Have you heard this expression of "do, don't tell". Well, these days I've been experimenting with new ideas and content on Instagram and over here on the blog. I've been doing this quietly but consistently and it's been interesting to notice the reactions from everyone, including myself.
I might write about it at some point. This idea of getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and accepting the "cringe" of experimenting as part of the creative process.
In the meantime, here's a selection of some of the galleries and shows I visited this month in Toronto.
1. Something Like Arriving. Inaugural show at The Next Contemporary, a space dedicated to spotlighting, advocating, and showcasing BIPOC artists and those who have been historically marginalized from the mainstream narrative, founded and directed by Farnoosh Talaee, an Iranian Canadian curator and art advisor based in Toronto.
This group exhibition looks at comfort beyond a physical state. Each artist unmakes and remakes the idea of home, translating space and reimagining domestic objects as languages of both belonging and estrangement.
Featuring works by: Alize Zorlutuna, Diyar Mayil, Sukaina Kubba.
On view until: April 22
Featuring works by: Alize Zorlutuna, Diyar Mayil, Sukaina Kubba.
On view until: April 22
2. Lydia Ourahmane: Tassili. Once a fertile “plateau of rivers,” as the translation of its name implies, the region is now an arid expanse of desert that is inhospitable to the many forms of life previously known to thrive there. Ourahmane, together with a group of collaborators and local guides, journeyed on foot for thirteen days to a part of Tassili n’Ajjer near the border of Algeria and Libya.
Its mesmerizing imagery is seen structured in four parts, each respectively scored by commissioned musicians Nicolás Jaar, felicita, Yawning Portal, and Sega Bodega.
On view at: Mercer Union until April 15.
Its mesmerizing imagery is seen structured in four parts, each respectively scored by commissioned musicians Nicolás Jaar, felicita, Yawning Portal, and Sega Bodega.
On view at: Mercer Union until April 15.
3. Derek Liddington: Marbled Bodies, Softened Earth. In a new series of paintings, Derek Liddington explores the material of bodies and their representations, the weight of flesh and stone, and the way both sink into the earth.
If you look closer, you will notice there are little "bumps" around the canvas. "These small disturbances create real depth while reminding us of the illusory nature of painting alongside the physicality of the subject rendered flat. We are pushed back to the surface."
On view at: Daniel Faria Gallery until April 22.
If you look closer, you will notice there are little "bumps" around the canvas. "These small disturbances create real depth while reminding us of the illusory nature of painting alongside the physicality of the subject rendered flat. We are pushed back to the surface."
On view at: Daniel Faria Gallery until April 22.
4. These cheeky plates by Alyssa Goodman were part of a recent group show at Cry Baby Gallery.
5. Details of the intricate work by Winnie Truong. Currently on view at Patel Brown Gallery as part of the group show: Surface Temperature.
On view until: April 22
On view until: April 22
6. Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky The Pool in the Shell. Currently on view at Susan Hobbs Gallery (which recently celebrated 30 years at the same location!!).
On view until: April 8
8. Discovering the new Toronto location of Galerie Nicolas Robert. The current show: The Return Project by Babak Golkar questions and challenges the logic of the art market.
"Each work begins with the artist wandering the aisles of large retail chains like Winners or Home Sense. Eventually, he selects an object based on its potential for critical and aesthetic intervention. He then purchases the object and takes it to his studio, where it is documented, altered, and re-documented with price tag and original packaging intact. The altered object is signed and dated, a notice of authenticity is attached, and it is returned using the original receipt of purchase, to an undisclosed store location."
On view until: April 22
"Each work begins with the artist wandering the aisles of large retail chains like Winners or Home Sense. Eventually, he selects an object based on its potential for critical and aesthetic intervention. He then purchases the object and takes it to his studio, where it is documented, altered, and re-documented with price tag and original packaging intact. The altered object is signed and dated, a notice of authenticity is attached, and it is returned using the original receipt of purchase, to an undisclosed store location."
On view until: April 22
