as I walk Toronto

Back down to the waterfront, Ontario Square and Harbourfront to be more precise.

below: Three large pieces by Alex McLeod, “Liquid, Gold” are on display on the walls of the underground parking entrance structure in the middle of Ontario Square.

From the words on the wall:  “Liquid, Gold” envisions oases where fragments of coral, flora, gems, and precious metal formations emerge. Delicate structures are weaving a narrative of resilience and adaptation. The crystal-clear waters, reflecting the azure skies above, beckon viewers to immerse themselves in the tranquil embrace of nature’s bounty.  Each ripple in the water is a testament to the fluidity of existence, whispering tales of renewal and transformation.”

below: There are more large images from this series on the walls in the hallway of Harbourfront Centre.   McLeods artwork is on display through to December.

below:  Another exhibition now on at Harbourfront Centre is “Future Matters”.   Matters is a play on words here as it means both ‘materials’ and ‘is important’.  One matter, or material, is stone. It is represented here in this large collage of photos of quarry walls by Nada Al-Obaidi.

below:  Another material, and one that most of you wouldn’t think of, is dried salmon skins.  Here, Morgan Possberg Denne has used 74 skins to fashion two lampshades.

There are other exhibits that don’t photograph all that well (or that I curated out) such as crumpled bits of paper on tables, fabric made of milkweed, and paints sourced from a vacant lot – using crushed snail shells, and sumac flowers for example.

 

Also at Ontario Square is the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.  There are two exhibitions on there at the moment.  First, a retrospective of the work of June Clark and second, a look at the research by Terence Gowan on architecture in some of the embassies around the world.

below:  Gowan has extensively studied the architecture of American embassies in Baghdad, Havana,  Ho Chi Minh City, and Ottawa (the last one is unbuilt), including how different materials are used.  Over time, the materials and methods have become more sophisticated and complex as governments demand more safety and more secrecy from their embassies.   From a sociological perspective, or as a look at the history of international relations, it is a fascinating exhibit.

But does this work translate well to an art gallery setting?

below: The most eye-catching of the June Clark art installations is “Harlem Quilt” (1997).

Each light is mounted with a piece of fabric on which a photo of a person has been printed. In many cases the light obscures the face of that person. I am not sure if this was intentional or not.

below: The installation has a room of its own and the effect that it produces is quite ethereal.

below: Another exhibit that is part of Clark’s “Witness” is a circle of chairs made of washboards titled “Keepers”. Like most of her other work here, it features people in her life. Each chair is decorated with items that evoke the memory of a person that mattered in her life.

below: One of 10 pieces from “Homage”.  Again, a tribute to other people in Clark’s life.

below: And last, the one part of Clark’s work that is about her is “44 Thursdays in New York” where each piece has a photo of herself plus a copy of her journal from that day, for 44 consecutive Thursdays in 2004 when she was living in New York City.   I’d love to be able to read the words as well!