Author: artoronto

Alvaro Paz / The Death of Mantegna
Gallery 1313,  Process Gallery
September 19 – October 14, 2012

There is a tension lingering in the room where Alvaro Paz’ work hangs. The violence is unmistakable. Four large pieces, one small – the mixed media paintings of this Venezuelan artist express the plight of angry, dead or disfigured subjects. To respond to these images is to respond to their sense of immediacy. The frantic, unpredictable lines beg a listener. These are scenes that echo the cacophony of street noise, barking dogs and the moans of naked, despondent and mutilated women.

The Death of Mantegna, 2010, mixed media on canvas, 59 x 78 inches

Paz uses contemporary and classical subjects to address issues that people in Latin America are facing. The gestural nature of his images suggests an urgency and gives movement and tactility to his work. Often composed of vibrant primary colours, the frame of the canvas for Dogs appears to be the only thing that cages the ferocity of Paz’ hostile and layered canines. Dogs, which are often seen as creatures of the underworld, and which also run wild in Venezuela, are another entry into the themes of religion, society and morality, where the viewer bears witness.

Dogs, 2011, mixed media on canvas, 59 x 39 inches

His piece About Mantegna and Mia XIV, purposely drawn from the Lamentation Over the Dead Christ by Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506). In Paz’s version the foreshortened figure is mourned by no one, he is alone, dead in a world cloaked in darkness and the aggressive application of raw black paint to canvas.

About Mantegna and Mia XIV, 2008,  mixed media on raw linen canvas, 62 x 39 inches

Within these dysphoric scenes of destruction and decay moroseness lays. The destitute situation of Paz’s subjects is made absolute by the absence of their arms and hands, an indication of helplessness. Paz’s figures exist without defense, victims of uncontrolled violence.

Gift, 2010, mixed media on canvas, 47 x 39 inches

Many questions surface in the presence of these works. Is this a comment on the death of Andrea Mantegna himself? Are these works about the degradation of society, and the corruption of and defacing of women?  What personal relationship and connection does Paz carry for his subjects? What answers does he have for these issues?

The best way to come to an understanding of Alvaro Paz’ work is to see it for oneself. The Death of Mantegna is on view at Gallery 1313 until October 14, 2012. www.g1313.org

 

October 10 – 21, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 11, 6- 9 p.m.
PROPELLER CENTRE FOR THE VISUAL ARTS
984 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H1
T: 416-504-7142
E: gallery@propellerctr.com
Hours: Wed – Sat: 12 – 6, Sun: 12 – 5 p.m.

Artists will be present at the opening. Live performance by Workman Arts member Sheri STRanger.

Do you ever have the feeling that you are just waiting? For what? Maybe you know what it is…or maybe you don’t. In today’s fast paced world, we are constantly trying to reduce or eliminate waiting yet we are often left wanting, anticipating, stuck in a place of expectation or readiness, waiting for something, someone, some signal, some event, some process, some service, some epiphany…

Workman Arts is a proud partner of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Workman Arts (WA) facilitates aspiring, emerging and established artists with mental illness and addiction issues to develop and refine their art form through its arts training programs, public performance/exhibit opportunities and partnering with other art organizations. As well, WA promotes a greater public understanding of mental illness and addiction through the creation, presentation and discussion of artistic media. 2012 marks Workman Arts 25th Anniversary. www.workmanarts.com

For more information please visit our website: http://www.propellerctr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300:october-10-21-propeller-center-collaboration-with-workman-arts-now-what-r-u-waiting-for-&catid=36:future-exhibits&Itemid=56

Saturday, September 29, 7:03 p.m. – sunrise
SCOTIABANK NUIT BLANCHE TORONTO

From sunset on Saturday, September 29, to sunrise on Sunday, September 30, 2012, Toronto celebrated its 7th annual all-night contemporary art festival, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, displaying works created by local, national and international artists.

Nuit Blanche this year was better organized than last year according to locations since they were more centralized, closer to each other and more manageable for viewers to travel from one to another. The weather was nice and warm so thousands of people were wandering around.

City Hall Projects:

World Without Sun, 2012. Christine Davis (Toronto).

A large projected installations on Nathan Phillips Square. They must take a lot of time and consideration – both technological and spatial planning. The entrancing video displayed psychedelic underwater creatures, celestial patterns, plains, nature paths, clouds and stars, tying together the infinite colourful nature of the universe.

I Dream A World, 2012. Nathaniel Dett Chorale (Toronto).

I Dream A World at City hall was a collective conscious raising performance, spiritual, cautionary and, there is something romantic about an end because it can also be a beginning. The performance, along with referential notes to history, Latin and jazz, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, Omar Khayyam and James Weldon Johnson provided an ambient coexistence of voice.

Zone A:

Beam of Underground Sun, 2012. (outside of 121 King Street)

With the end of the world theme running around in everyday life recently, this light installation by Arezoo Talebzadeh (Toronto) and Kaveh Ashourinia (Toronto), provided an insight into unexpected sources of light in an urban subterranean space. In all the unlikely spaces, the underground illumination was completely covered by dozens of people as it was very difficult to see the light from a distance – pointing out the wonder of contrary light sources.

Zone B:

Vertical Constructions: Dancer # 1 and #2, 2012. Max Streicher (Toronto)

Inflatable sculptures made up of recycled billboards were suspended within the Eaton Centre (Albert Way entrance). To me it was less graffiti (how easily this word is thrown around) and more symbolic of body and consumption. Yet making use of private capitalist spaces makes the appearance of superficiality palatable.

AURA,

Group Exhibition at Ryerson University, was, as Nuit Blanche has grown into being, an interactive installation. The shape-shifting pieces, illuminated an alleyway in the shape of a banner that protrude and then retract once pushed in by passersby gave me a sense of our ceaseless attempts at acting and reacting.

Zone C:

Top Down, by BDRDGLab, 2012.

A topographic model of the city presented in an interactive installation where participants can walk through the “landscape” – the valleys only – the lights made from crystals, making up the hill. The piece brought a sense of the otherworldly, as people were had to be both patient and careful about treading apart from the fragile protruding crystal lights.

Text and photo: Salomeh Ahmadi

 

October 12 – November 10, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, October 12, 7 – 10 p.m.
PAUL PETRO CONTEMPORARY ART
980 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6J 1H1
T: 416 979 7874
E: info@paulpetro.com
www.paulpetro.com
Hours: Wed – Sat 11 – 5 p.m.

Paul Petro Contemporary Art is pleased to present exhibitions of new work by FASTWURMS and Sandy Plotnikoff.

Cannibal Nympho Witch is an exhibition based on an unpublished FASTWURMS science fiction novel of the same name. Started in 1992 and ongoing, Cannibal Nympho Witch the novel is a large complex narrative of imaginative and speculative fiction. Cannibal Nympho Witch is one of several stories, including Donkey@Ninja@Witch that serve as a generative source for FASTWURMS’ visual art projects.

The novel Cannibal Nympho Witch is about a society of transgenetic Witches living in a ‘tranny’ future world they have created after the ecological destruction and total economic collapse of the 21st century

SANDY PLOTNIKOFF presents Foil Problem, recent work from his ongoing series of free-form collage with holographic printing foils.

William Buzzell, Chaotic Atmosphere

October 11 – November 3, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 11, 6 – 10 p.m.
COOPER COLE GALLERY
1161 Dundas Street West,
Toronto ON, M6J1X3
T: 647 – 347 – 3316
E-mail: info@coopercolegallery.com
www.coopercolegallery.com
Hours: Wed–Sat 1–7, Sun 1–6 p.m.

Permanent Demand  by Andrew Jeffery Wright / William Buzzell/ Jesse Harris

COOPER COLE is pleased to present a three person exhibition from artists Andrew Jeffrey Wright, William Buzzell, and Jesse Harris.

This exhibition, Permanent Demand, explores the impact consumer culture has on society and the idea of art as commodity. Subjects tackled include wealth and social structures, luxury goods and real estate, politics and products. While each artist works in a very different style, a dialogue between the three exists through shared cultural influences of a generation. This exhibition will feature an accompanying catalogue available in a limited edition.

Jesse Harris is a Toronto-based artist and University of Guelph graduate. His message-oriented art practice functions as a personal platform to discuss free expression and it’s limits within culture. Harris sources forms, language, symbols and strategies from radical art history and associated countercultures, producing slogans and ephemera such as fanzines, posters, and buttons to disseminate them. He produces paintings, sculpture and unique art objects concerned with art discourse, do-it-yourself personal politics, sliding-scale economies and grassroots community-building. Harris has recently exhibited at Night Gallery (LA), Tomorrow (Toronto), Ed Video (Guelph), amongst others.

William Buzzell creates highly detailed and painstakingly rendered paintings. His use of three dimensional elements is a common characteristic in his works and share the aesthetic of science fair projects, natural history museum displays, and public service announcements. He has exhibited internationally at Galeri Loyal (Sweden), New Image Art (LA), Space 1026 (Philadelphia), Community Outreach (London, ON), amongst others. Buzzell currently lives and works in Rhode Island, USA.

Andrew Jeffrey Wright is a current and founding member of the Space 1026 art space in Philadelphia, and holds a BFA in Animation. He explores all mediums in his practice, including painting, animation, drawing, collage, photography, sculpture, video, installation, screen printing and performance. The collaborative animation “the Manipulators”, which he made with Clare E. Rojas, has won the top prize for animation at the New York Underground Film Festival and the New York Comedy Film Festival. He has shown at The Hole (NYC), THIS Gallery (LA), Lamp Harajuku (Tokyo), New Image Art (LA), The Luggage Store (San Francisco), ICA (Philadelphia), and Foundation Cartier (Paris), amongst others. Wright currently lives and works in Philadelphia, USA.

Featured image: Jesse Harris

Gary Michael Dault, John Scott and Matthew Varey

October 10 – November 10, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, October 12, 6 – 9 p.m.
TELEPHONE BOOTH GALLERY
3148 Dundas St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6P 2A1
T: 647-270-7903
E: sharlene@telephoneboothgallery.ca
www.telephoneboothgallery.ca
Hours: Wed and Sat 11–6, Thurs and Fri 11 – 7 p. m.

Collaborative works by Gary Michael Dault, John Scott and Matthew Varey

The Iron Men have been painting together since 2005. The creation of their works is an act of continual, consensual critique, with each of the artists taking the suggestions and actions of the other two seriously until some mutual agreement is attained — which brings the work to its final form.

The Iron Men work midway between the realms of abstraction and the generation of raw, gritty paintings often built upon strongly realized shapes or images — usually reinforced by spontaneous applications of text.

Gary Michael Dault is a writer, art critic and visual artist currently working in Napanee, Ontario. He has taught at several Canadian universities and is a prolific writer of books, articles and catalogue essays about contemporary art.  His weekly art review column, Gallery-Going, ran in the Globe and Mail for over a decade. He exhibits widely and is represented by Peak Gallery in Toronto.

John Scott received the first Governor General’s Award for Visual Art in Canada in 2002. Scott’s paintings and sculptures are held in numerous private and public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Gallery of Canada.  Themes in Scott’s work include destruction, oppression, machines and human desire and frequently feature imagery involving  war machines, missiles and victimized rabbit-like figures.  Scott is represented by Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto.

Matthew Varey is the Head of the Visual Arts department at the Etobicoke School for the Arts, and has been exhibiting his paintings, sculpture and photographs nationally and internationally for over twenty years. Varey’s work has evolved from large works containing figurative elements with a focus on the physical surface and themes of protest, towards a combination of abstraction and colour photography.  Varey continues to explore abstraction in his current body of work maintaining similar themes of visual texture, vivid colour and the use of various perspectives simultaneously. Recent works available at Telephone Booth Gallery.

Richelle Forsey, Teacher’s Pet, colour photograph, 36″x36″ (image area), 2012

October 6 – November 17, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 13, 2 – 6 p.m.
DE LUCA FINE ART GALLERY
217 Avenue Road
Toronto, ON, M5R 2J3
T: 416-537-4699
E: corrado@delucafineart.com
www.delucafineart.com.
Hours: Tues–Sat 11–5 p.m.

The GROUP OF 7 ROOSTERS shows the work of seven very interesting artists’ works in different mediums.

Participating artists:

Michelle Bui / Manuel Bujold /  Scott Eunson / Richelle Forsey / Scott Harber / Dieter Janssen / Jessica Wee

Curated by Juno Youn, Director of Flying Rooster Contemporary Projects (FRCP – www.fr-cp.com), Group of Seven Roosters is the debut exhibition of FRCP at De Luca Fine Art | Gallery.

FRCP is an art and lifestyle online shop that offers a wide range of affordable contemporary creative items. FRCP opens the door to new possibilities for adventurous people to enjoy a contemporary art-rich lifestyle, enhanced by an exceptional sense of humor.

Painterly photographs of derelict dwellings, abstracted glittery shapes, weather phenomenon, intimate and intricate laminate sculpture/objects and imaginary worlds. Unhindered by a single idea or theme, the range of dissimilar processes and subject matter is the narrative of FRCP’s inaugural exhibition. Group of Seven Roosters reflects the creative diversity of Flying Rooster Contemporary Projects, featuring established and emerging artists working in a mixture of diverse styles and mediums: drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Edgy, modern and contemporary.

In September, 2012 Youn officially launched www.fr-cp.com to engage his passion for contemporary art, fashion, design and industrial antiques.

The future promises an e-gallery, as well as pop-up exhibitions in various cities and locations including Montreal in 2013.

 

Two Moons (Moon light Sonata), 2011, oil, collage, varnish on panel

October 6 – November 17, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 13, 2 – 6 p.m.
DE LUCA FINE ART GALLERY
217 Avenue Road
Toronto, ON, M5R 2J3
T: 416-537-4699
E: corrado@delucafineart.com
www.delucafineart.com.
Hours: Tues–Sat 11–5 p.m.

Dreamscape/Toponiriques is an extension of Juno’s previous work, building on his 2011 MADE IN MONTREAL exhibition. In this work, his personal journey and fantasies are all combined in visual language. Toponiriques: A newly created French word, combining the Greek word for a place – “TOPOS” – and the Greek word for dream – “ONORIC”.

Juno Youn’s work captures the intuitive mood of the moment, much like photograph, in contrast to other work that is based on carefully pre-planned sketches. He much prefers drawing approaches that are based upon stream of consciousness. Juno first began to explore this technique through water colours and then moved on to oil sticks / collage / mixed media. Juno is constantly adopting new materials and new formats that have not previously used in his past works. Yet he also likes combining his older skills in new approaches and techniques.

Juno’s past works include:

Notes from the zoo (1999)

Circus Circus (2001)

FantASIA (2003)

Never Ending Story (2005)

DEJAVU: Circus is back in town (2006)

Transformers (2007)

Conjuror (2008)

Far outside (2010)

MADE IN MONTREAL EN CONSIDERANT LE MONDE DIFFERENT (2011)

 

In these works Juno has focused on diverse subjects in various media, which he has further refined in his recent works in various media. He is always fascinated by supernatural power in connection to this world.

Dreams are his connections to supernatural power. Dreams are endless and translucent:  the impossible becomes possible. There are dreams that come true, and dreams that do not. In their many diverse forms dreams are our portals to time machines. There are dreams that communicate with dead, dreams that revisit our childhood, dreams that predict our future dreams that foreshadow our sub-consciousness. Juno’s work does not expressly reflect his own dreams. However, all of his work flows from what he experiences in his daily life.

Perhaps Dreamscape is a series of creative animated sketches of his own personal journey. Chaos, optical illusions, symbols, childlike imagery all reflect his own experiences, as influenced by various masters Juno admires such as René Magritte, Marc Chagall, Richard Diebenkorn, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst. And cinema such as ‘I Clowns’ (Federico Fellini), ‘Being John Malkovich'(Spike Jonze),’ Inception'(Christopher Nolan), ‘The science of sleep'(Michel Gondry). ‘DREAMS’ (Akira Kurozawa), ‘Blue Velvet’ (David Lynch), ‘Naked Lunch’ (David Cronenberg), Testament of Orpheus (Jean Cocteau),

We humans live in various emotions such as fear, joy, anger, excitement, addiction, and beliefs. Juno portrays diverse imageries and symbols into his own visual collages. Although he uses various magazines from fashion magazines to natural geography, he doesn’t depend on this imagery to explain the meaning of his work. The images are simply a mood capsulation in his own journey. Each viewer may come to his or her own interpretation.

Like dreams, some things are unexplainable and some dreams are close to a reality. Between real and surreal, Juno is constantly investigating and observing his own journey. Through his work he hopes viewers will find portals to their own life experiences ranging from their darkest dreams to their most brilliant experiences.

Mazinaw Rock, 2012, oil on canvas, 70 x 50 inches

October 5 – November 4, 2012
Opening Reception: Tursday, October 18,  6 – 8 p.m.
FRAN HILL GALLERY
285 Rushton Road
Toronto, ON, M6C 2X5
Tel: 416.363.1333
E: franhillgallery@bellnet.ca
Hours: Fri–Sun 11–6 p.m. or by appointment

“I am a visual artist – Graphic Artist/Designer/Painter.

Whether it be graphic design or painting – the boundaries between are largely artificial.

Regardless of the circumstances – painted on canvas, or generated on the computer, it’s manipulating the same fundamental elements of shape, line and colour.” Inez

Jesus Mora, Midnight Sun

October 3 – 27, 2012
Artists Reception: Friday, October 5, 7 – 11 p.m.
TWIST GALLERY
(AWOL Gallery Presents at Twist Gallery)
1100 Queen St. West 2nd floor,
Toronto, ON M6J 1H9
T: 416 – 588 – 2222
info@twistgallery.ca
www.twistgallery.ca
Hours: Tues–Sat 11–6 p.m.

“Since our earliest days, we have always had a sense of our identity as a group. We know that the beliefs we share about life and society are different than most. We share common values: a compassionate view of the world; the practice of generosity and respect; the practice of “seeing” as the foundation of our art-making. Since 1997, we have been keeping a journal; there are now over four feet of binders filled with drawings, poetry, and musings we thought clever at the time. The journal is a testimony to the vigour of our weekly gatherings over the years.

We each feel that we are part of a family that helps sustain us in ways that are unique in our lives. At this point in our evolution, many of us feel we could be something more than a family – perhaps something more like a village. As a family, we have our individual art practices, we socialize, and we sometimes exhibit together on one subject or another. As a village, we are thinking that our individual art practices would take on an additional component. That is, each of us would be part of our collective identity in the Toronto art community. Each of us would be a producer in a collective body of work that Five Lovely Guys offers to the world.

As a first step towards this idea of a becoming “a village” we seek to mount an exhibition on the subject of who we are. While the art would be made individually, as always, the subject would be a collective visual statement of what it means to each of us to be a Lovely Guy. We envision each person entering into an exploratory dialogue between him/herself and the spirit of intentions we all share.” Exhibition Satement

Participating artists: Alf Ianarelli,  Andres Correa,  Anupa Perera,  Chris Landreth, Collin Duoma,  Dave MacIntosh, Gene Threndyle,  Gyu Oh,  Heather Grose, Ian Mackay,  Jesus Mora,   Jim Bourke,  Jungle Ling,  Karan Singh,  Kerry Kim,  Kevin Bae,  Louis Chard,  Maria Zamani,  Mark Hazen,  Martha Eleen,  Martha Johnson,  Max MacDonald,  Meri Collier,  Monica Plant,  Nancy Oakes,  North Clark,  Owen Ford,  Paria Shahverdi, Peggy Ann Berton,  Peter Campbell,  Robert Sheehan,  Soheila Tavallaei,  Steven Shelton, Thomas Hendry,  Tim Hough, Tom Campbell and Valeria Csizmadia,

Please join Lausberg Contemporary for 2 openings on 2 levels: Robert Schaberl: BENEATH THE SURFACE & Rui Pimenta: DE FABRICA this Thursday, October 4th 7- 10 p.m.

October 4 – November 4, 2012
Opening reception: Thursday, October 4, 7- 10 pm
LAUSBERG CONTEMPORARY
326 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1G5
T: 416-516-4440
E: toronto@galerie-lausberrg.com
www.galerie-lausberg.com
Hours: Tues-Sun 12–6 or by appointment

Robert Schaberl: BEYOND THE SURFACE

These seemingly monochromatic images directly address the nature of painting as a material practice. Rather than using this medium to create illusory space, Schaberl has opted to investigate the relationship that develops through the interaction of paint, light and the viewer. The rigorously condensed format of these works opens a surprisingly rich realm of visual experience.

Rui Pimenta: DE FABRICA

He works predominantly with water based and fluid mediums on translucent surfaces, such as glass, plexi and wax. By presenting his paintings in a multi-layered, three dimensional format, light and shadow are incorporated as essential elements of the work’s overall composition.