This is a blog post about a exhibit at TMU Image Centre by American photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004) titled “Immortal: Portraits of Aging, 1951–2004”. This is just a small sampling of the almost 100 portraits hanging in the gallery.
Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was both a fashion and a portrait photographer. He produced thousands of portraits over his lifetime. He worked for many magazines including ‘Harpers Bazaar’, ‘Vogue’, and ‘The New Yorker’ and he was involved in many advertising campaigns for companies such as Calvin Klein (think of Brooke Shields in 1980) and Revlon (“The most unforgettable women in the world wear Revlon”). There are numerous books that feature collections of his photographs.
below: Lee Friedlander, photographer, 2002
In this exhibit most, if not all, of the portraits are of older people (hence the title of the exhibit) and many of them are well-known names.
In the 1960s Avedon started making studio portraits of civil rights workers, politicians, and cultural dissidents/activists. As his reputation grew his studio work expanded to include many other public figures and celebrities.
below: Dorothy Day, activist, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, 1969
below: Portraits of three men with American political connections, from left to right: Arthur Schlesinger, Clark Clifford, and Dean Rusk all taken in 1993.
below: W.H. Auden, poet, in a New York City snowstorm, 1960
below: Robert Flaherty, director, 1951
below: Avedon didn’t always center his subjects in the picture and in this case, even chopped off part of his face.
below: Souer Emmanuelle, nun, Paris, 1998
below: Vicente Escudero, flamenco dancer, 1955
below: Gloria Swanson, actor, 1980
below: Michelangelo Antonioni, director, and his wife Enrica, Rome,
below: Dr. Benjamin Spock and his wife Jane Cheney, 1969
below: Southwest corner of Yonge and Yorkville where the original brick buildings lining Yonge Street have been saved (or at least the facades have been).
Once upon a time Yorkville, and its neighbour, Cumberland, were quirky little streets. Joseph Bloor and William B. Jarvis started development here about 200 years ago as a place to escape the city. Yorkville as suburbia. It was able to hold back the developers for a while, but even Yorkville has to succumbed; glass and steel towers have arrived.
below: Looking east on Yorkville, back towards Yonge Street where the Toronto Reference Library is.
below: Redevelopment along Yorkville isn’t finished yet…..
below: Yorkville Fire Hall, Station 312, is the oldest active fire station in the city. The original station was built in 1876 back when Yorkville was a village and not part of the City of Toronto. The building has been rebuilt and updated since then but the five storey clock tower remains as it was originally built.
below: There is a large reddish fountain beside the Four Seasons Hotel (the building to the left of the fountain
below: Part of Yorkville Avenue was closed to traffic for the third Yorkville Murals event. YorkvilleMurals was presented by Taglialatella Galleries and INK Entertainment, and held in partnership with the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area
below: Typing, and creating, poetry
below: Sewing on the street, part of an exhibition of design and fashion.
below: She is posing in front of a large inflatable heart designed by Michelle Hoogveld
below: “Every day is a new beginning” and a new chance for selfies and Instagram photos.
below: “The Oxley – Adult daycare done right”
below: This Toilet Paper Magazine creation was an interactive art installation. The exterior of this shipping container structure had a mirror to encourage selfies and other photos. One could also walk through the center of it.
below: The main attraction was a large mural covering many walls that was painted by Ola Volo. It surrounded the courtyard where other art installations or activities were on display.
below: That same courtyard is home to the Taglialatella Gallery where artworks by The Connor Brothers (aka James Golding and Mike Snelle), “The Story You Tell Yourself” were hanging on the walls. This “I drink to make other people more interesting” is one of them.
below: On the far right is “Fugetaboutit,” a marble sculpture of a Star Wars Stormtrooper wearing a suit and tie by Montreal-based street artist Stikki Peaches (it was one of a few of his sculptures there that day). On the wall behind him is “If you haven’t got anything nice to say come sit next to me” which is another Connor Brothers creation.
below: The other exhibit at the Taglialatella Gallery was Stefan Sagmeister’s “Before We Forgot Things Were Worse”.
below: “La Misma” 2023, Stefan Sagmeister
below: “Purple, Then Green, Then Red”, 2023, another by Stefan Sagmeister
below: Close up of part of an artwork by Zhuang Hong-Yi at Galerie LeRoyer. It is make with painted pieces of rice paper
below: “A Gentle Gesture – Thread Series 237”, 2026, by Lu Luo at Galerie LeRoyer
below: Bronze sculpture, “Figure Catching a Fly”, 2019, by David Altmejd on Avenue Road
below: Glass and sky merge and blend together.
below: ‘North Rustico, Tied to the Tide. ‘ part of the exhibit “What’s Next” by Ailene Vrana MacDougall at the Ruth Upjohn Gallery, Women’s Art Association of Canada
below: “Edinburgh – Hidden Courtyard” also by Ailene Vrana Macdougall.
below: On Prince Arthur Street, across the street from the gallery mentioned above is this mid-century apartment building. One of the architects was Estonian-born Canadian Uno Prii (1924-2000). He designed a number of buildings in the city back in the 1960s. Out of curiosity I went looking for a list of them but so far the closest that I’ve come is this article in Spacing magazine from 2013 (Mod Toronto)
below: “Austerity kills”
below: They almost had it right….
below: Ending this with a little silliness, a TTC temporary stop. A pit stop for the TTC?
If you walk east on Bloor from Dundas West, you will encounter a railway bridge.
A section of the walls of this underpass have recently been painted by 40+ artists. The south side is now covered in new murals.
This underpass has been painted previously – back in 2015 both the north and south walls were painted in a Wallnoize project (see post from 2015). Some of the same artists appear on this updated version. This time it was StreetARToronto that sponsored the artworks. Let’s take a look at some of the murals (in no particular order)….
below: Stay young! An old man on a bike that he outgrew years ago! by Adrian Hayles
below:Opola Karim painted this Toronto skyline scene, a view that is well known to anyone who has visited the Toronto islands.
below: Peaceful, loving hands joining together by Phillip Saunders aka Loveishere
below: Close to the west end of the underpass is this colourful section. The collection of birds on the right side were painted by two artists, Just J. Art (the hummingbird and the hibiscus flower) and Ambsoul Art
below: A peace dove in a swirl of calligraphy, by Medeio
below:Danilo Deluxo, a woman in an elaborate helmet, futuristic pilot.
below: Facing each other, Danilo Deluxo and Drippin’ Soul
below: Using shades of black, teal and magenta, Drippin’ Soul has created a very metallic looking profile
below: That’s one creepy red eye! Or is it two red eyes? Ahhhh…. the red eye and brass (bronze?) pieces are part of a mask and the design was apparently “inspired by the taotie motifs of the Shang dynasty” (Quote is from MonkYi’s instagram page). The Shang dynasty dates back to between 1600 BC and 1050 BC; it marked the beginning of the Bronze Age in China. A taotie was a mythological creature that represented greed and gluttony.
below:Ghazaraza‘s ladies are sharing a pot of tea.
below: Flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere… Oh, I don’t know just why
She simply caught my eye…. Or you can all it by its title, “Wildlife in Bloom” by Lula Lumaj.
below: A cute little grey cat with green eyes.
below: GO train – definitely On the Move!
below: “The Lookout aka the Fruit Bandits” not letting a fence get in the way! by Jim Bravo
below: Mother and daughter watching the traffic in a mural by Colin Tea.
Like every summer, the end of August means that it’s time for the Canadian National Exhibition, the CNE. For two weeks the Exhibition grounds come alive with games, rides, food, exhibits, concerts, and other events. Here are some photos from opening day last Friday.
below: Part of a monochrome mural by Nicolas Araneda aka niko.volts that has a lot of very American feet walking all over the faces of other people as lay on the ground…. ‘Trampling’ might be a better verb than ‘walking’
below: Some walk in heavy boots, and others swim with open mouth ….
below: “Not today Satan”. There’s a lot going on here – the Silly Sausage Gang being front and center. 33wallflower33 in her white coat with the fuzzy collar and little decorations by catchoo . There is also a T-bonez (of urban ninja squadron fame) wearing a green shirt and a necklace with a pendant – that’s Sticker Eddie he’s wearing, apparently. The red-hearted pug’s name is Mopsi. Mopsi has something in his mouth but the donut is in the way (for more Mopsi see the Instagram page of his creator, So schoen immer weider)…. And the other dog is a collaboration between TRP613 (check out the reflections in the sunglasses!) and DivadogLA
below: “Get me out of here” and a dose of Instant Karma.
below: Free Iran
below: This painting of a woman with her headphones above and yellow birdie walking a dog below was one of the first murals in Graffiti Alley – the work of Uber5000. Not many originals still exist!
below: Elicser Elliott’s contribution to a larger mural that has been painted below the pink Poser bunny, “Don’t watch me cry”
below: Half a face. He only needs one eye to stare at you.
below: Gold… With a garland of white and blue flowers.
below: A very large and very purple bear is at the door.
below: He or she looks rather cramped in there. Signature says Neem?
below: Another flower garland and another Neem head squeezed into a box.
below: Scowling and smoking with ace in his cap.
below: Skydome forever and ALCS, as well as Vladdy’s number 27 shirt and World Series 2025…. little blue and white pieces of ceramic that celebrate the Toronto Blue Jays that someone lovingly made.
below: One Inch? … And other stickers crammed together.
below: “We are the colours of corn”
below: More stickers and pasteups including catchoo’s dumpster fire that t-bonez from urban ninja squadron is using to dry his socks and underwear.
below: A couple of contributions from Dogmaslaps here (they’re all about dogs in case you haven’t guessed yet).
below: More pasteups, some of which are quite intricate and detailed … especially the top two (vulture and jaguar?) which are both the creations of Ezpektro.
below: Sharing space with the Ezpektro pieces are a few smaller pasteups, some of which were made by artists that are new to me. There is a pink bike in the top right, the same bike that is in the Make Art Not War poster in the above image… BikeDeSuro creates stickers and wheatpaste featuring bikes. From the left, a woman by Fiigueers and then a young girl with the Spanish words, “que nunca se apague la llama de la autonomia” which translates to “may the flame of autonomy never be extinguished”… The collection is rounded out with a guitar player from Sentient Cookie and a cute little green guy from Catchoo.
below:MonkYi cat with a very real looking heart in his claws. Two carp swimming on the pavement in front.
below: Charmander, a Pokemon character.
below: Alfred E. Neuman makes an appearance in a couple of places – he’s the dude from MAD Magazine.
below: By 50 shades of greatt aka Adam McKnight – It looks a lot like Sponge Bob… maybe it’s his cousin? But what’s with that tongue? It looks like a slug is trying to slither out of his mouth.
below: Verity and a happy face.
below: Someone is not impressed…. Lame
below: Green guy says: “In one year’s time, strike your blow, I shall return.”
On a recent wander through the Art Gallery of Ontario I encountered a few ‘people’. They were happy, forlorn, busy, engaging, cute, creepy, odd, and more. I hope that you’ll agree!
below: “Interesting Story” 1898, by Laura Muntz Lyall (1860-1930)
below: A Louis Valtat (1869-1952, French) painting that depicts a couple at a cabaret. Can you see the dancer?
below: “June”, bright and bold, by Lynn Donoghue (1953-2003, Canadian)
below: This is a section of “Torn Heart” by Natalka Husar (b. 1951, Ukrainian roots). One comment about her painting that I saw on an AGO website is, “Husar’s paintings are a compelling mix of joy, guilt, mystery, and seduction, and Torn Heart vividly expresses the complexities and paradoxes of love stories we have all lived.” (source)
below: “Night Games at the Paradise” by Rae Johnson (1953-2020, Canadian) is a painting of people sitting in the outdoor section of a bar next to Johnson’s Toronto home. No one is happy.
below: Watching one the videos made by Diego Marcon (b. 1985 in Italy). I am having trouble with this one as I found Macron’s videos to be too creepy, too dark. His digital/CGI people don’t look quite right (on purpose?).
The AGO has a photography exhibit, “Picture Space” (until 1 Nov 2026) that features some photos from their collection, including from the following four photographers.
below: Barbara Astman (b. 1950, Canadian) – two big eyes staring back at you. This is “Seeing and Being Seen #1”
below: Luther Konadu’s photos from “Ambient Photo” are actually four put together and displayed in one horizontal image. I have separated them into two halves (this photo and the next). “Ambient Photo” is on ongoing project that looks at the mechanics of photography.
below: Sandra Brewster’s “Hiking Black Creek” 2018 is a very large picture that is printed on wood panels. The original photo was taken in the 1970s and shows her parents hiking shortly after they arrived in Toronto from Guyana.
below: “Beauty at a Proper Distance” by Suzy Lake (b. 1947 in Detroit, now in Toronto).
And last, with a bit of silliness, a quirky photo taken in Yayoi Kusama’s infinity room.
Two very different men born in different times and in different places… who happen to take pictures. Some of these pictures are now hanging on the walls of the TMU Image Centre.
The main exhibit showcases some of the work of Dawit L. Petros a Montreal-based artist and winner of the 2025 Scotiabank Photography Award. He was born in Eritrea and came to Canada with his family when he was a child. His work often focuses on the ideas of belonging, migration, displacement, and the idea of ‘home’. Except for his earlier work, most of his photography is conceptual. (bottom section below)
In a smaller gallery are photographs by Larry Fink (American, 1941-2023) that are drawn from the Image Centre’s collection. “Social Graces” is a series of 31 black and white photographs from the 1970s that contrast wealthy urbanites with poorer rural folk. Rich people at fashionable Manhattan clubs and social events on one hand and working-class rural Pennsylvanians at their parties and social occasions on the other hand.
All of the pictures in this post were taken on Dundas East, just west of Jones Avenue. Along this stretch of Dundas, garages and backyard fences line the street. Most of them have been painted with bright and cheerful images of flowers, birds, animals, and other living things.
below: There is only one person who would paint a mural with these cute but mischievous raccoons, Emily May Rose
below: Sadly, unsigned and unknown. Two snakes slithering through pink flowers and green grass.
below: La Pupila (aka Valentina) has painted rosy red apples with faces, and even a bite taken out of one of them.
A look at another intersection (and its surroundings)…….
below: Swimming by the 401 highway – You might recognize this image as Georges Pierre Seurat’s 1884 pointillism painting, “Bathers at Asnières”. Man in hat lying with his dog, sailboats in the distance, people sitting on the shore and people playing in the water – these are all elements in that famous Seurat painting.
It appears as part of a large mural that Ian Leventhal painted in 2006; it covers the wall that helps support the 401 as it cuts across the Bathurst and Wilson intersection. The large triangle created by this wall and the two streets is a park with the very unimaginative name of Bathurst-Wilson Parkette.
below: Looking east on Wilson at Bathurst.
below: Both Bathurst and Wilson pre-date the building of the 401 highway. This old photo (1950) is taken from an excellent article in the Toronto Star written by Shawn Micallef, (28 Sept 2019) that details the history of the 401 highway development around Bathurst Street. The brown lines show the original layout of the highway and the on/off ramps. Not all of these ramps exist now. I have added a bright red line to show the present day on-ramp from Bathurst (northbound) to the EB 401. You may have noticed that the original on and off ramps were residential streets!
But changes are always happening. Now it is the southwest corner of Bathurst and Wilson that is about to be transformed…. or at least it was. At the moment the property is under court ordered receivership as the developer is having “financial issues” to the tune of at least 28 million dollars. The property is for sale. Tims is open but everything around it is vacant. Condo development was booming in Toronto until it wasn’t. I don’t have an exact number, but there are a lot of vacant/abandoned properties like this around the city.
below: Brooklyn Furniture Emporium – boarded up and forgotten. They started business in 1958 and survived for more than 60 years.
below: Gone is the gas station that was here.
below: Looking north up Bathurst.
The development property that is on the market also includes a couple of addresses on the next street west, Richelieu Road whose properties back onto Bathurst.
below: Another proposal includes the remaining houses on Richelieu (across the street from those backing onto Bathurst). I am unsure of its status, but it makes for a rather sad looking little street.
below: This area was originally developed at a time when the 2 storey brick mini plaza (or strip mall) was popular. A line of stores/restaurants/businesses with some parking in front became a feature of large segments of Toronto’s main streets. Will we mourn their loss once it is their turn to be replaced? They may be ugly but they provide a space for local businesses.
below: Bathurst and Wilson has become predominantly Filipino. This place specializes in ensaynadas which is something that I had never heard of. It’s a Filipino bun with different flavorings/toppings such as cheese, or almond (or many others). Filipino, but from Mallorca (Spain) too … and possibly with a Jewish origin.
below: Beaver Cleaners – where to go when the beaver needs a good scrub. More importantly, just beyond it is The Inside Scoop which sells fabulous ice cream!
below: You can also find a mural by Nick Sweetman nearby. It lines both sides of the Bathurst underpass at the 401. I have blogged about it previously – in fact, it was the previous post: Animals under the 401
below: A banner to advertise a production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yiddish with English subtitles that was playing at the Elgin Theatre (downtown).
There are two large murals by Nick Sweetman that cover both sides of Bathurst street as it passes under the 401 highway. The murals are a collection of animals – birds, frogs, cows, cats, foxes, bats, tigers, and more. This blogpost is a selection of images from those two walls.
as I walk Toronto 