In the lead up to Toronto’s annual art extravaganza Nuit Blanche, it can be easy to forget the staggering number of other art offerings in Toronto at any given time. If you’re jonesing for an art fix, check out this guide to current art exhibits being housed in galleries near campus.
Museum Of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA)
Recently opened is TBD, a new exhibit that aims to question what it means to be a contemporary gallery. This comes at a time when the Queen West gallery is continuing its search for a new home, as the current space will be transformed into condominiums later this year. The exhibit is comprised of over 70 submissions from architects, challenging existing notions about public galleries and museum spaces.
The exhibit is small and unassuming; along the walls there are floor plans, three-dimensional models, and endless interpretations of what a gallery is. In one of the three rooms, a written line exemplifies one of the many themes of TBD: “Artists are the barometer of our cultural consciousness.”
Together these charts, notes, and images seem to comprise the collective thoughts of the contributing artists. In this way, the exhibit offers a platform for discussion on new interpretations of gallery space.
Great for: inspiring critical thought, with the bonus of pay-what-you-can admission.
Justina M. Barnicke Gallery
The Why Can’t Minimal exhibit, on through October 19 at the Hart House gallery, is perhaps the most accessible art to U of T students. The gallery is free, on campus, and affiliated with the neighbouring University of Toronto Art Centre, housed in University College. The collection was curated by a Master of Visual Studies graduate.
The current exhibit pokes fun at the concept of minimalism by “embracing its humanity and latent absurdity,” according to the exhibit’s web page. The gallery is small and quickly walked through. The pieces in the exhibit stick to their promise of minimalism, yet there is a sense of joviality and ease as you walk through — from doodles on pieces of paper to a large glass square that is dripping with condensation on the inside. It seems almost funny, except that it is too subtle to actually make you laugh out loud.
Great for:stopping by for even a moment’s quiet relief from the busy campus surrounding it.
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
The biggest exhibit on at the AGO right now showcases twentieth century Canadian artist Alex Colville. It is the largest collection of Colville’s work to date, with over 100 paintings being shown in addition to drawings and sketches. The Toronto artist passed away in July of last year at the age of 92. His work is known for its realism. In an interview with Maclean’s, curator Andrew Hunter describes Colville as “aware that things can always go horribly wrong, that they were always on a fine balance.”
Much of his work showcases his Canadian heritage, like “To Prince Edward Island” or “Low Tide.” His work also often deals with wartime scenes and themes from his time in Europe during the Second World War. Hunter explains that this focus distinguishes Colville from his Canadian contemporaries, as he established himself as a relevant, modern artist.
Another interesting draw is that the AGO is pairing many of his works with scenes in which they’ve been recreated in modern pop culture. The painting “To Prince Edward Island” was reimagined by Wes Anderson in Moonrise Kingdom, and “Target Pistol and Man” was channeled by the Coen brothers in No Country for Old Men.
Great for: reflecting back on the life and work of a great Canadian artist, on a scale that only the AGO could accomplish.
Hashtag Gallery
Forgotten Places by Christina Tjandra opened this week at Hashtag Gallery — so recently that I didn’t even have time to check it out myself. Tjandra is an Indonesian-Canadian artist whose sketches are repetitive and mesmerizing, using imagery of architecture and people to create fantastic scenes. They offer a challenge for any who consider themselves to be detail-oriented — I myself am eager to spend an hour or so decoding her artwork.
Great for: a small, free to enter, friendly gallery at Bathurst and Dundas West.
The Gladstone
The famous Queen West art hotel currently has on a retrospective of their own history, called Then | Now | Next, looking back at the last 125 years. The exhibit features the history of the hotel itself as well as its art programming, and is made up of various pieces of art, photography, and artifact. This includes endlessly fascinating old maps of the city, pictures of Queen Street West when it mostly consisted of dirt, and documents like the permit for the original building, which was designed by George Miller in 1889.
The collection is fascinating for anyone who has spent any time in Toronto, as the history of the hotel offers insights into the growth of the greater city throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This coupled with Queen West’s recent accolade as second coolest neighborhood in the world by Vogue makes for a worthwhile visit to the exhibition.
Great for: discovering Toronto’s past, at no cost.
