discovered in an old trunk are all brought to life in this collection. As with her earlier works, there is a hint of intrigue behind the seemingly whimsical scenes. Cole relies on loosely rendered figures, curiously of f-centre compositions, and juxtaposition between the scene and its subject to challenge viewers.

    About the artist: Darlene Cole received her B.A. in Fine Ar t from Queen’s University, Kingston and her Masters of Fine Ar ts from the University of Waterloo. Cole is one of Canada’s most sought af ter young ar tists, with an impressive exhibition histor y which includes the Rober t McLaughlin Galler y, Oshawa; Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston; and the Kitchener-Waterloo Ar t Galler y, Kitchener. She is represented in collections across Canada, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.