Author: artoronto

Guy Laliberté, Tibet, Lake in the Xizang Region, 2009, photographic print on cotton paper, 20” x 30”, 30” x 45”, 40 x 60, 72” x 108” limited editions

August 2  –  October 1, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, August 3, 6 – 8 p.m.
THOMPSON LANDRY GALLERY
The Distillery District
Stone Distillery Space
55 Mill Street, Building 5, #102
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 3C4
Tel: 416.364.4955
E-mail:info@thompsonlandry.com
www.thompsonlandry.com
Hours: Tues–Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5

The Thompson Landry Gallery presents GAIA, a breathtaking series of photographs taken from space, by Guy Laliberté.

In August 2012, the Thompson Landry Gallery presents GAIA:  the latest tour de force of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil® and first-ever private space explorer.  GAIA features stunning photographs of the Earth taken from 220 miles away during an eleven-day trip into space.  The photographs highlight unique views of nearly forty countries.

ONE DROP is a non-profit organization founded by Laliberté to fight poverty worldwide by ensuring access to clean water now and in the future.  For more information on ONE DROP please visit their website at http://www.onedrop.org/en/default.aspx

In keeping with ONE DROP’s mandate, Laliberté dedicated his spaceflight to raising awareness about water issues facing humankind, referring to the trip as his “Poetic Social Mission”.  During these eleven days, Laliberté spent over fifty percent of his time photographing the surface of the earth using the Nikon D3S and Nikon D3X digital SLR cameras.  The photographs capture the earth’s beautiful natural and man-made landscapes.  In addition, his photographs reveal the changing climate and shed light on the lack of water resources available to some communities.  Laliberté developed the images into a photographic collection called GAIA, named after the Greek primordial earth-goddess.  GAIA is comprised of photographs personally curated by Laliberté from the collection of ten-thousand photographs he took in space.  His images are natural works of art:  deserts resemble contemporary abstract paintings, and faces and figures are revealed in nature.  GAIA showcases the planet we inhabit as it has never been seen before.

In conjunction with the Thompson Landry Gallery, ONE DROP will be showcasing a public exhibition of 60 large-scale photographs outside along Distillery Lane in Toronto’s Historical Distillery District.  The outdoor exhibition seeks to raise awareness of water-related issues on our planet and to encourage people to adopt responsible habits with respect to this vital resource.  Paired with descriptions of the location and the geographical and geological significance of the photograph, GAIA will be both visually and intellectually stimulating as viewers ponder the evolving landscape of the earth’s surface.

In addition to the outdoor exhibition, 30 images will be on display and available for purchase, inside the Thompson Landry Gallery’s Stone Distillery Space.  Each of the limited editions, available in four sizes, is printed on cotton paper, these incredible images can be found on the gallery website at www.thompsonlandry.com

Proceeds from the sale of GAIA will benefit ONE DROP http://www.onedrop.org/en/default.aspx

In coming months, and over the next few years, the GAIA Exhibition will be sharing this compelling tale with men, women and children everywhere as it travels to cities all over the world.

GAIA is available in the first ever photography book published by a private space explorer.  Guy Laliberté’s unforgettable photographs capture the colours and textures of the earth’s surface from 220 kilometres in space.  These are presented in a wonderful collection of three publications:

– The hardcover trade edition features over 300 pages  and 149 stunning images from Laliberté’s expedition into space.

–  The hand-bound special edition featuring 168 pages, 101 images and 12 gatefolds. Presented in a linen box with a four colour metallic plate

–  The hand-bound hardcover with multilevel topographic embossing, limited edition, printed on aquarelle paper and presented in a linen clamshell case features 178 pages, 90 illustrations and 25 gatefolds.

All proceeds from book sales will go to ONE DROP.  In addition, the purchase of the multilevel topographic embossed edition is considered a charitable donation to ONE DROP and is eligible for tax receipt.

Featured image: Guy Laliberté, Mali, Above Dianké, 2009, photographic print on cotton paper, 20” x 30”, 30” x 45”, 40 x 60, 72” x 108” limited editions

He Dog Brulé, circa 1922. Copyright: © Photographer Unknown / Courtesy of Rare Photo Gallery /Stephen Bulger Gallery

July 26 – September 15, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 2, 5 – 9 p.m.
STEPHEN BULGER GALLERY
1026 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6J 1H6
T: 416.504.0575
E: info@bulgergallery.com
www.bulgergallery.com
Hours: Tues – Sat 11 – 6 p.m. or by appointment

FIRST PHOTOGRAPHS / Early Photographs of North American Indigenous Peoples

This exhibition of over 50 vintage prints, from a wide variety of makers, concentrates on photographs of North American Indigenous Peoples. Early ethnographic photography is a hybrid of fact and fiction; however an appreciation for their unique qualities as historical artifacts enables the viewer to move beyond pure exoticism.

The majority of the exhibition is arranged geographically and a number of photographs are made by unknown photographers (comprised of professional photographers, ethnographers and amateurs). It will also feature many types of early photographic processes and techniques, which serves to underscore the evolving nature of what the medium was able to capture and present.

Known photographers in the exhibition include:

GEORGE BARKER; D.F. BARRY; W.P. BLISS; L.T. BURWASH; CASE & DRAPER; DRANE; E.W. HALL; HAMILTON & HOYT; RICHARD HARRINGTON; WILLIAM E. IRWIN; H.G. KAISER; W.H. MARTIN; HANNAH H. MAYNARD; LEE WILLIAM MOHR; WILLIAM M. NOTMAN; S.W. ORMSBY; WILLIAM M. PENNINGTON; HARRY POLLARD; and ISAIAH WEST TABER.

Co-Curated by Rare Photo Gallery and Stephen Bulger Gallery

July 25 – September 2, 2012
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 25, 6 – 9 p.m.
THE PEACH GALLERY
722 College Street, 3rd Floor,
Totonto, ON
info@thepeachgallery.com
www.thepeachgallery.com
Hours:Thur & Fri 2-8, Sat 11–4 p.m.

THE PEACH GALLERY invites you to attend an exhibition opening of a large selection of works from the early 90’s to 2012 by DARA ARAM

” A journey into the imaginary realms of the unconscious. The abstract forms and mythological themes that emerge on his canvas serve as an inspiration to modern industrialized man, who urgently needs to reconnect with his lost soul.”  Dara Aram

 

Saturday, July 28, 2012,  1 – 4 p.m.
CITY ART COLLAGE GALLERY
230 Queen Street East
@ Sherbourne, next to Acadia Art & Rare Books
Toronto, ON M5A 1S3
T: 416.977.1077
http://cityartproject.ca/

“Le Chien Noir: Salon des Arts”

 Artwork by Vivan Felsen, Sae Kamura, Deborah Harris, Eron Boyd, Maya Rain and others

music

discourse

coffee

lemonade

delectable delights

July 26 – September 1, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 28, 4 – 8 p.m.
ROBERT KANANAJ GALLERY
1267 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6H 1N7
T: 416.289.8855
E: info@robertkananajgallery.com
www.robertkananajgallery.com
Hours: Tues–Sat 11–6 p.m.

Featuring artists Jordan Seal and Sibylle Schwarz

along with Clara Bacou, Stephan Berg, Claude Breeze, Gon Bregu, Napoleon Brousseau, Matthew Green, Karen Grosman, Robert Kananaj, Ivana Kalezic, Lula Motra, Juan Carlos Noria, Mike Parsons, David Van Drunen, Luca Reffo, Mikel Temo, Stefan Thompson, Szonja Vucsetics, and Wing Yee Tong.

The Robert Kananaj Gallery is proud to celebrate its one-year anniversary with an exhibition featuring an exciting range of work from both new artists and those represented by the gallery.

This exhibit promotes the diverse scope of the gallery and its fusion of Canadian and international artists. The focus of the exhibition will be the works of Sibylle Schwarz and Jordan Seal who feature at the Robert Kananaj Gallery for the first time.

Sibylle Schwarz works with different mediums, including watercolours, ink, and embroidery on paper, to create delicate yet powerful abstractions of the human form and condition. Sibylle contrasts blocks of vibrant colour with dark lines to explore representations of people and society.

Jordan Seal within his genuinely crafted Eden, confronts utopia and delivers his personal manifesto for artistic practice. Keep an eye on this young upcoming artist, it is worthwhile for anyone to witness his artwork.

Napoleon Brousseau has strong presence with painting, Juan Carlos Noria in his quest through painting, Ivana Kalezic with intricate drawings, and the organic sculpting of Wing Yee Tong.

The Robert Kananaj Gallery was established in 2011, to promote and exhibit Canadian and international contemporary art both locally and internationally.

The gallery’s scope includes installation and photo-based work, as well as a strong commitment to painting and sculpture.

Mall, Edition of 15 chromogenic print, 40 x 57 inches

July 7 – 21, 2012
BAU-XI PHOTO

Lori Nix captures a city that no longer exists in her series The City. There is no human present in these photographs. Buildings that have seen better days, like churches and theatres, are now abandoned by the people who once cared for them – even treasured them. Their roofs are leaking; their walls are falling in. Their beauty is scarred but still not completely ruined.

Many of the places in these images, like the Neo-Romanesque Church, are now filled with rubbish and left to slow decline by the elements. The four horses in Fountain follow the composition of the Versailles’ Apollo Fountain, but now they are inside without the magic of the water. The library (Circulation desk) in a rotunda is now open only to birds as it longer has a roof  while the books are still on the selves. Surely once people populated and admired those places.

What’s happened to this city? Gabriel Garcia Márquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude comes to my mind when I look at the image titled Mall. In the background of the photograph the shops with the occasional mannequins are still visible  and it is easy to imagine the upscale stores with expensive clothes and pretty ladies looking longingly at them. Their old glamour still hangs in the air but  only ghosts visit them now. Originally it must have been a forest that people cleared to build the city and now the original vegetation is taking back the ground as in Marques’ novel. Instead of life and laughter stillness and silence dominate the place. I don’t feel any catastrophic present here, just a deep solitude. People, for some reason, left this place behind. It radiates the painful nostalgia of good old times gone. Melancholy rules forever.

Emese Krunák-Hajagos

Sleeping Beauty, fine art chromogenic print, 30” x 24”

July 5 – 31, 2012
BEZPALA BROWN GALLERY

Using mixed media imaging, Zilberberg, in her exhibit “Who is Alice?” creates works that evoke traditional Brother Grimm fairytales, including but not limited to Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland, in order to challenge conventional notions of how women are meant to look and act.

Zilberberg adds a deeper layer to her works by using the styles of Dali and Magritte, two artists known for their objectification of the female body, in order to formulate her own statements and arguments. She does this by removing their sexual reproductive parts in order to state that the female body should not be looked as a sexual beauty but a sensual beauty. She adds further symbolism with broken eggs, houses half embedded in the ground, and clouds, to construct her well thought out graphic compositions.

The images are clever and quite striking in their twisted and dark representations. The audience is left with no choice but to consider the mass-media representations that are rampant in today’s society and question exactly what kind of image the industry market has formed.

Barbara D. Waginski

July 25 – August 5, 2012
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 25, 6-9 p.m
GALLERY 1313 Process Gallery
1313 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6K 1L8
T: 416.536.6778
E: director@g1313.org
www.g1313.org
Hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.

Diana Dickson Positive Thinking: What Does it Look Like?

“This body of work is a series of 12 small contemplations on ‘positive thinking’, done in water colour and pencil on paper.

Each piece was completed within a self- imposed time limit of 8 minutes, during a period of mental calm and optimism. A reliance on intuition and spontaneous use of symbols put the works in a common context, but I honestly don’t know where some of these symbols came from or what they really mean, except that they are immediate, positive, reminiscent, and make me feel good.” Diana Dickson

Metaphysical Memories by Fox Xoft

July 25 – August 5, 2012
Public Reception: Wednesday, July 25, 6-9 p.m.
Ticketed event: Saturday, August 4, 4:00 – 9:30 p.m.
GALLERY 1313 Main Gallery
1313 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6K 1L8
T: 416.536.6778
E: director@g1313.org
www.g1313.org
Hours: Wed – Sun: 1 – 6 p.m.

LIGHT BRINGERS A Group exhibition of art and performance

The path of the Occult is a path that requires an exploration of the depths of the Self. Light Bringers is a group exhibition of artists whom draw inspiration from the exploration of their shadow side and the rejection of conventional moral oppression in order to bring the Light of their discoveries to the World.

Artists Include:
Alejandro Freeland
Calla Donofrio ~ www.calladonofrio.tumblr.com/
David Carlton
Fox Xoft ~ www.foxxoft.com
James Alexander Minett
Jennifer Humphries
John Nobrega ~ www.john-nobrega.ca
Juan Ramirez ~ http://cargocollective.com/juanramirez
Jubal Brown ~ www.jubalbrown.com
Lucero Milchorena
Orlee Andromedae ~ www.orlee9.blogspot.ca
Rosmarinus Stehlik
?†N? ~ www.sinsmusik.tumblr.com
Tasha Menary
Xris Kukiel ~ www.xriskukiel.com/blog/artwork

?†N? Live performance ~ https://vimeo.com/43856130

For More Information http://lhpconvention.org/

Featured image: Mandala by John Nobrega

plywood, fluorescent tubes, fiber optic cable, fishing line, ink transfer

July 18 – August 17, 2012
Daily until 12 a.m., best viewed after dusk
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
911 Davenport Road
Toronto, ON M6G 2B7
E: info@weseeinc.com

En Face is an ongoing project utilizing fibre-optic cable, a material native to communication technology, as a sculptural medium. The material is employed to create a series of light sculptures of the human body in traditional portrait compositions. This tension between portraiture as traditional substitute for physical presence and the medium of communication technology (a contemporary substitute for physical presence) provides the main conceptual impetus for the work.

The experiential aim of this body of work is best expressed through the French term en face which translates to “facing forward.” The phrase here is referential to traditional ways of engaging with two-dimensional artworks. The typical arrangement between static viewer and static artwork is the paradigm that the works in this series aim to challenge. An image is created by manipulating a glowing optical cable: delineating with three-dimensional loops. Since the outlines change as the viewer moves around, full comprehension of the work is only achieved when standing “face to face.” Additionally, each piece possesses two states of expression: showing one image in bright lighting conditions and another in dim light.

Studio 1:1 is a Toronto-based multi disciplinary workshop founded by Kira Varvanina and Edward Lin in 2010. The duo focuses their practice on one-to-one interactive installations and multimedia art. Their interest in innovative technology as a tool for spatial transformations comes from their extensive exposure to architectural design and planning.

July 21 – August 12, 2012
Opening: Saturday, July 21, 2-5 p.m.
Q&A Session: Sunday, July 29, 3 p.m.
loop Gallery
1273 Dundas Street West,
(3 doors west of Dovercourt).
Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1X8
T: 416.516.2581
E: loopgallery@primus.ca
http://loopgallery.ca
Hours: Wed – Sat 12 – 5, Sun 1 – 4 p.m.

Q&A Session: Sunday, July 29th, 2012, 3 pm with panelists: Mark Adair, Libby Hague, and Richard Mongiat, moderated by Will Huffman

loop gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition entitled Collective Vision featuring works by more than 20 loop members past and present.

The year 2000 marked tremendous change for Toronto’s Queen West community. The introduction of loop gallery into the neighbourhood was one of several catalysts that would effectively transform Queen street’s gritty “wild west” into the vibrant, trend-setting, cultural destination it is today. In 2009, loop migrated north, joining yet another hotbed of burgeoning cultural activity on Dundas Street West. After more than a decade in operation, loop’s artist-led curatorial model in conjunction with the calibre of its member artists have allowed the gallery to retain its reputation as a fertile ground for inventive practices and projects.

Collective Vision is a special occasion in loop’s history. The exhibition brings together a group of works by a sampling of loop’s member artists for a glimpse at the diverse practices that have shaped the organization across 12 years and 2 gallery spaces. “I always dreamed that if loop got big enough,” says co-founder Richard Mongiat, “we would open up the space next door and call it pool.” Reflection, appropriately, is what Collective Vision is all about. The show is an occasion both to meditate on the gallery’s formative role in a particular neighbourhood and to imagine the future contributions loop can make to Toronto’s creative communities.

Collective Vision features works by John Abrams, Mark Adair, Elizabeth Babyn, Yael Brotman, Heather Carey, Tara Cooper, Tanya Cunnington, Sheryl Dudley, Martha Eleen, Eric Farache, Adrien Fish, Maria Gabankova, Sandra Gregson, Charles Hackbarth, Libby Hague, Linda Heffernan, David Holt, JJ Lee, Jane Lowbeer, Ian MacLean, Mary Catherine Newcomb, Maureen Paxton, Ester Pugliese, Barbara Rehus, Rochelle Rubinstein, and Yvonne Singer.