Author: artoronto

 

October 12 – November 10, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 11, 6 – 9 p.m.
O’BORN CONTEMPORARY
131 Ossington Avenue,
Toronto, ON
T: 416. 413. 9555
E:info@oborncontemporary.com
www.oborncontemporary.com
Hours: Tue-Sat, 11-6 p.m. and by appointment

FRACTURE / South Sudan’s Independence / recent works by Dominic Nahr

“Births are meant to be joyous. For the world’s newest country, the creation of South Sudan also means relief. For more than half a century, the north and the south have fought, resulting in two million deaths. But the reality of the independence is complicated, at best. South Sudan’s capital, Juba was little more than a collection of dirt roads and blown-out buildings during the war. It is now a boomtown. It is comprised of steel-and-glass buildings, SUV traffic jams and riverside restaurants full of expat aid workers and Chinese road builders. But corruption is rife and outside the government it can be hard to find many ordinary South Sudanese in Juba who are benefitting from their new independence. Beyond the city limits, life gets even harder. South Sudan remains one of the poorest countries on earth. There are few roads, no industry and only a handful of schools or hospitals.

Half a century of war is not quickly forgotten, nor settled. Where north meets south, Arabia meets Africa. And it is not a fixed frontier but an arbitrary line drawn in the fluid sands of ethnicity, language and culture. Northern Sudanese, Russian-made Antanov bombers unleash their payload inside their own borders against the people of Darfur on a daily basis. The people of the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile fought with the south but find the new dividing line has left them on the north side of the border. Giant oil fields that lie under the ground on both sides of the border further complicate the dispute over where to fix the boundary. In theory, South Sudan’s independence lifted the shadow of subjugation and repression from around 10 million people. In practice, for millions of South Sudanese, peace, stability and prosperity continue to prove elusive.” – Written by Dominic Nahr, Edited by Alex Perry, TIME Magazine’s Africa Bureau Chief, 2012

DOMINIC NAHR works with a strong and unwavering gaze, aiming to document and disseminate images of actions that must not be continued or forgotten. He is intent on reporting certain and unflinching narratives about natural catastrophes, civil unrest and crimes inflicted in the pursuit of protecting physical and psychological borders.

Nahr was raised in Hong Kong where he established himself as a photojournalist with South China Morning Post. He relocated to Toronto and subsequently graduated from Ryerson University in 2008.

Nahr has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including The Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award. He has been selected as one of the ‘Top 30 under 30 photographers’ by PDN magazine and has been exhibited at Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan, France. Nahr was selected to take part in 2010’s Joop Swart Masterclass in Holland and received grants from the Pulitzer Center and the Emergency Fund.

Dominic Nahr joined Magnum Photos as a nominee in July 2010. He is a contract photographer for Time magazine and represented by O’Born Contemporary in Toronto. Nahr currently resides in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

 

October 11 – November 18, 2012
Opening Reception: Thurday, October 11, 6 – 8 p.m.
INDEXG GALLERY
50 Gladstone Avenue
Toronto. ON M6J 1J6
T: 416.533.1374
INDEXG.com or joseortega.com
Hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.

Jose Ortega, co-founder and Artistic Director of Toronto’s famed Lula Lounge presents his first solo visual arts show at Toronto’s INDEXG Gallery on October 11 through to November 18.

Ortega, well respected and recognized for his contributions to Toronto’s musical life, is also an established visual artist whose work has been exhibited internationally. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Ortega studied art in New York City and before moving to Toronto, established himself as a commercial artist working with high profile brands such as Absolut Vodka, Apple Computers, Bloomingdale’s and the New York Times. He has designed and completed numerous public art commissions including a series of mosaic murals for two NYC subway stations. Recent projects include a sequence of street murals for Dundas Street West in Toronto and postage stamp designs for both the US and Ecuadorian postal services.

Music is Ortega’s muse and this solo exhibition has been inspired by the sounds of jazz. Using paint and collage on wood and cardboard, Ortega has approached each piece as if it were a song with rhythm, colour, harmony and a narrative. His quest for composition within chance reveal interesting and intricate patterns reminiscent of ancient Persian rug designs, Arab mosque tiles and geometric shapes found in South American textile. A rich colour palette of browns and ochres as well as a monochromatic paint-patchwork, display not only technical abilities but character and attention to detail.

Jose Ortega will be sharing the gallery with his mother, Juana Zuñiga, a self-taught artist. Zuñiga’s collection of art pieces are a colourful prism of magical scenes created from fabric and paint. Her work has been included in illustration catalogs and she has participated in group shows in the US and Canada.

 

 “The Seer” by Gordon Becker

 

September 27 – October 19, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 27, 6 – 8 p.m.
JOHN B. AIRD GALLERY
Macdonald Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 1C2
T : 647.435.5858
E: gallery@cansculpt.org
Hours: Mon – Fri 10 – 6 p.m.

“SCULPTORS DO IT IN 3D” – no special glasses required for this eclectic array of works by the Sculptors Society of Canada. In celebrating it’s 84th anniversary, creative imagery was set in motion inspired by the current trend of 3D films. Forty artists captured innovative gestures employing a plethora of media from steel, stone, concrete, ceramics, wood, resin, to bronze and glass. The audience is invited to join this original 3D experience!

Featuring works by: Adrienne Alison, Holly Atkinson, Gordon Becker, Andrew Benyei, Andy Berg, Irene Blogg, Yeon-Tak Chang, Michelle duQuesnay-Jones, Eamon, Mary Ellen Farrow, Barbara Fletcher, Cesar Forero, Camie Geary-Martin, Al Green, Ale Groen, Marina Guglielmi, Karen Stoskopf Harding, Judy Raymer Ivkoff, Elaine Jaques, Saulius Jaskus, Maryon Kantaroff, Marlene Kawalez, Evgueni Kogan, Shuhui Lee, J. Mac, Jogi Makhani, Bastien Martel, Richard McNeill, David Paolini, Andrew Pawlowski,
Peter Por, Desmond Scott, Peter Shoebridge, Alex Tavares, Tyzo David Toccalino, Dina Torrans, Esther Wertheimer, Holly Wheatcroft, Judi Michelle Young and Daniel Yu.

NOCC, Object of Sound, 2009. SLS polyamide. Part of the exhibition Nouvelle Vague: The New French Domestic Landscape.

September 28 – December 23, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, September 28, 6 – 10 p.m.
HARBOURFRONT CENTRE
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON M5J 2G8
T: 416.973.4600
E: info@harbourfrontcentre.com
Hours: Mon-Sun 10-9 p.m.

Harbourfront Centre proudly presents with the support from the Institut Français, a French contemporary furniture design exhibition called “Nouvelle Vague: The New French Domestic Landscape” which opens on September 28, 2012 and will run to December 23, 2012 at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West).

This exhibit features work by a new generation of French designers A+A Cooren, Pierre Favresse, Studio Nocc, Pool, and Ionna Vautrin.

The curator of the exhibit, Cédric Morisset, and two of the participating designers, Pierre Favresse (the artistic director of Habitat, a retailer of household furnishings) and Jean-Christophe Orthlieb (Studio NOCC) will be in attendance for the opening Friday, September 28 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Scorched Earth 3, 12 x 24 inches

October 3 – 27, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 4, 6 – 9 p.m.
THE RED HEAD GALLERY
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 115
Toronto, ON, M5V 3A8
T: 416.504.5654
E: art@redheadgallery.org
www.redheadgallery.org
Hours: Wed–Sat 12–5 p.m.

The Red Head Gallery is proud to present artist Lynn Christine Kelly‘s Scorched Earth, a multi-media installation. In this new series of work, Kelly continues her investigation of humankinds’ interaction with the natural environment and considers our alienation from Mother Earth and her life-sustaining gifts. Experiencing lives devastated through natural disasters, accidental incidents, and illness, in spite of the devastating results of chemical interventions and the overtly damaging results of much of our modern technology, and seeing the total destruction wrought by war, she questions why we continue down these ruinous paths. Dealing with issues of loss, sadness, and despair Scorched Earth is an exploration of personal turmoil as well as a comment on global strife.

The work consists of burnt wood wall sculptures, charcoal drawings on wood panel and linen, and a fractured sculpture of a burnt tree trunk. Making images of trees and then focusing on materials provided by trees, Kelly is offering a reminder of humankinds’ reliance on a connection with the rest of nature, the need to nurture our forests as well as each other, and hope for resurrecting respect for Mother Earth and recognition of the abundant possibilities offered.

Lynn Christine Kelly is a Toronto-based multi-media artist and a member of The Red Head Gallery. She received her MAFA from the Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, in 2008 after being awarded a BFA with Distinction from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2006. Her work is held in private collections worldwide as well as corporate collections, including the Newmarket Public Library, United Way of Canada, and the Canadian Standards Association.

Roula Partheniou, Caution Yellow (2009), polymer clay and acrylic paint

Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 7 p.m.
Location will be confirmed on RSVP
MERCER UNION
T: 416.536.1519
york@mercerunion.org

Join in this exclusive opportunity to meet over drinks with artist Roula Partheniou at her studio.

Free and guaranteed to Mercer Union Sustaining Members on RSVP.

Space is extremely limited. Select tickets may be available to non-Sustaining Members for $25. For membership inquiries, contact York Lethbridge, Director of Operations & Development by email at york@mercerunion.org or by calling  416.536.1519.

Roula Partheniou‘s recent work has centered on an exploration of the replica and the readymade. Making use of visual similes, material puns, colour cues, trompe l’oeil and reductive referents, she deconstructs the familiar in an effort to trigger a reconsideration of common forms, knowledge and assumptions. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at Birch Libralato, G Gallery, Mercer Union, and Convenience Gallery, Toronto; Truck Gallery, Calgary; Mass MOCA, Massachusetts; MSVU Art Gallery, Halifax; Plug In, Winnipeg; and Modern Fuel, Kingston. Partheniou is represented by MKG127 in Toronto.

Louisa Lau

September 18 – October 7, 2012
Opening Reception/Meet and Greet : Friday, September 21, 7 – 9 p.m.
HANGMAN ART GALLERY
756 Queen Street East (east of Broadview Avenue)
Toronto, ON M4M 1H4
T: 416.465.0302
E: hangmangallery@gmail.com
artistsnetwork.ca/hangman
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sun, 12 – 5 p.m.

On Board / Get to know the Artists’ Network Board of Directors by their art.

This is an imprompt exhibition of the work of our board and it allow you to be introduced to those who shape our organization.

Meet:

Gary Bercovitch

Chris Hutcheson

Felicity Somerset

Kate Taylor

Sheila Thompson

Jim Turner

Doug Zest

Member’s Salon: Louisa Lau – Space Making
September 18 – October 7, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 20, 7 – 9 p.m.

Ontario Visual Arts Awards ceremony. Photo: Salomeh Ahmadi

Friday, September 21, 2012, 6 p.m.
Great Hall at the University of Toronto’s Hart House
Joint Reception: OAAG and Justina M. Barnicke Gallery from 4 – 6 p.m. in Hart House.
7 Hart House Circle.
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H3
T: 416-598-0714
communications@oaag.org

Join us at the Ontario visual arts awards Friday night at 6 pm!

The Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) announces its landmark 35th annual Ontario visual arts awards on Friday, September 21 at 6 p.m. at the Great Hall at the University of Toronto’s Hart House.

Thirty-two visual art galleries from 19 cities across Ontario are nominated this year.

The OAAG Awards recognize artistic merit and excellence in nine major categories:

Exhibition, Curatorial and Art Writing, Public Program, Education, Art Publication, Design, Partnership, Colleague and Volunteer. The program is one of the most comprehensive and best known among Ontario’s art awards.

“It’s astounding how much high quality work is produced in the visual arts sector each year. The OAAG Awards acknowledge and support work that could otherwise be overlooked,” says Olinda Casimiro, President of OAAG’s Board of Directors.

Olinda Casimiro, President of OAAG’s Board of Directors. Photo: Roberta Baker for OAAG

She adds, “The OAAG Awards ceremony has become a place visual arts professionals want to be. Highly distinguished and emerging visual arts professionals from across Ontario come to celebrate the year’s achievement in our dynamic public art galleries.”

The visual theme of this year’s celebration draws upon the trailer for Frederico Fellini’s 1972 film Roma. Hélène Joy and Thom Ernst will help present the OAAG Awards. Hélène Joy is an award-winning actress whose roles include playing Dr. Julia Ogden on CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries. Thom Ernst is the host and producer of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies.

The ceremony also features a performance project contributed by visual artist Derek Liddington and a performance from singer-songwriter Zoe Henderson whose music is a hybrid of jazz, country and folk.

Ontario visual art award winners announced

The Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) announced its 35th annual OAAG Award winners on September 21, 2012 at the University of Toronto’s Hart House to a full house.

Seventeen awards and one honourable mention were presented.

Television personalities Hélène Joy and Thom Ernst helped present the OAAG Awards. Hélène Joy is an award-winning actress whose roles include playing Dr. Julia Ogden on CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries. Thom Ernst is the host and producer of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies. Curators Patricia Deadman, Andrea Fatona and David Liss also acted as presenters.

In addition to the Award winners and guest presenters, those in attendance included artists Diane Borsato, Kim Tomczak and Lisa Steele, Deirdre Logue and Allyson Mitchell, John Greyson, Richard Fung and Michele Pearson Clarke, new director of The Power Plant Gaëtane Verna, and graphic designers Barr Gilmore and Lisa Kiss, among many others.

The ceremony featured performances by visual artist Derek Liddington and singer-songwriter Zoe Henderson whose music is a hybrid of jazz, country and folk.

2012 Ceremony Highlights:

The Art Gallery of York University’s Will Munro: History, Magic and Glamour, a posthumous exhibition for an iconic Toronto artist, was named Exhibition of the Year. It was curated by Philip Monk and Emelie Chhangur. The artist’s parents Margaret and Ian Munro were in attendance for the presentation of the award. Curator Emelie Chhangur’s large-scale participatory performance collaboration between Panamanian artist Humberto Veléz and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and Toronto’s Urban Runners (parkours) from the Monkey Vault Gym presented in Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario was recognized with the Public Programs Award.

Philip Monk and Emelie Chhangur. Roberta Baker for OAAG

Kim Tomczak was singled out with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking work in video art preservation and media arts heritage. Mr. Tomczak is an internationally renowned artist. His list of artistic production and accomplishments exceeds 20 pages in length. Vtape, The Canadian Cultural Workers Network, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Art Gallery of York University supported the nomination.

In the category of Art Publication of the Year, the surprise winner was Do You Read Me? – a book dedicated to youth-based zines and printed material. Published by Oakville Galleries, the project was authored by young writers from Oakville Galleries’ Youth Council, the Art Gallery of Ontario Youth Council, Bronte Youth Centre & Oakville Public Library Youth.

Calder Harben, Art Publication of the Year. Photo: Roberta Baker for OAAG

Peter Allen, philanthropist and volunteer, was recognized with the Key Gallery Partnership Award for his significant contributions to the University of Toronto Art Centre.

Peter Allen. Photo: Roberta Baker for OAAG

A comprehensive website produced for the exhibition William Kurelek: The Messenger received the Education Award (www.kurelek.ca). The project was a successful collaboration between the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Andrew Kear, curator at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, travelled to Toronto to receive the award.

Out of 32 nominated galleries, 16 galleries from 10 cities across Ontario were acknowledged:

Art Gallery of Hamilton
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Art Gallery of Peterborough
Art Gallery of York University, Toronto
Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga
Cambridge Galleries
Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa
Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, Toronto
Oakville Galleries
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa
Rodman Hall Art Centre / Brock University, St. Catharines
Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto
University of Toronto Art Centre
Vtape, Toronto
Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Unionville

Four partnering organizations were also acknowledged:

Canadian Cultural Workers Network
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Southern Alberta Art Gallery

The OAAG Awards recognize artistic merit and excellence in nine major categories:

Exhibition, Curatorial and Art Writing, Public Program, Education, Art

Publication, Design, Partnership, Colleague and Volunteer. The program is one of the most comprehensive and best known among Ontario’s art awards. “It’s astounding how much high quality work is produced in the visual arts sector each year. The OAAG Awards acknowledge and support work that could otherwise be overlooked,” said Olinda Casimiro, President of OAAG’s Board of Directors.

The visual theme of this year’s celebration drew upon the trailer for Frederico Fellini’s 1972 film Roma.

The 2012 OAAG Award was created by Joe Vinski, an artist from Mississauga.

This year’s jurors included visual art professionals Alexandra Badzak (The Ottawa Art Gallery), Marlee Choo (Harbourfront Centre), Patricia Deadman (Woodstock Art Gallery), curator Andrea Fatona (Toronto), Nancy Gareh-Coulombe (Art Gallery of Sudbury), Srimoyee Mitra (Art Gallery of Windsor), Valentine Moreno (Koffler Centre), and Olexander Wlasenko (Station Gallery).

Sponsors:

Gold: Art Toronto, Creativ Festival, Flash Reproductions, The Globe and Mail, Hart
House (University of Toronto)
Silver: Diamond Schmitt Architects, Elgin Picture & Frame Inc., Stephen Bulger Gallery
Bronze: CARFAC Ontario, Gallery Express, OCAD University, Ontario Cultural
Attractions Fund, Museumpros Art Services Inc., University of Guelph
In-Kind: Aboveground Art Supplies, C Magazine, Canadian Institute of Floral Design,
Cineplex Entertainment, Francesco’s Limousine & Coach Services Inc., Gourmet Food &
Wine Expo, Metro, SLATE Art Guide
Design by Donderdag

More information at: http://oaag.org

Thursday, October 4, 2012, 6:30 – 11:00 p.m.
ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO
317 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5T 1G4
T: 416.979.6648
www.ago.net
www.ago.net/1stThursdays.

AGO Lights Up 1st Thursdays with Art, Drinks, Music and Spectacle

Series debuts October 4 with tours by Evan Penny, nude life drawing and musical guest Bahamas

Bringing together an impressive roster of artists, live music and interactive art projects, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) invites you to experience your art gallery in a brand new way at 1st Thursdays. Designed to engage and entertain, these interactive art nights out will feature a variety of performances, pop-up bars, art-making activities, artist and curator tours, talks and live events.

Beginning October 4, 2012 and taking place on the first Thursday of each month, the AGO will open its doors to adults aged 19+ from 6:30 to 11 p.m. No two 1st Thursdays will be the same, with unique projects, activities and performances designed to make each evening memorable.

“Our aim is to be more than just a social destination,” said Kelly McKinley, the AGO’s executive director of education and public programming. “We want to give people the opportunity to see and make and do and hear as much art as they can every month.”

1st Thursdays kicks off on October 4 with a celebration of the exhibition Evan Penny: Re Figured. The internationally renowned Toronto-based artist Evan Penny will be present to speak about his larger-than-life sculptures, each painstakingly crafted from layers of pigmented silicone, human hair, fabric and resin. Blending abstraction and figuration, Penny’s hyper-realistic sculptures straddle the line between object and image, presenting the human form both as we see it and as it can be imagined through the distorting lens of photography and digital media.

Evan Penny at the installation of the show. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

 Installation view. Photo: Mauricio Contreras-Paredes

Music will be a cornerstone of every 1st Thursday program, and the AGO is delighted to announce that Bahamas will play an intimate solo set in Walker Court as part of the inaugural 1st Thursday. A Juno and Polaris Prize nominee, Bahamas is the recording name of Toronto based singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen.

The party continues with DJs spinning and free nude life drawing classes offered throughout the Gallery. Cash bars will be set up in Walker Court and visitors are invited to explore and wander the AGO throughout the night.

In addition to the galleries remaining open, shopAGO will present DesignTALKS, a new series of lectures by leading local designers focused on small space design. The first in the series will be held on October 4 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and features Trevor Kruse, an award-winning designer and principal of Hudson Kruse Design. FRANKrestaurant at the AGO will provide a wine and champagne bar in shopAGO so visitors can enjoy a beverage while they browse.

Tickets for the inaugural 1st Thursday go on sale September 12. Regular-priced tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Admission for AGO Members is $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets can be booked online at www.ago.net/1stThursdays.