Author: artoronto

Ghost Dance: Activism, Resistance, Art
September 18, 2013, 6 – 8 p.m.
Ryerson Image Centre
33 Gould Street Toronto

The Ghost Dance, as stated by John Mooney in “The Ghost Dance Religion and Wounded Knee”, aims to reunite the living with their ancestral spirits and bring forth unity, prosperity and peace. The title of the exhibition was quite fitting seeing as the pieces did not focus on recounting a comprehensive colonial history of North America’s failure to address aboriginal rights. Instead, these artists uncover and address the colonial past as well as the ongoing implications of oppression, perpetual violence and denigration of indigenous people.

 Michael L.Abramson, Untitled (American Indian Movement Lakota Indians), 1973 (left) and Frank B. Johnston, Demonstration by Indians in Washington, 1978 (right)

Scott Beniisenaabandan and Theo Sims, locationdeconstructiondislocationconstruction, 2013, Multimedia installation

Sonny Assu, The Happiest Future, 2013, 10 archival pigment prints, 47×92.7cm

Dana Claxton highlights the FBI’s designation of the American Indian Movement as a terrorist organization, and Vernon Ah Kee gives insight into the Aborigine act and activist Lex Wotton’s persecution.

Vernon Ah Kee, Lex Wotton Profile, 2013, Charcoal, crayon and acrylic on canvas, 183 x 152 cm

This history of oppression and violence of the aboriginal people is, naturally, accompanied with resistance, activism and the creation of artwork that creates an open forum for the public to promote dialogue. Although Ghost Dance presents artworks that are innately political, they are not void of a personal connection to the artists.

Sonny Assu and Leila’s Desk, 2013, 1930s school desk (wood, cast iron, copper lead), vintage Lifebuoy soap, 83.8 x 55.9 x 66 cm

Many of the artists directly reference inspiration from the women in their life. Sonny Assu sculpture of his grandmother-Leila’s desk and Cheryl L’Hirondelle remembers his mother in Here I am.

Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Here I Am, 2013, Multimedia installation:10 Acer 200 tablets with handheld telephone receivers

Claxton discovered of declassified FBI documents concerning the American Indian Movement stemmed from her desire to research her Lakota family history.

Dana Claxton, AIM #2, 2010 , Gelatin silver print, 152.4 x 101.6 cm, Edition of 3

Moreover, L’Hirondelle’s Here I am asks her audience, in her didactic panel, “Do any of the women remind you of a friend, colleague, or relative? Do the lyrics resonate with you and will you too stand in solidarity? If so, I wholeheartedly invite you to lend your voice and sing along!” That being said, beyond the educational/informative aspect of the exhibition, it had a lot of heart and truly encouraged engagement and unity among those who attended.

Alan Michelson, RoundDance II-North, 2013, 4-channel video installation with sound, looped (3:55 minutes), 4 60” LED monitors mounted vertically

 Text and photo: Leanne Simaan

*Exhibition dates: September 18- December 15, 2013, Ryerson Image Centre at 33 Gould Street, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue, Thurs & Fri 11 – 6, Wed 11 – 8, Sat & Sun 12 – 5 p.m.

Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective – Triananmen Square, 1995 – 2003, gelatin silver print, 38.9 x 59 cm. © 2013 Ai Weiwei

Is profanity and rebellion enough to be deemed as the most important contemporary artist in today’s generation? The art industry seems to think so. However, there is definitely more than meets the eye in Ai Weiwei’s multi-media works. The AGO opened up their second floor to Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most prolific artists, on August 17, 2013, with a massive exhibition of his works spanning his entire career. Despite being on house arrest since 2011, Weiwei is able to remain engaged with society and create powerful thought-provoking pieces that invite the viewer to interact with.

There are many factors acting towards Weiwei’s popularity. The primary factor is his Mass Communication background and the way he frequents micro-blogging social media sites such as Twitter and his own blog. The AGO incorporates the theme of communication and open dialogue by having a feedback area in the middle of the exhibition. Videos are submitted, and screened, about freedom and what it means to live under suppression or to be free. In addition a whole wall is covered with the long list of the thousands of students who died at the Sichuan earthquake and citizens of Chinese origin say their names out loud, making it more dramatic. These scattered elements make the exhibition even more powerful by giving the voice back to the people instead of a sole dominant presence of the artist.

Installation view with Straight, floor piece of ribar, 2008 – 2012 and (in the background) the wall covered with the names of students who died at the Sichuan earthquake

Another medium the AGO focuses on is photography as documentation and primary information. The exhibition titled According to What? displays several photos from Weiwei’s time in New York during the late 80s as well as behind-the-scenes images of the construction of The Birds Nest, Beijing’s Olympic Stadium for the 2008’s Olympic Games, that Weiwei co-designed. The photos act well to flesh out Weiwei’s argument and critical examination of China’s policies that aim to superficially portray itself as a global superpower while at the same time ignore domestic issues such as civil rights.

Images of the construction of The Birds Nest, Beijing’s Olympic Stadium, 2005 – 2008

The exhibition spans his life’s work and interests giving Torontonians a chance to understand Weiwei fully. The AGO includes what is documented to be Weiwei’s first sculpture from 1998 called Chateau Lafite inspired by ready-mades by Duchamp and Warhol, as well as screening an excerpt of Never Sorry, a powerful documentary and contextualised introduction of the artist. While several of Weiwei’s references are to Chinese culture and prehistories, he assumes no prior knowledge of the subject which makes his work easily accessible.

Installation view with Colored Vases,  2007 – 2010 in front of the triptych, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995/2009

Is Weiwei trying too hard or is he really just that provocative? On a Saturday morning when I entered the exhibition, it was teeming with families, couples and all around art enthusiasts who were fascinated by Weiwei’s work, engaging with Straight, a floor piece made of ribar to depict a crack in the earth. Another favorite is Moon Chest, a huge installation, made of several huali wood cabinets with holes carved into the centre in such a way that when looking through them it shows every stage of the Moon.

Installation view with Moon Chest, 2008

Weiwei’s power is not only in his profoundly captivating pieces but the educated and socialist stance he takes, whether we recognize it or not.

Aliya Bhatia

*The exhibition is open till October 27, 2013, Art Gallery of Ontario at 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto. Gallery Hours: Tue 10 – 5:30, Wed 10 – 8:30, Thu – Sun 10 – 5:30 p.m.

Album cover shoot for Aladdin Sana, 1973. Photograph by Brian Duffy. Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive

September 25 – November 29, 2013
Art Gallery of Ontario

David Bowie is at the AGO the first North American stop on an unprecedented world tour, direct from a record-breaking run at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Spanning five decades and featuring more than 300 objects from Bowie’s personal archive, this totally immersive multimedia show celebrates the ground breaking artist’s collaborations in the fields of fashion, sound, theatre, art and film. An audio guide by Sennheiser is part of the experience and is included with admission.

David Bowie is — acclaimed by the New York Times as “united in sound and vision in a way rarely seen in a museum” — is the first international exhibition devoted to the British-born musician and performer. Organized thematically, the show takes visitors on a spectacular and interactive trip through Bowie’s numerous personae and legendary performances, highlighting his artistic influences and his experiments with Surrealism, German Expressionism, Music Hall, mime and Japanese Kabuki performance.

In addition to handwritten set lists, lyrics, diary entries, instruments and sketches, David Bowie is includes more than 50 stage costumes plus music videos, set designs, photographs and excerpts from films and live performances.

Pierrot (or “Blue Clown”) costume, 1980. Designed by Natasha Korniloff for the “Ashes to Ashes” video and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) albumcover. Photograph by Brian Duffy. Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive. Courtesy of the David Bowie ArchiveImage © Victoria and Albert Museum.

September 25, 2013, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Art Gallery of Ontario

On the opening day of the exhibition David Bowie is, September 25, 2013, admission to the exhibition is free for the first 200 people who come dressed up as Bowie between the hours of 6 to 8:30 p.m.

We’re looking for Bowie-inspired makeup, costumes, fan gear — whatever says “Bowie” loud and clear. Show up decked out, mingle with Bowie impersonators and enjoy music by DJ Brittney Townson (of Bangs and Blush) and other surprises.

* Bowie is a style chameleon and has assumed so many personas — which one inspires you? – See more at: http://artmatters.ca/wp/2013/09/david-bowie-is-almost-here-and-free-celebrate-with-us/

Striped bodysuit for Aladdin Sane, 1973. Design by Kansai Yamamoto. Photograph by Masayoshi Sukita.  © Sukita/The David Bowie Archive

Official Opening Party: David Bowie is here
Friday, September 27, 2013, 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Limited capacity

Advance Tickets: $45 | AGO Members: $40 Tickets include admission to David Bowie is Cash bar and food stations

Celebrate the biggest exhibition of the fall – and one of pop culture’s all-time heroes – by attending the official David Bowie is opening party. Enjoy DJs, video tributes by local artists and a one-off pop-up exhibition with Toronto’s biggest Bowie superfans. Plus, be among the first to see the landmark exhibition the whole city will be buzzing about!

DJ Luis Jacob kicks things off in Walker Court, surrounded by video and GIF tributes to David Bowie’s legendary transformations curated and created by Toronto new media artist Lorna Mills. Meanwhile a pop-up exhibition of Bowie memorabilia, including items from Toronto artist Andrew Zealley’s vast collection, will appear for one night only in the AGO’s first floor galleries. DJ Odessa Paloma Parker will close the night, spinning Bowie’s best into the wee hours. Don’t miss it!

Special Combo Package for Two Exhibitions:

You can purchase a combo package for Ai Weiwei: According to What? and David Bowie is. This special offer provides you early access to the first block of tickets for David Bowie is. The combo package includes timed-entry tickets to visit David Bowie is at a date and time you select between September 25 and October 20, 2013. You can use your Ai Weiwei: According to What? ticket for any time slot to October 27, 2013.

Kathy Venter, Immersion Series (installation detail), 2004-2006, polychrome ceramic. Courtesy Gardiner Museum.

Kathy Venter: LIFE
May 30 – September 15, 2013
George R. Gardiner Exhibition Gallery

As I entered the exhibition space, equally striking to that of the lifelike sculptures is the overwhelming musk of clay in the air, which makes you feel as if you are right in the artist’s studio. Adding smell to my sensory palette, I began to wander amidst the watchful gaze of a room full of clay people. Kathy Venter’s work explore and construct a bold dialogue of femininity. Participants in her daily life play the leading role as casted moulds for Venter’s clay sculptures. She describes the process as a “piece by piece” construction that is slow, delicate, and serves to break barriers between the  artist and her subject.
The exhibition is divided into a number of different series and I am immediately drawn to the “Immersion Series“. Free from the shackles of the traditional sculpture pedestal, this series depicts a number of clay models suspended from the ceiling. Venter worked from photographs of her subjects underwater. She explains that when a person is submerged, it is like they are cocooned in their own space in an almost “womb-like” state.
Combining inspiration from a variety of cultures into the realm of the modern person, her class-less, race-less and strangely personal works were well worth the clay dust that has settled in my nose.

Rhys Male

Opening Reception: September 19, 2013,  7 p.m.
Gallery 1313 Main Gallery
1313 Queen Street West, Toronto

The Gallery 1313 Members Group started in 1994 as the Parkdale Village Arts Collective and  now the group boosts 55 member artists from across the GTA and beyond. They hold at least one collective exhibition a year and throughout the year display their work in the members gallery. The Members Exhibition titled 13 had 22 member artists display recent art works in what turned out to be an eclectic exhibition that was pleasing as it was diverse.

Michelle Montague with Movement

Jerome McNicholl with his mixed media work, Untitled

Imre Hajagos with his painting, Duet

Kim Stanford’s sculpture titled I ‘ve Hit a Snag In my Self Realization was a good piece to have centred on the gallery floor. According to the artist the referencing of household materials (steel wool and thread), processes (monotonous braiding and stitchery) and subjects (humble rag-rug and braided hair) invoke menial, likely female, drudgery. Yet the carpet itself refuses to behave as expected, pulling apart, snagging, bulging, and growing in unpredictable and impractical ways. However, the absurdity of a familiar yet prickly (and hence unusable) carpet with “Suessian” form injects humour into this seeming domestic dance with madness.

Kim Stanford and her sculptural work, I ‘ve Hit a Snag In my Self Realization

John Ferri’s photo based work with people seated on park benches was meticulous in detail and equally pleasing. Evan Steenson’s Pendulum needed close inspection to appreciate the fine detail of this inkjet print on dibond. Gwen Tooth’s  powerful abstract painting Post Tsunami No 1 was striking. Another favourite was Janice Ykema’s painting, Waiting an anxious group of dogs waiting for their owners.

John Ferri’s people enjoy a sunny afternoon

Janice Ykema, Waiting

Gwen Tooth in front of her painting, Post Tsunami No 1

Photographer Margaret Irving said about her favourite piece, “Paul Brandejs’s abstract work “waiting…going…gone” of photography via giclee on canvas embellished with acrylic and sawdust stretched on sculpted frames. This group of three artworks evokes in this viewer a haunting feeling of a dream unfolding or perhaps a nightmare with it’s splash of red. Whether dream or nightmare they are well crafted, unique, thought provoking and impressive.”

Paul Brandejs and his abstract work “waiting…going…gone”

Retro-Spective in the Process Gallery was a collection of strong and vibrant paintings by new member Donna Sved. In the Cell Gallery, painter Christine Bunn‘s works were more subdued but equally pleasing.

Visitors, artists and friends all enjoyed the exhibition and comparing the works and choosing a favourite.

The exhibition is open: September 18 – 29, 2013, Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.

Text: Phil Anderson. Photo: Margaret Irving

September 12, 2013, 7 p.m.
Art Gallery of Ontario / Baillie Court

The AGO hosted a ticketed event September 12, 2013 with three of the four artists shortlisted for the 2013 Aimia | AGO Photography Prize since Edgardo Aragón of Mexico unfortunately couldn’t attend.

Panel One: The Image is an Instrument / 7 p.m.

Moderated by lead juror Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator, Photography at the Guggenheim Museum, featuring the shortlisted artists Edgardo Aragon and LaToya Ruby Frazier. Elizabeth Smith talked about Edgardo Aragón‘s work. She said that what she finds interesting is his thought of the change in the landscape in Mexico and of the lives of the people there. Ritualized activities took place surrounding the “War on Drugs” started in 2007 and what he documented with digital photography. Power struggles, violence and turbulence took place. His series “Family Effects” shows the changing experience across generations. He keeps his family history alive by thoughtfully recording it. His work is influenced by the golden era of Mexican film which showed a once majestic landscape. Video scenes with planes like the ones used to traffic drugs landing on rural runways were recreated. The video installation, Tinieblas (photo of installation with viewers) shows separate band members playing a funeral march with their instruments, each in a separate video panel. The sound is mournful, reflecting the passage of time. Personal and political themes combine.

Edgardo Aragón, Tinieblas, 2009, 13 channel video, 7:50 min, courtesy of the artist and Proyectos Monclova.

Visitors with  Edgardo Aragón’s work from his video installation, Tinieblas

LaToya Ruby Frazier said that she wants to document the social activism surrounding the collapse of the steel town where she grew up, the illness that the environment caused and the closing and demolition of the local hospital. Again the personal and the political themes combined in her photos of her family and the town – sometimes with herself inserted as a witness to history. She is interested in making invisible realities visible, clarifying the false media coverage of the events in her town.

Artist LaToya Ruby Frazier at the panel conversation

LaToya Ruby Frazier, Grandma Ruby, Mom and Me, from the series Notion of Family, 2002 on, gelatin silver print, 50.8 cm x 60.96 cm

Visitors with LaToya Ruby Frazier’s work

Panel Two: The Image is a Fragment / 8 p.m.

Moderated by Sophie Hackett, Associate Curator, Photography at the AGO and Helga Pakasaar, Curator at Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, featuring shortlisted artists Chino Otsuka and  Erin Shirreff.

Chino Otsuka‘s work is series of mostly small photographs depicting scenes from her childhood into which she has Photoshopped pictures of herself as an adult in those same locations. The image manipulation is well done – and when you know the story behind pictures and that her adult image is beside her childhood self – you get an eerie feeling looking at them.

Artist Chino Otsuka at the Panel discussion

Chino Otsuka, Tokyo 4-3-4-506, 1999, C-type, 101.6 cm x 152.4 cm diptych

Visitors viewing Chino Otsuka’s work

Erin Shirreff considers her photography and video work (Moon) as sculptural and is interested in the themes of stillness, flatness, distance and the divide between you and object. She also emphasized that when you look at such work you are drawn in as in a dream then pushed out again like when waking up.

Artist Erin Shirreff at the panel conversation

Erin Shirreff, Moon, videostill, 2010, color video, silent, 32 minute loop

The curators seemed most interested in the historical time based aspect and story telling qualities in all the artist’s work. No mention was made of the quality of the work or it’s aesthetic qualities as art. The work is very journalistic and seemed to be treated as such, rather than as fine art. It was the story that was behind the pictures that was talked about the most.

Text and photo: Margaret Irving

Peopled  by the Unknown / Susan Dobson and Matt Macintosh
Opening Reception: September 13, 2013, 6 – 9 p.m. and Artist talk at 6:30 p.m.
Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
401 Richmond Street West Suite #120

On Friday September 13th, Gallery 44 reopened its doors to a much excited public. After being under renovation for months members enthusiastically inspected the clean, white gallery and hurried down to the basement to investigate the new darkroom and scanning area. One excited member stated “I have to leave because right now all I can see is the walls, I’ll be back another day for the art.” The evening was also the first opening reception of the 2013-2014 season. It featured Susan Dobson’s 2012 video work Simulcast and Matt Macintosh’s Icon Drive. The pair both used archival materials (found photographs or sound files) to create their thought provoking pieces.

After carefully editing important objects out of his images, Macintosh returned tiny specks of dust, scratches and shifted the colour balance to green bringing authenticity and continuity to his archival images. As he said, “This set of images takes away the object of people’s work to reveal the type of attention we give to objects. In the case of posed documentary photographs of women producing medicine and munitions during WWII, it is the same attention that is appropriated by propagandistic and religious imagery. I am interested in the liberating value of images that show “rapture” that is aware it is being watched.”

Visitor in front of Matt Macintosh, Subject 2, inkjet print, 2012

Visitors discussing the work of Matt Macintosh.

Susan Dobsons piece is well worth spending time with, the visuals bring you to a relaxed, tranquil place (driving county roads late at night) while the sound jars you somewhere else.

Artist Susan Dobson

“The video Simulcast was inspired by a lecture I heard in Mexico City in 2005. Anthony Bannon, Director of George Eastman House, discussed photographic history and its evolution into digital and time-based media. He likened the uncertainty of what might come next for the medium to driving in a car late at night, with the headlights illuminating only a tiny strip of pavement at a time. The video footage, produced seven years later, was captured through the windshield of a moving car on paved and unpaved roads late at night. The only illumination comes from the car’s headlights and the occasional farmhouse and passing car.

Susan Dobson, Simulcast, video still, 2012

The visual is primarily black and white, and the camera remains stationary so that the windshield operates as a framing device. The audio component is an edited and condensed version of Orson Welles’ famous 1938 radio broadcast War of the Worlds, a dramatization of H.G. Wells’ novel in which aliens invade earth….The loud digitized and disembodied voice of a GPS device, however, interrupts repeatedly, jolting the viewer back to the present. The two audio tracks refer to both past and present, questioning the veracity or absolute certainty of any information or technology. ” Susan Dobson

Joyce Lau is discussing her work

In addition to these works Joyce Lau, a Ryerson graduate showed her photographs of stolen objects from the Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau in a different maner. The large collections of stolen items “became known as Kanada, associating the goods with the riches and abundance of the country.”

Joyce Lau is looking at her work Kanada

Through vitrines Lau magnifies specific parts of the image, forcing us to not only consider the large amount of people that suffered but also the individual.

The show is open: September 13 – October 12, 2013. Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography at 401 Richmond Street West Suite #120. Gallery hours: Tues – Sat, 11 – 5 p.m.

Text and Photo: Julia Hendrickson

The Art  Show in Trinity-Bellwoods Park, 2012. Photo: Phil Anderson

Queen West Art Crawl
September 21 – 22, 2013
Queen West between Bathurst and Roncesvalles

For Event Locations please check: http://www.queenwestartcrawl.com/.

The Queen West Art Crawl began as a one-day event in 2003. Since then it has blossomed into a weekend-long festival of creativity and community. Our goal is to celebrate and cultivate the unique character, diversity and ethos of Parkdale and Queen West – a natural habitat for individual artists, arts organizations, artist run centres and businesses that promote art and culture.

2013 marks the 11th anniversary of the Queen West Art Crawl.

Come on down and enjoy the festivities along Queen Street West from Bathurst to Roncesvalles, taking place from September 21 – 22. Purchase a great work of art from one of our 250+ jury-selected artists at the Outdoor Art Show and Sale in Trinity-Bellwoods Park, or take part in a walking tour and attend a talk by one of our featured guest speakers. There are plenty of art events for crawlers of all ages, from the family-friendly KidsZone, to the edgy and innovative Parkdale Nightcrawl. Don’t miss out on all the action!

The 11th annual Outdoor Art Show & Sale will take place at Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday, September 21 to Sunday, September 22, from 11 am – 6 pm.

The main hub of the Queen West Art Crawl, the OASS is a two-day juried art exhibition featuring over 250 artists, food vendors, community booths, an exciting entertainment stage and our family friendly Kidz Zone.

Artist’s Talk and Opening Reception: September 12, 2013, 6 – 8 p.m.
Bau-Xi Photo
324 Dundas St West

After attending the Opening Reception I looked at a couple of Barbara Cole’s videos and realized I’d seen something about her years ago, likely the pieces done on her on fashion television.

Artist Barbara Cole in front of her work, Echo, from Duplicity, chromogenic print face-mounted to plexiglass, 80 x 53 inches

As a user of Photoshop to alter images, create effects in my photos and to paint portraits I am impressed that she is creating such beautiful effects without post production and that she has to because she can’t draw – as she says herself in the video Snapshot on her website.

Barbara Cole, Interval Lenticular from White Noise series, 72 x 48 inches

She imagines and invents the image in her mind, then shoots under water or down into the water from a platform to create what she wants. As the photo shoot progresses she finds more inspiration and goes with it to get even more beautiful images. Her photographs have a wonderful, painterly quality.

Barbara Cole, Crossing, Lenticular, from Duplicity, interlaced inkjet print with lenticular lens, 54 x 36 inches

The elements of large size, subject (beautiful young women), water, bubbles, the elements of mystery – the work pushes all the right buttons for our concept of beauty. I am reminded as I walk past her large scale images of postcards from my childhood that had the scene changing as you slowly turned it. Coupled with a “new” media with the use of lenticular lens this series of work emanates a relaxing and at the same time exciting freshness.

Visitors are admiring Barbara Cole, Impersonation, from Duplicity, chromogenic print face-mounted to plexiglass, 36 x 54 inches

Visitors with Barbara Cole, Swing, from Duplicity, chromogenic print face-mounted to plexiglass, 54 x 36 inches

The show is open: September 12 – September 28, 2013, Bau-Xi Photo, 324 Dundas St West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Gallery Hours: Mon – Sun 10 – 5:30 pm.

Text and photo: Margaret Irving

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 12, 2013, 6 – 9 p.m.
Pari Nadimi Gallery
254 Niagara Street, Toronto

From left to right: Artists Elle Kurancid, Ash Moniz, Pari Nadimi Gallery owner Pari Nadimi and artist George Legrady

GEORGE LEGRADY: On the Road

George Legrady, Smoke & Fire, 2013, Lenticular, 32 x 47 inches. Courtesy of Pari Nadimi Gallery

The exhibition title, On the Road, cannot escape reference to the defining work of the Beat Generation: Jack Kerouac’s portrait of the search for personal meaning during the Cold War. But a referential title is just the beginning. Over forty-years ago Legrady embarked on a yearlong journey, searching for meaning himself, during the Vietnam War, October Crisis and hippie counterculture movement. He explains: “I boarded a plane in Montreal on October 7, 1970 to Paris with $200 in my pocket, two jean shirts in my backpack, my Nikon F and Kerouac’s On the Road in my hand. I lasted a year by quickly getting down to the Middle East, spending time in the Negev on the border of the Gaza, old Jerusalem, the Sultanahmet in Istanbul where I met a Turkish artist who took me to his town near the Syrian border. After running out of money, I took a train to Budapest to revisit the country where I was born.”

Artist George Legrady

On the Road presents a series of eight panels, each consisting of multiple photographs interlaced together through the lenticular process. This process results in the illusion of movement between images: When the viewer changes the angle from which the panel is viewed, motion and a morphing effect seem to occur. This non-linear, multi-layered format is a transformative one and, furthermore, explores the cinematic narrative potential of the photographic image in non-electronic form.

ELLE KURANCID & ASH MONIZ: Reputations / Project Space

Artist Elle Kurancid

Artist Ash Moniz with his work

If it takes x amount of years to build a reputation and y amount of minutes to ruin it, might it also take y amount of years to ruin a reputation and x amount of minutes to rebuild it? In Reputations, Elle Kurancid and Ash Moniz respond to the aforesaid Warren-Buffet-derived and word-problem-inspired query with works that suggest “it sure might—but that’s only the beginning of the maze of reputations.” In other words, Kurancid and Moniz manipulate a selection of texts, devices and environments to underline the malleability of identity and opinion. For example, Kurancid muses on convenience and inconvenience in her redesign of the 7-Eleven logo, and Moniz uses plaster bandages to support and immobilize the ruins of condemned buildings throughout the city of Nanjing, China.

The crowd with Bonnie Rubinstein, Artistic Director of Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival (in the middle)

Exhibition dates: September 12 – October 29, 2013, Pari Nadimi at 254 Niagara Street, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat 12 – 5 p.m.

Photo: Celeste Ringrose