… on view in a mural on the side of 401 Games on Yonge. It was painted by Jasmine Pannu and it features a number of characters that gamers and fans of anime might recognize… such as Picachu, Charizard, and other Pokemon characters…. and Wizards, sorcery, and flaming dice. I am sure that some of you have a much better idea about the source/name of some of these images!
below: The Monopoly Guy aka Milburn Pennybags, or Rich Uncle Pennybags.
Photo taken of a picture on an art gallery wall. The original was taken by Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge in 1975 as part of a series titled “It’s Still Privileged Art”. Now it is part of a retrospective exhibit of the artists’ work at A Space Gallery at 401 Richmond West.
Is art privileged? What does that mean? I hadn’t meant to get philosophical when I planned a “Downtown Art Hunt” walk. Put the question aside for a bit and let the ideas simmer in the back of your head. Instead we’ll wander around downtown Toronto and see what we can find.
below: I wasn’t looking for Taylor Swift but she’s difficult to avoid these days.
below: It’s hardly art but it’s probably better than grey concrete. Better still would be to get rid of these Jersey barriers that line Front Street in front of Union Station. They are a temporary solution that is fast becoming a permanent installation. “aaniin boozhoo” is Anishinaabemowin (also known as Ojibwe) and is a greeting. (UPDATE – 25 Nov: I just read that these barriers are being removed this week!! Maybe complaints do get action!!).
below: “All Beings Connected” by August Swinson in the Main Hall of Union Station.
below: The figure in the image is rooted to the ground, drawing their strength from the earth beneath, connected to the life around.
The West Wing of Union Station connects the main building to the walkway to the UP Express or to the Skywalk that leads to the CN Tower and vicinity. A lot of people pass by here. At the moment there are two art exhibits, both of which are part of “Precarious Joys”. This is the name given to a collection of art exhibits around the city, the Toronto Biennial 2024 (which ends December 1st).
below: Using art as a backdrop to a family photo. the Tong Yan Gaai (Chinatown) series by Morris Lum
below: Nicholas Galanin, part of “Threat Return” 2023
below: “Mycelium” is the name of this network of lights designed by artist Nicholas Baier. In biology, mycelium refers to a root-like structure of a fungus that consists of a network of thin fungal strands called hyphae. In Toronto, it is found on the Bay Street bridge that connects Scotiabank Arena with CIBC Square and the GO Bus Station.
below: Because the walls of the Bay Street bridge are glass, “Mycelium” is also visible from the outside.
below: A green acorn. From little acorns….. There was a picture and a planter beside the elevator in this lobby. Nothing more. A small austere space but someone cared enough to hanging a painting of an acorn.
below: Tucked away in a corner where it’s often overlooked is “Pi” by Evan Penny (1996). A man’s head has been cut into four pieces, disconnected, and left sitting on the ground. I have walked past here many times and not noticed it.
below: It’s art, but it’s also a place to sit.
below: Another painting on a wall in a quiet lobby. No signs. Abstract, but it reminds me of two faces smushed together. One of the faces has a mouth and chin made of crushed shredded wheat. He, or she, is wearing a black mask. What else does it look like to you?
below: More lobby displays. One of a group of paintings by John Eric Laford (1954-2021), an Ojibway artist from Manitoulin Island.
below: Mama elephant is still leading her two little ones behind Commerce Court.
below: If the elephant could see, this would be her view. I am not sure it’s art, but the white light trees that come out around Commerce Court at Christmas time are now up.
In same square (does it have a name? Or is it just Commerce Court?), is an art gallery, Collision Gallery. They are one of the locations featuring art from the Toronto Biennial.
below: Cecilia Vicuna helped co-found of Artists for Democracy in 1974 after she left her home country Chile. A military coup upended that country in the early 1970s. Here at the Collision Gallery she has an installation, “Futur.O [Futur.E]” that pays homage to Gail Kastner.
below: Words written on strips of paper. From the left, the first four are: “I had a very [illegible] feeling in my head. I had a blob not a head”, “The whole purpose was not to research brain washing but to design a system for extracting information from resistant [forces?]”, “These little books are her memory”, and “To defend herself and preserve her mind from erasure she created little books packed with extremely dense miniature handwriting” When you read the story of Gail Kastner and her treatment at a Montreal psychiatric institute in 1953, these writings will make more sense.
below: Vicuna connects the electroshock experiments of the 1950s to the use of such techniques in interrogation and torture. In this drawing she writes about electroshock treatment being used in Chile to “erase the past and the future, creating a great lie”. Almost as an aside, I’m not sure that creating lies requires such drastic measures; it seems these days that all you have to do it shout it loud enough and often enough and you can create whatever reality you want. How do we retain our memories under such circumstances? Memories help keep us connected to our past and to our present. Who are we without our memories?
below: Dreamlike mythical figures dancing together in “Joyous Procession/The Infinite Serpent” by Rajni Perera.
below: Details of a couple of the banners that hang from above to form a circle around an LED light fixture that suggests fire. Artist: Citra Sasmita
below: “All Islands Touch” by Tessa Mars, another installation at Collision Gallery. I am not fond of things lying around on the ground counting as art and I don’t think that they add much to the piece. You might disagree and that’s okay.
below: Fingers growing out of rocks? Plant life at the bottom of the sea reaching skyward toward the light?
below: Playing with the cows
below: Denyse Thomasos (1964-2012) Trinidadian-Canadian, is the artist who painted this picture that hangs inside in the lobby of the TD Centre-Mies van der Rohe building. An abstract, but very much an urban scene with its vibrant chaos.
below: In the same lobby as the image above, this abstract by Susanna Heller (1956-2021) tells a different story. There is also chaos but it seems more “natural”, more like nature instead of man-made. It is titled: ‘Restless Prowling from Night to Day Break’ and is 30 foot long.
below: Jose Bautista flips his bat after hitting a home run ….and his fans cheer.
below: Emily Pope and her series of (mostly) blue, black, and white. “Antidotes for Yearning” or the examining of “the instinctual urge to ward off the inevitable despite our guaranteed decay. Through symbolic imagery…” Abbozzo Gallery
below: Also at the Abbozzo Gallery are a series of very realistic looking paintings of waves by Katharine Burns. (It looks better in real life!)
below: One of the wave pictures, zoomed in a bit. Translucence, light, spray, motion, and so much more.
below: At the BAND (Black Artist Network in Dialogue) Gallery is a small showing of artworks owned by the founders of the gallery. The BAND Gallery has temporary space at 401 Richmond West while its usual space at 19 Brock is being renovated.
below: Two large paintings by Janet Cardiff, large figures, connected. Dancing, Intertwined. Are they happy?
below: In one of the halls of 401 Richmond West is a large poster. It is a collage of photos taken by Vera Frenkel with some of her words added to them. Title: “Once Near Water: Notes From the Scaffolding Archives” 2008. She took pictures of any scaffolding that she saw while walking around Toronto. At the top left she opens with these words: “By the time you see this, the city we know will be gone. Once a rich multi-course meal, now a dry biscuit.” Do you think that we are turning into (or have become?) a “dry biscuit”? We’re definitely changing and I’d like to think that some of the changes are for the better (and it would help if Doug Ford would keep his hands out of the cookie jar).
below: On another hallway wall (in the basement) of 401 Richmond is this piece….Do you think that you are tough? A tree made of bricks.
below: He’s got a long way to go. Smashing the tree, brick by brick, smash, smash, hurt your head, crash, faster harder, smash, smash
below: An oldie but goodie; a painting by Harold Town (1924-1990). It’s on display at the Simon Bentley Fine Art Gallery along with a number of other paintings and artworks.
If you can remember waaaaay back to the beginning of this post, you will recall that I started with an image by Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge. I am going to end the post with a couple more of their photos. They obviously care very much about social issues.
below: A marvelous collage, “A Work in Progress”. The original dates from 1979. In 2006 it was updated by adding four in the series so that now 12 decades of women’s work/life is now covered. This is the picture that encapsulates the 1950s. The wartime image out the window is actually the Hungarian uprising. Elements include a calendar on the wall showing a woman working in a factory, a coffee percolator on the table, a Beatrix Potter children’s bowl on the table, a crucifix on the wall, a red squeezie ketchup bottle, the syrup container with the pull back tab opening, baby bottle, star weekly magazine, the old radio….
below: Not a Care, A Short History of Health Care. This is actually a series of 12 images, each one representing a time and place in history from neolithic times to the present (made in 1999). I discovered that the whole series is online and if you are interested, you can see them here: Conde & Beveridge’s website
As for that statement about privilege and art… there is no answer; there are many answers. Making art is not for the privileged few; most of us have the need to create. Whether it’s shouted from the rooftops or whispered quietly in a little corner, all art is valid to some degree.
Viewing art is not just for the privileged; there is so much out there… just get out and look. You will think some of it is stupid, or mediocre but sometimes you’ll find something that makes you stop and think. Or stop and stare.
Those sentences barely scratch the surface and may seem quite lame but this is probably not the time nor place for philosophical essays… but feel free to leave your comments/opinions on the subject.
“Opinions? I’m supposed to have opinions?”
When the fare inspectors get onboard.
Subtitle: More Ontario Line mess
below: Spadina and Richmond…. A giant thimble (by Stephen Cruise) sits on a stack of buttons. Behind it, a building is shrouded in blue netting.
below: Blue, blue, my world is blue… walking north on Spadina under blue netting that protects the sidewalk from work being done on the southwest corner of Queen and Spadina. The whole block between Richmond and Queen is under wraps. This is a future subway station with the imaginative name of Queen-Spadina.
below: Southwest corner of Queen and Spadina
below: A look at what’s happening behind the hoardings….
below: Mcdonalds on the northwest corner is unaffected by the changes around it.
below: Looking south on Spadina with a good view of the southeast corner of the intersection with Queen West.
below: There is a lot happening in the northeast quadrant, all by Metrolinx. the yellow framework that protects and stabilizes a facade is becoming a common sight in Toronto.
below: In case you can’t remember what was on that corner, this is a photo taken back when they were laying streetcar tracks in 1912. Most recently there was a CIBC bank on the corner.
Photo taken from WIkipedia Commons, in public domain. Originally from City of Toronto Archives.
below: A couple of the old houses/stores on Queen beside the old brick building seem remarkably unchanged since 1912. (As a light grey car partially blocks the pedestrian crossing at the intersection).
below: The 510 streetcars are not running during this construction.
below: But because the buses are too wide for the streetcar lanes, the middle of Spadina is very quiet… so I can stand here and take pictures.
below: It also means that the replacement buses are now running… and competing with cars for a limited space.
below: Painting over the graffiti
below: Just north of Queen, there is a large vacant lot on Spadina. So large you can see through to Cameron Street.
below: Cameron House and other houses on Cameron Street and beyond.
There are so many new buildings in Toronto! One of them is the new CIBC building at 81 Bay Street which is immediately south of the railway tracks and across the street from Union Station. It is also adjacent to the new GO Bus station.
below: If you take the elevator to the 4th floor of the new CIBC building, you can access the new park. This is the view that greets you. The park extends over the railway tracks – a great use of space!
below:Looking east from the park (on a foggy morning, and with a spot of dirt on the glass fence). The trees on the right mark the spot where a strip of land separates the railway tracks from the Gardiner Expressway/Lakeshore combination. Between Yonge and Parliament there are no buildings adjacent to the tracks on the south side. That tall splotchy looking building is the Sugar Wharf Condos which, as the name suggests, are close to the Redpath Sugar property.
below: Looking north across the roof over the railway tracks. The gold building is another bank building, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada). On the right, the building that looks like there are diamond shapes in the glass, is a second CIBC tower but on the north side of the railway tracks.
below: Construction continues on the north side. It too will have a park that extends over the tracks. The two parks should merge into one once construction is completed.
below: Westward
below: In the center of the park is a large shiny metal leafless tree. This is “New Amalgam” by Roxy Paine (2022). It is 72 feet high.
below: Looking over the covered tracks at Union Station and all the ventilation system components on the roof.
below: A closer look at the nearby construction at track level (and lower).
There are also stairs on the exterior of the CIBC building that lead to the elevated park.
below: Looking south on Bay Street where Scotiabank arena takes up most of the street scene. That’s the Gardiner Expressway as it crosses Bay.
below: Through the window to the interior of CIBC where Steve Driscoll’s artwork shines brightly.
below: “A light stolen from the sun” is a collection of 12 digital prints on laminated glass. they can also be viewed from the 4th floor but access is controlled. Also, camera use will get you a nice chat with a security guy. The usual, phones are allowed but even little cameras are a no no.
below: An outpouring of red poppies is the stunning centerpiece in this Remembrance Day tribute (created by Fresh Floral Creations).
With thanks to Nancy and Merle who went exploring with me that day.
The previous blog post featured a wall that was covered with ceramic tiles that created an image of a Tree of Life – It is part of “Elaborate”, a group exhibition, at Harbourfront Centre’ s Gallery 235. This blog post takes a look at some of the other art in that exhibit as well as a few more ceramic art pieces that can be seen in display in cases in the halls of the Harbourfront building.
First, in the hall, Joon Hee Kim’s wonderful busts of fanciful whimsical characters.
Also in the hallway, round pieces by Jess Riva Cooper where flowers bloom from mouths, noses, and ears of the central subject(s) swirling to form wreaths around them. The series is titled “Pullulate”
below: “Helleborus viridis” 2024, 45 cm in diameter
below: Some of pieces have hands in the central position, hands that rip the flowers from the ground and/or tear them apart.
below: Large droopy flowers in weird colour combinations on a table, sculptures by Julie Moon,
below: On the table in the background in the above photo are little sculptures by Lindsay Montgomery. This is a close up of one of them. Maybe someone spilled its cup of tea?
Montgomery’s work is in two sections. The above figurine is a newer piece from the series “Despairware” “which references books of demonology and iconographies of feral femininity with Staffordshire figurines from the 19th century” (from the words on the wall at the gallery). She is also showing some of her older work here, a series called “Neo Istoriato” which re-imagines paintings and pottery from the Renaissance. Two examples:
All together in a big pot in the fiery mouth of Hell while the demons dance with glee.
below: Kaley Flowers, cracked and broken glass to mimic water within a frame of ceramic shells, rocks and marine forms.
below: Marissa Alexander, eight women hanging on the wall. Hung up, hanging about, hanging out….
And last, there are a few individual tiles by Marc Egan that are very similar to the flowers and leaves in his Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life is a symbol that originated in antiquity; it appears in most religions and cultures. Over the centuries it has been depicted in many different ways. Here, it is shown with colourful and imaginative flowers and leaves in an image that has been constructed using large ceramic tiles by artist, Marc Egan. The resulting artwork is 9 feet by 12 feet big.
It is on display at Gallery 235 in the Harbourfront Centre, It is part of an exhibit titled “Elaborate” that continues until 29th December 2024.
There is even a creepy crawly red and white bug!
One of the great things about Toronto is the network of creeks, rivers, and ravines that runs through the city. I happened upon one of these yesterday. A small oasis in a Scarborough neighbourhood.
below: I was very surprised to see a heron standing quietly among the trees. I didn’t have a better lens to catch a decent photo of the bird, so this slightly fuzzy version with have to suffice. A heron in Scarborough! Considering how much ravine and park space there is Toronto, there is probably more wildlife living in the city than we realize.
below: What Toronto park doesn’t have Canada geese?
below: A tamarack tree, a unique tree because it is a deciduous conifer in that it has cones and needles like a conifer such as pine and spruce, but its needles turn yellow and fall off in autumn like a deciduous tree (such as oak or maple) does. Tamarack is also known as Larch.
below: A small oak tree planted in remembrance of a person from the community.
below: One end of the park is the concrete fence in the distance – a fence that separates the park and the 401 highway.
Black on black on black doors
red doors,
faded green doors,
and multicoloured, camouflaged doors.
School doors,
deli doors,
and doors where you wash your clothes.
Old grand stone doors
new glass doors,
and doors that work no more.
Doors on neat and tidy porches
or behind white picket fences.
Doors with crooked steps,
or steps overgrown,
and, oops-a-daisy, no steps at all!
Have a seat! It’s a rather warm autumn this year, isn’t it?
below: A Hallowe’en spider caught in a rather thick web. It doesn’t have much to do with Pape subway station although you might feel inclined to put “scary” and “TTC” together.
Anyhow back to the main story…. Pape station is where the existing Bloor-Danforth line is going to meet the new Ontario line.
below: Do you remember when Pape station was being renovated? Now the site is a mess again.
Pape station is a short block north of the Greektown section of Danforth.
below: Looking south on Pape towards Danforth
below: Across the street from the subway station
below: See that bright white building in the picture above? I bet that it’s not white anymore.
below: My idea was to walk around the whole site. …
below: Looking back at the Danforth and Pape intersection, north side. The white stone Royal Bank building stands on the northwest corner. Behind it, the steeple and little green dome of Holy Parish church points upward.
below: Ontario Line construction along the Danforth, northside. Metrolinx seems to have a lot of property here.
below: Any idea what this is? What is happening here?
below: I wasn’t the only one taking pictures!
below: Eaton Avenue runs parallel to Pape, just to the east.
below: Northeast corner of Danforth and Eaton
below: Eaton Ave entrance to Pape station lined with plywood hoardings. This station isn’t that old – the update was completed in 2013. I think that it is being retained but it is hard to tell from the Metrolinx website. A brand new entrance is planned for the Danforth as well (and may be very large and very grand, not quite to scale with the present neighbourhood?).
below: Houses on Eaton Ave with Metrolinx construction behind them.
This area has been serviced by the Bloor Danforth line since 1966. In general, most of the residences are single family houses, often as some form of row housing. Smaller houses with small yards seems the norm… i.e. a fairly typical East York neighbourhood.
Exploring on Pape…..
below: Working on Pape, fixing a porch (or just watching)
below: Addis Kidan Church, Greek Gospel Church..
below: Tzatziki cafe with the painting above the entrance – interior restaurant scene
below: Mixed use – once a line of single family homes, now some are businesses.
below: There is also another construction site at Sammon
below: Looking north on Pape Ave from MacPhail. There is another station under construction at Cosburn, a few more blocks north but that’s for another day. (Updated 22 June 2025 – there is now an Ontario Line – North Pape blog post)
I’ll end instead the way I began – with a little bit of Halloween to distract you from the constant noise of construction.
On a warmer than usual late October morning….
… when the early morning sun played with the autumn leaves in Christie Pits park
Of course, late October means Halloween with pumpkins and other spooky things.
below: This guy hasn’t had his coffee yet!
As I started putting together this post, I learned that Doug Ford wants to tear up Toronto bike lanes starting with those on Bloor, Yonge, and University Ave He has named them in his latest wannabe Toronto mayor action, namely Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024.
Ford claims that bike lanes add to the congestion on our streets (and makes his commute to work difficult). You will note the traffic chaos here this morning! The vans on the far side are (legally) parked. I suspect that Ford once sat in a traffic jam on Bloor and noticed that cyclists were moving faster than he was.
But I don’t want to get bogged down with politics and the antics of politicians, so I will leave you with a few scenes for Bloor West (approximately) between Christie and Lansdowne. There is some Halloween, some stores, some construction, some people, some architecture, some of the usual stuff! Maybe even a few things that will take your mind off politics!
below: Bloorcourt
below: A little bit of history…. small tiles in the doorway of number876
below: Banjara parking lot payphone with its own Heritage Plaque thanks to the Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit, aka Jode Roberts.
In the summer of 2015, a coin-operated telephone was installed here, replacing three long-standing Bell payphones. This payphone served hundreds of residents, offering a vital communication link. To make a call, users had to insert metal coins through a slot. However, the phone mysteriously disappeared sometime in the past year.
The coin-operated payphone was patented by American inventor William Gray in 1891. Its use peaked around 2005, with nearly half of Canadians reporting regular use and over 150,000 payphones across the country. By 2015, more than two-thirds of these payphones had been removed. As of 2021, only a few hundred functioning payphones remained in Toronto. This plaque commemorates the payphones in this parking lot and their gradual disappearance from the urban landscape.
Heritage Plaque courtesy of the Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit, 2024
below: Bloor and Brock
below: Part of a mural by Jimmy Chiale
below: Amazing! He’s a cumin being! Good things!
below: Angel Mary
below: Very large Italian flag by Vito Vesia Upholstery
below: By Dufferin station
below: Bloor & Lansdowne
below: Scrawl on a TTC bus stop pole. At first I thought that it was a biblical reference, but when I checked, I found that Daniel 5:5 is “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote”. I doubt that has anything to do with gullible Christian hippies, right?
below: “Remember to Love! Go call your mom, say I love you and thanks!”
With thanks to Bill, Jeff, Paul, and Barry who walked with me that morning – and a shout out to the woman who said, “That’s so cute” when she learned that we were walking together. Cute?
as I walk Toronto 