Posts Tagged ‘June Clark’

another downtown loop

Posted: May 12, 2025 in construction, locations, people, public art, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Good morning!  The weather forecast said that there was a chance of drizzly rain and they were right but it wasn’t that much and it didn’t last for long.  Not the best day for sunny blue sky photos of the city, but since when has that held us back?

below: You probably don’t recognize where this photo was taken (unless you are familiar with the Victoria Hotel).  This is Yonge Street, just south of King subway station, and it is also where I started walking the other day….

below: Contrasts of old and new at the corner of Yonge and Wellingon.  Architectural trends as well as the material used are a product of their time.

Yonge at Wellington, east side.

below: The old stone entrance with a large circular window over the door and an arch that matches those over the other windows.  There are also little details in the stonework that you just don’t see in modern buildings.

entrance, doorway, to old stone building on Yonge St., arch with round window under arch and over door

below: The more recent development to all glass buildings with oversized (i.e. extra tall) ground floor levels.

entrance to new highrise building on wellington with very high ground floor level

below: But such extensive use of glass is not entirely new. Downtown skyscrapers have been built using steel frames and glass since the 1960s. I think that the TD bank tower was one of the first, if not the first, in 1967. But that’s not this building… this is part of the large RBC complex on Bay Street between Wellington and Front. The bright pink plants along the sidewalk are wonderful!

dark steel and glass building at Bay and Wellington, planters along the sidewalk with bright pink plants in them

below: The south part of the RBC building is very photogenic! Its gold coloured glass as well as its angles and nooks make for some interesting pictures.  The older stone Union Station is hiding in the bottom left corner.

Bay Street, looking south across from gold glass building, royal bank building, Union station in the backround

below: A recent addition to the streetscape in front of Union Station are these bland blocks of concrete. Such imagination! So much thought went into their design! Really? That’s what someone thought would be a great addition to Front Street?

Front Street, between Union Station and the Royal York Hotel, new concrete barriers, boring off-white blocks ,

below: There were some complaints about the older ones… the Jersey barriers that were meant to be temporary but then never went away…. in fact, many of them are still here….

people with suitcases walking towards entrance of Union station, along Front Street

There are 2 art installations in the West Wing at Union Station.  The first is a group exhibit, “A Transit Through Time” featuring six Black artists – Destinie Adélakun, Pixel Heller, Segun Caezar, Heritier Bilaka, Rico Poku and Camille Kiffin.   Each artist is responsible for one panel…

below: The picture in the foreground, the woman with a red head scarf and blue blouse, is the work of Segun Caezar.

pillars in large open hallway at union station, each with a large artwork displayed on them. Transit through time installation

below: “Gelede Queens” by  Destinie Adelakun – people in ornate costumes pose in front of a large fireplace and mirror.  According to UNESCO, “Gelede  is performed by the Yoruba-Nago community that is spread over Benin, Nigeria and Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has been performed to pay tribute to the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and to the role women play in the process of social organization and development of Yoruba society. “

large vertical picture of people in ornate costumes posing in front of a fireplace and large mirror

below: “Self Knowledge” by Heritier Bilaka

a large picture on display, self knowledge by Heritier Bilaka, a black woman with orange head scarf, and blue dress, sits beside a wood mask

below: This large butterfly, by Jordan Sook, is part of another installation called, “Nothing More, Nothing Less”.   Apparently there are more butterflies around Union Station.  Have you seen any?

a large image of a butterfly, by Jordan Sook,on display at Union Station

below: Ontario Square between Queen’s Quay and the waterfront where a large image from Alex McLeod’s “Liquid, Gold” can still be seen.  I wrote a blog past about this picture and others from this series a year ago, “Liquid, Gold and other matters“

a person walks across Ontario Square near the waterfront, condos in the background, square structure is a parking garage entrance, and there is a large photo on display on the side of it

below: This “Carnavale Amulet” basket is made of glass and was created by Laura Donefer.  It is on display at Harbourfront along with several other of her pieces.

carnavale amulet basket, on display behind glass, by Laura Donefer

christmas theme red glass basket by laura Donefer, on display in a gallery

below: A few boats are docked in the harbour.  The bridge over the harbour is no longer just blocked, but is now severed.

Toronto highroses, condos near the water, marina and yacht club in the foreground with a couple of boats, pedestrian bridge over the water has been cut, impassable

below: Protecting the young trees

CN tower in the background, newly planted trees in green grass covered mounds in the foreground

below: Dead and not alive; dead and dead. Patio season on the waterfront hasn’t begun yet.

a wooden patio structure on the waterfront, with wood roof, hanging from planters are dead plants as well as fake pink flowers

below: On the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery a very large photograph by June Clark still hangs.  This is left over from last year’s CONTACT Photography Festiva.

large black and white photo by June Clark, exhibited outside, Untitled by from "The Whispering City" series from 1994.

below: Getting ready to clean up the city?!

inside, a cleaning cart with mops and brooms, stands beside a large black and white photo of the skyline of Toronto

man sitting at large table with Tims coffee, large TV in the background

two women sharing photos that they have on their phone, sitting at TIms

below: Still quiet now, but getting ready for summer…. water taxis to take people to Centre Island.

along the waterfront, yellow water taxi for Centre Island, red building for tourist store, downtown skyscrapers

below:  Patriotic red and white, but a very sad Canadian flag.

white lamps overhead on a red building, bedraggled Canadian flag on one of the lamps, a sting of smaller Canadian flags beside

a red and white TTC streetcar on Queens Quay, traveling east past small red building that sells tourist stuff

a woman pushing a stroller stops to wait for two TTC streetcars as they pass byher in opposite directions, queen's quay

below: Love Park on the southeast corner of York and Harbour is now complete.  This public space was created when the exit ramp from the Gardiner to York Street was removed.   It is difficult to see from ground level photos, but the pond is heart shaped.

two men walking their dogs on a path into love park, large glass building behind, red low wall around the pond in the middle of the park

below: A beaver has made its home in the pond.

sculpture of a beaver on a small rock in the middle of a man made pond in love park, downtown

below: There is also an owl that has a great birds eye view of the park.  Someone else has a great view too!

small sculpture of a realistic looking grey owl sits perched on a roof overlooking love park. a window washer works on the building behind the owl

a large tree, no leaves yet, grows in front of a large glass building, lots of reflections of other buildings as well as blue sky

below: Looking north on York from Harbour Street towards the Gardiner Expressway and beyond.  Love Park was behind me to the right when I took this photo.

Looking north on York from Harbour Street, green Gardiner Expressway crosses York

 The old multi level parking garage at Lower Simcoe and the Lakeshore is on its way down.  Demolition is well underway.

below:  Dwarfed by the new condos around it, the stairwell and elevator shaft from the garage stands on its own.  Whose picture is at the top? Someone blowing a giant bubble – must be quite the wad of gum!

demolition of a parking garage

below: The other stairwell.

remains of an elevator shaft

crane with claw at end is demolishing a multi level parking structure. mass of tangled steel parts in the foreground

below: “Don’t trespassing”!

red and white danger sign with due to written in as don't trespassing

below: The demolition as view from the other side of Lakeshore Blvd.

looking under gardiner to site of demolition of multi level car park

below: A lot of concrete! Under the ramp to the Gardiner

concrete supports, called bents, under the gardiner expressway

on the right, the on ramp to the gardiner expressway from york street, and on the left, a new glass and steel condo building, small tree with spring blossoms beside the path

below: The northeast corner of York and Lakeshore

looking past tall stilt like supports for a roof, looking east across york street, just north of lakeshore to a new glass and steel condo building

reflections in the glass of a highrise building

below:

looking north on York Street from Lakeshore towards Bremner.

below: York Street at Lakeshore Blvd where the old green Gardiner Expressway travels directly above the Lakeshore

people waiting to cross Lakeshore Blvd., at traffic lights at York St., Gardiner Expressway passes over Lakeshore

below: Just after taking the above photo, there was much noise from the honking of horns, as this black car decided to take a short cut to the ramp by going north in the southbound lane on York Street.

black car going the wrong way on York

 

sidewalk scene on Lower York St., man sitting on concrete bench, a line of small leafless trees, people walking on sidewalk outside greenish glass building with Longos, Sports Chek, and other stores inside

And last, a shout out to the Toronto Maple Leafs as I walk through the Scotiabank Centre back to the subway.   As I write this, the Leafs tied at two games apiece with the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Go Leafs Go!

below: Carlton in his regular blue and white attire as well as in his St. Pats costume.  Love the curly wig and the clover leaf shaped glasses!  You can catch Carlton in the store at Scotiabank arena (along with a lot of other Toronto team paraphernalia!).

Looking in the door of the MLSE store at Scotiabank arena, and its Toronto Maple Leafs display, Carlton Bear in blue and white as well as in St. Pats white and green sweater, with green curly hair wig and green heart shaped glasses

sign at Union Station, with arrow pointing down towards stairs down to Yonge Line on TTC subway,

invective apologies and other words

Posted: August 4, 2018 in galleries
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

What are words?   How do we use them?

below: “Excuses injurieuses” 2007, by June Clark.  One of her “Wine and Tea” pieces.  It consists of the words Invective and Apology written over and over again starting from the top left corner and moving inwards toward the center.  Instead of a spiral it is a pyramid shape.  Perhaps it rises upwards, or perhaps it sinks down.  It’s only 40cm x 40 cm so the words are tiny.  I’d love to know how many words there are but I think that I’d be screaming profanities before I finished counting.  What I can tell you is that the pair of words ‘invective apology’ is written 32 times on the outer square.  If  invective is a noun that means, expletive, or abusive language, what does ‘invective apology’ mean and is that the same as the french title, ‘Excuses injurieuses’?

close up artwork of words written over and over again, invective apology, in smaller and smaller circles.

June Clark was born in Harlem NY but moved to Toronto in 1968.   At the moment, the AGO is featuring some of her work.  For whatever reason, I was more attracted to the pieces with words.

below: More of Clark’s “Wine and Tea” series, 2007.  Each one is a 40cm x 40 cm square and they are made with wine, tea and paper except for the one on the top left.  It is “Poubelle Lune” and the circle is a rusted lid that fits in a circle that has been cut out of the canvas.

a grid of 8 square artworks by June Clark on a gallery wall

below: Close up of another of the eight squares, a collage of sorts, the silhouettes of two people (men?) in front of flags, one American and one ? Titled: “All Some Many”.  If you look closely, you can see small words cut out of newspapers or magazines, some, all.

close up of an artwork, ink and collage. Brown squares in checkerboard shapes, with one shape being a photo, 4 small words from a newspaper, all (twice) and some (twice).

below: The next two photos are panels from “Formative Triptych” 1989/1990.  The first one says “I always imagine that I never received anything as a child, but I do remember being disappointed that the chocolate Easter Bunny was hollow and then of course there was the red broom and dustpan set.”

old black and white photo of a black girl, smiling, in dress, with words beside that say "

below: The words say “I decided that I must become so famous and so recognizable so the they could never let me die in an emergency room.”

picture of the head and shoulders of a middle aged black woman, old black and white photo, with words beside that say "

below: More collage and more words, this time it’s “Homecominghome”, words on paper towel.   Words like proactive, dulled integrity, impotent, hostage, elation, victim, underwhelmed, illusion, and satisfied surface desires.   These are only some, there were many more, each in their own little black frame.  Paper towel, that stuff we use once and then throw away.  Can we throw away the words?  Or what is behind the words?  Do we want to?

Actually there was a story about why paper towels were used – “…was made during a residency in New York City.  I had been cleaning the space so it was empty aside from paper towels.  It was a way of dealing with my emotions around how I felt living back in Harlem.  Cutting out the words, I felt like I was captive but free – a sort of ransom situation, of calls for help and demands for responsibility. ”  Quote taken from the words on the wall at the exhibit.

a grid of 8 square artworks by June Clark on a gallery wall - black frames around pieces of paper towel with words on them formed from cut outs from newspapers,

Words are fascinating.

June Clark’s work is on exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario until December 2018.

 

And while we’re on the subject of words and the AGO, there is a whole room of panels like the one below.  This is “Jack and the Jack Paintings: Jack Goldstein and Ron Terada”

Goldstein was an artist who published his memoirs in 2003, just before he committed suicide.  Terada has taken words from the book and made them into 14 panels, sorry, I mean test-based paintings.  They are Goldstein’s words? Or are they now Terada’s words?  Whose story are they telling?

below: A large painting by Jack Goldstein (lightning) and four of the panels by Ron Terada.

The Jack exhibit continues until 16 September.