Art Toronto 2017 by Canadian Art

canadianart Art Toronto Edition Inside Fair Highlights Los Angeles Comes to Toronto New and Noteworthy Exhibitors Exhibitions in the City Explore Toronto

OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW Art Toronto is Canada’s only international art fair. This year, in its 18th edition, the fair puts modern and contemporary art from more than 100 galleries and eight countries on view under one roof, along with collectors, curators, artists and art enthusiasts. The West Coast will be highlighted in the FOCUS: Los Angeles section, and Canadian Art contributors and editors will present a panel about Black Canadian histories and art.

Power Talks

A benefit for the Art Gallery of Ontario Thursday, October 26 Purchase tickets at ago.net/art-toronto-2017.

TICKETS General: $22 Students and seniors: $15 Groups: $15 Multi-day fair pass: $40 Children under 10: Free Purchase tickets at arttoronto.ca or at the door.

PUBlIC HOURS Friday, October 27 12–8 p.m. Saturday, October 28 12–8 p.m. Sunday, October 29 12–6 p.m. Monday, October 30 12–6 p.m.

edition Toronto returns

POwEr TAlkS presents influential figures from the art world and beyond discussing their projects, preoccupations and ideas. Presented by the Power Plant Contemporary Art gallery.

los Angeles–based artist Charles gaines is celebrated for his photographs, drawings and works on paper that investigate how rules-based procedures construct order and meaning. In 2014, his acclaimed retrospective opened at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the following year it travelled to the Hammer Museum in los Angeles. His talk will offer a survey of his work, looking at his early projects with systems and numerals and his most recent investigations into language and representation, and consider notions of subjectivity.

MARI SPIRITO Saturday, October 28, 4 P.M. Mari Spirito is curator and founding director of Protocinema, a nonprofit that organizes exhibitions between Istanbul and New York. She is also the curator and director of Alt, a contemporary non-profit art space in 1 Istanbul that has shown work by rodney graham. Spirito will discuss recent and current projects in two different environments: New York, which is saturated by art; and Istanbul, a place with internal tensions and external threats representing conservative worldviews.

projectS

artists Bring Bunkers and Projections CoUrTESY BUnkEr 2 ConTEmporArY ArT ConTAinEr

1. Bunker 2’s container

Canadian art • art toronto

CoUrTESY AnGELL GALLErY

A number of PrOJECTS will be activating the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, including screenings of Oliver Husain’s Isla Santa Maria 3D, presented by Susan Hobbs gallery, and projection work by British artist Ed Fornieles, presented by Division gallery. One of the PrOJECTS you won’t be able to miss: local project space Bunker 2 will move their exhibition space—a shipping container —into the fair, and show changing combinations of performance and video art throughout the weekend.

.COVER Erin LorEE Milky Way 2017 oil and acrylic on panel 1.27 x 1.02 m

last year, Edition Toronto made its Art Toronto debut, and welcomed more than 8,000 art and book enthusiasts, who were able to look through the wide range of artist’s books, publications, editions and ephemera that were on view. This year, Edition Toronto, which is dedicated to the promotion of art-book publishing in all forms, is back. look for special projects by artists kristin Nelson and Dave Dyment, and a new library sculpture by Sotirios kotoulas. To learn more about what to expect, visit online at editiontoronto.com.

CHARLES GAINES Friday, October 27, 4 P.M.

Courtney J. Martin, deputy director and chief curator of the Dia Art Foundation, will use American painter robert ryman, active from the late 1950s, to discuss painting and object-based Minimalism. ryman’s work is often connected to Abstract Expressionism; Conceptual art, because of his non-traditional materials; and, most often, Minimalism, because his works often include achromatic or white surfaces. Martin has worked with ryman’s work before, notably curating an acclaimed exhibition of his paintings at the Dia Art Foundation, which opened in 2015.

Metro Toronto Convention Centre 255 Front St. W. North Building, Toronto arttoronto.ca (1-800) 663-4173

art Book Fair

ON THE ArT TOrONTO STAgE

COURTNEY J. MARTIN Sunday, October 29, 4 P.M.

lOCaTION

COURTESY NIGHT GALLERY

Untitled 2016 Watercolour on ceramic 45 x 40 x 5 cm

COURTESY MOSKOWITZ BAYSE

Hawaii (23) (still) 2017 HD video, sound 23 min

FOCUS:

Los Angeles The City of Angels heads north, with a selection of galleries from the city’s varied neighbourhoods, and a nod to the experimental, moving-image practices that have developed there.

A few things can be guaranteed, though. Even though LA artists run the gamut of disciplines, it’s undeniable that the city’s mythos is dominated by the movies. And it’s a dedication that Vernetti hopes to tap into, with a homage to LA cinema. Also on the docket are the more avant-garde aspects of the scene. “Another dream of mine is to bring some of the more genre-bending and experimental new-media artists and technologies that happen here in Los Angeles to the fair,” Vernetti said. Some of the artists from the selected galleries will also have work on view in an exhibition curated by Vernetti, titled And the sky is grey—a nod to the Mamas and the Papas’ 1989 song “California Dreamin’.” But far from offering an idyllic view of the West Coast, Vernetti’s showing will try to take apart some of the myth of Los Angeles as the land of milk and honey, or the place where dreams come true. “And the sky is grey will be doing demystifying work,” he said. “Maybe showing a little bit more of the darker, messier side of LA that people often don’t experience until they’re actually here.”

All Tomorrow’s Parties 2016 Oil on canvas 101.6 x 76.2 cm

Unsurprisingly, with a range of neighbourhoods, there’s no shortage of varied choice. “Los Angeles is often considered the seat of art and cultural activity and experimentation, so what we actually do have here in the city is a really wide range of diverse practices that encapsulate a whole number of different aesthetic and philosophical concerns,” said Vernetti. “I think in the presentation I’m trying to stay true to that, which is something that curatorially has always been one of my working methodologies. You know, try to highlight the diversity of practices rather than zone in on a specific register that artists seem to be working in.”

COURTESY ANAT EBGI

Los Angeles is a city of neighbourhoods, and far from ignoring this diversity, curator Santi Vernetti will be highlighting it with his selections for the FOCUS: Los Angeles portion of Art Toronto 2017. “The city has a number of different pockets of gallery activity, with the main ones being the Culver City area, the downtown arts district and other galleries scattered across different areas,” said Vernetti earlier this year from LA. “I’m trying to help the fair choose galleries from all of those different little sectors,” he explained, so visitors can expect a nice overview of the city.

3 1. Kim Schoen

Canadian art • art toronto

2. Rachelle Sawatsky

3. Chris Coy

Canadian Art at Art Toronto Artist Project, Talks and Tours

canadianart

Panel: The Idea of History

+ EDITOR TOURS OF FAIR HIGHLIGHTS

Commence daily at 2 p.m., beginning at the Canadian Art booth

Saturday, October 28, 6 p.m. Main Stage

Deanna Bowen Yaniya Lee Michèle Pearson Clarke

CHRISTIAN KLIEGEL – DESIGNED BOOTH

Come and see Canadian Art’s booth, where artist and designer Christian Kliegel will create an immersive installation of found and transformed materials. Wood platforms throughout the structure will serve as monuments for display, seating, shelving and circulation.

Moderated by Merray Gerges Whose stories are we telling and whose are we leaving out? Inspired by the theme of our Fall 2017 issue, “The Idea of History,” this discussion explores Black Canadian histories from the perspective of our panellists’ artistic practices. Join Canadian Art’s assistant editor Merray Gerges for a conversation with associate editor Yaniya Lee and multidisciplinary artists Deanna Bowen and Michèle Pearson Clarke, all contributors to the Fall 2017 issue.

Kliegel, who spans art and architecture in his work, graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the University of British Columbia’s graduate architecture program. He maintains a collaborative architectural design practice with Vancouver-based Katy Young (with whom he is currently redesigning the building for artist-run centre Western Front) and works with David Carter Architects Inc. in Toronto.

Excerpt from Deanna Bowen’s artist project The Long Doorway in Canadian Art ’s Fall 2017 issue

Roche Bobois Auctions Artist-Designed Cushions You know Roche Bobois’s signature piece: luxe cushions that can be combined to create modular seating arrangements. But, at this year’s Art Toronto, Roche Bobois is launching a special Canada 150 project that will give their iconic Mah Jong cushion a twist. Six leading Canadian artists will each design a cushion in their signature style, and Roche Bobois will exhibit the resulting creations before Art Toronto. After being a Feature Project at the fair, Roche Bobois will auction the pieces in support of Canadian Art. They could fit together to form a fun composition, but given the artists who are contributing to the project, they could happily stand alone. Past RBC Canadian Painting Competition winner Patrick Cruz will be working on one, as will veteran Calgary painter Ron Moppett, Kinngait-based artist Ningiukulu Teevee and Montreal multimedia artist Karen Kraven.

Special Offer

Subscribe at Art Toronto and receive a free issue and limited-edition tote bag by artist Les Ramsay—all for only $25. Visit the Canadian Art booth for more details. FOR COVERAGE FROM THE FAIR, VISIT CANADIANART.CA

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New and Notable Gallerists

There are plenty of new faces—and exciting returning faces —at Art Toronto this year. With more than 100 galleries represented at this year’s event, there are plenty of first-time exhibitors making their debut this fall, and they hail from across North America. Some galleries are closer to Toronto, like Oeno Gallery in Bloomfield, but there are plenty from farther afield, like Vancouver’s Franc Gallery, so visitors will have a chance to make new finds from across the continent. Also on the docket for new faces: Galerie 3 from Quebec City and, in the Cultural Partners section, the Canada Council Art Bank will be exhibiting at the fair for the first time. For exhibitors like Catriona Jeffries and Macaulay & Co. Fine Art, both from Vancouver, and Erin Stump Projects and Susan Hobbs Gallery, both from Toronto, this year marks an exciting return to the fair. Here, we speak to a few of the first-time exhibitors about what they’re bringing and what they’re looking forward to.

1 Robin Arseneault MASk wITH DECAY 2016

2 Jennifer Lefort

COURTESY MINDY SOLOMON GALLERY PHOTO JUSTIN wONNACOTT

COURTESY JARVIS HALL GALLERY

Must-see booths at Art Toronto

1 JARVIS HALL GALLERY “Being from out west, there is a built in sense of alienation that this country’s geography imparts on us. I know JHG represents artists that are not always known in other parts of the country, and I like the idea of taking charge. We’re taking our artist Robin Arseneault to Toronto, and sharing this fantastic work with fresh eyes. Having visited Art Toronto, I have always been struck by the sheer number of interested audiences.” —Jarvis Hall, director

LAYERS 2016

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2 MINDY SOLOMON GALLERY ”I’m presenting a solo show of work by Jennifer Lefort, who’s based in Gatineau. I became familiar with her work several years ago during a fair in Basel, Switzerland, and I’m interested in showcasing her in her home country—I love the work, and it’s always nice to have an artist from the country you’re showing in.” —Mindy Solomon, director

3 JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY “We will present a curated booth called ‘Atmospheres,’ featuring works by Judy Chicago (the legendary feminist artist), Ian Wallace (the Vancouver-based master of photoconceptualism), Isaac Julien (the award-winning British filmmaker and photographer), Hugh Scott-Douglas (a young Toronto/New York–based artist) and Margo Wolowiec (a Detroit-based artist who works in the cross-section of high tech and tapestry). The booth will create a lively conversation between historic works by older artists and new work by younger ones.”—Jessica Silverman, owner/director

5 DILLON + LEE ”Two or three years ago, when art-fair expansion was at its peak, we experienced fair fatigue and realized that much of the same collectors travel from fair to fair, creating a strange, insular bubble. We took a step back and decreased the number of fairs. Canada, while close to the US, is still a different world, and we hope that it will draw different kinds of collectors who we are excited to share our art with, as well as learn from.” —Diana Lee, partner

COURTESY JESSICA SILVERmAN gALLERY

4 L’INCONNUE ”I’m planning on having a more curated booth—I’m bringing young, Canadian artists who are living abroad, and most of whom have never been shown at Art Toronto before. As a new gallery, my intention is to boost Canadian representation in terms of galleries and artists abroad, and in order to do so I have to have a strong base and a following domestically. I figured Art Toronto is the best fair for that within Canada.” —Leila Greiche, director

COURTESY DILLON + LEE

COURTESY L’INCONNUE

3 Isaac Julien TRUE NORTH SERIES 2004

4 Larissa Lockshin FIg III 2016

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5 Humans since 1982 A mILLION TImES 61C 2014

www.trepanierbaer.com

Fall 2017

DaveandJenn, Time will fold you in, 2017, Polyclay, acrylic paint, brass, silicon carbide, fiber, wire, acetate and dichoric film, 14” x 11.25” x 9”

Joseph Hartman “THE ARTIST’S STUDIO” Book Signing at Art Toronto SOLO Booth S01 Saturday, October 28, 2-4pm Fair dates: October 26-30, 2017

Spanning nearly five years of work by Hamiltonbased photographer Joseph Hartman, “The Artist’s Studio” is a full-colour catalogue featuring over 100 photographs of studio interiors, shot around the country. These images provide rare behind-thescenes views into the production spaces of some of Canada’s most well-known contemporary artists alongside more emerging practices.

Published by Black Dog Publishing, 2017

1356 Dundas Street West Toronto Canada 416.504.0575 bulgergallery.com Tuesday to Saturday 11am-6pm

Art Outside the Fair Must-see exhibitions on across the city 1 Florine Stettheimer SELF PORTRAIT wITH PALETTE (Painter and Faun)

1915

2 Unknown Associated Press photographer

COURTESY THE RUDOLPH P. BRATTY FAMILY COLLECTION, RYERSON UNIVERSITY

COURTESY ART PROPERTIES, AVERY ARCHITECTURAL AND FINE ARTS LIBRARY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Princess elizaBeth at niagara Falls sPeaKing with ernest hawKins, mayor oF the ontario community OCTOBER 14, 1951

1 1 FLORINE STETTHEIMER A painter, a Jazz Age saloniste—Stettheimer was many things, but above all she was a woman ahead of her time. Her work is vibrant and all too overlooked; catch a glimpse in this show circulated by the Jewish Museum in New York. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W.

2 THE FARAWAY NEARBY: PHOTOGRAPHS OF CANADA FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES PHOTO ARCHIVE With more than 200 archival images featuring a range of subjects—from national icons to everyday scenes—this exhibition offers a slightly meta look at Canadian history, and how this history has been documented and portrayed in the American press. Ryerson Image Centre, 33 Gould St.

3 HERE: LOCATING CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ARTISTS Bringing together 21 artists working in a range of media, this show looks at the many varied paths and stories of Canadian identity, and offers counternarratives to the often monolithic Canada 150 story. Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr.

4 4 STARING BACK AT THE SUN: VIDEO ART FROM ISRAEL, 1970-2012 Some 35 leading Israeli video artists are brought together in this show, which gives a platform to the cultural and political work that has been made in Israel and beyond over the last four decades. Koffler Gallery, 180 Shaw St.

3 3 Brette Gabel BLANkET (DETAIL) 2017

4 Hila Lulu Lin Farah KuFr Birim NO MORE TEARS (STILL) 1994

Canadian art • art toronto

Schadowen, 2017 Oil on linen 23.5 cm x 23.5 cm

#105 999 - 8 Street S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2R 1J5 trepanierbaer.com T 403.244.2066 E info@tbg1.com Tuesday - Saturday

10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Explore Toronto See what the city has to offer

shop

Instead, expect seasonal selections like smoked mackerel dip, a wine selection that cannot be matched and the city’s most Instagrammed washroom. If you feel like eating art, in addition to looking at it, head to La Banane (227 Ossington Ave.), where their “Ziggy Stardust Disco Egg” gives dessert a glam-rock edge. Tacos of all varieties are on offer in Kensington Market, including versions on Ojibway-style frybread at Pow Wow Cafe (213 Augusta Ave.) and Baja-style options at Seven Lives (69 Kensington Ave.). Classic French food is on the menu at longstanding Queen Street West bistro La Palette (492 Queen St. W.), which, as it happens, is co-owned by a Toronto artist.

Looking through the racks at Ewanika (1083 Bathurst St.) feels more like pilfering your elegant friend’s wardrobe than shopping; there’s stylish footwear from it-girl label Maryam Nassir Zadeh, dreamy knits from Lauren Manoogian and foundational pieces from the store’s eponymous line. SOUVENIR (1232 College St.) carries a range of products—like ceramics, textiles, stationery and more—from local makers; they also stock their own in-house label, and have limited and special-edition products on offer in the gallery-like space. Le Labo (876 Queen St. W.) has finally opened a Canadian post, where you can drop by and watch the perfume house mix up fragrances upon purchase (to help insure a longer shelf-life for the product).

get outside

read

The newest book-purveyor on the block is Queen Books (914 Queen St. E.), where you’ll be able to find shelves stocked with titles from local authors alongside international bestsellers, all within the coziest environment imaginable—think tree-patterned wallpapers and Persian rugs. Glad Day Bookshop (499 Church St.), by contrast, is the world’s oldest queer bookstore; they’ve been in business for some 47 years, although their Village digs are new. If deep discounts are more your speed, there’s really nowhere better than used-book retailer BMV (471 Bloor St. W./10 Edward St./2289 Yonge St.).

snack

Have you ever eaten a semla? If no, you should rectify this immediately; the Swedish take on a cream bun is not to missed, and they’re often on offer at the sweet FIKA Café (28 Kensington Ave.), which boasts an incredibly Instagrammable interior in addition

to dreamy baked goods and coffee. Afternoon coffee dates that spill over into early evening snacks with a glass of wine are, arguably, the very best way to spend a day; the Walton (607 College St.) is perfectly poised to facilitate these languorous meetings, with pastries and coffee on offer alongside elderflower cocktails and terrine. If you’re looking for a place that can handle savoury snacks as adeptly as the sweet options, turn to Forno Cultura (609 King St. W.), where the city’s very best porchetta sandwiches reside—fighting words, but we stand behind them.

feast

Sure, Grey Gardens (199 Augusta Ave.) may share a name with the Maysles brothers’ documentary on eccentrics Little and Big Edie Beale, but fear not— there’s no cat food dressed up as pâté around here.

Canadian art • art toronto

Berczy Park Dog Fountain charts as one of the most controversial additions to Toronto’s landscape; the twotier fountain, designed by Claude Cormier, includes 27 cast-iron dog statues (and a cat), who spew water into the basin from their mouths. There’s something deeply Koonsian about the arrangement, which is worth dropping by Berczy Park (25 Wellington St. E.) to see. A little further from downtown, Rouge National Urban Park (1749 Meadowvale Rd., Scarborough) has incredible beaches, hiking trails and marshes. If you want to shop and walk, at the Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Ave.) you can drop by a farmers’ market and venture out on a few trails in the Don Valley. 1 Queen Books 2 Grey Gardens 3 FIKA Café