This past week there was an exhibit at Gallery 1313 that paid tribute to Murray McKay. Murray started modeling for college level life drawing classes in the 1990s. Between then and his passing in 2024, he had a large impact on Toronto’s art community. More than forty artists contributed their drawings or paintings of Murray to the exhibit which was simply titled “Murray”.
This exhibit was only on between 5th and 16th March (now ended)
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.
Infinite games, repeating games – both kinds of games can be seen in Yorkville. For instance, we can start with the infinite…..
below: Sculpture by German artist Willy Verginer, titled “The Infinite Game”. It’s a boy all in white kneeling on 4 dark grey teddy bears. Meaning?
below: The words, “Life is a Repeating Game” are a predominant part of this piece by James Verbicky. The whole artwork is a large circle. Circles, we go around in circles don’t we? Plus, circles make cycles which we repeat over and over again.
Yes, this post is about art. More specifically, it is some of the works that caught my eye as I walked around the Cumberland-Yorkville area. Some are in galleries or in their windows; some are on the street.
below: “Hercules”, by Joe Fafard (the same artist who is responsible for the piece where Vincent Van Gogh’s head is inside a square, located on Dundas Street directly across from the Art Gallery of Ontario). No attempts at being profound here but there is nothing wrong with whimsy.
below: Francisco Valverde’s riot of colours in vertical stripes in an artform that he calls Histograms. There is an image in the background that is then covered with resin stripes of different colours. The title of this piece is “Apricity”.
below: “Cosmic Dust” by Chinese artist Zhuang Hong Yi. He produced this artwork by using acrylic paint on rice paper which has been mounted on canvas. The paint is added last. . The rice paper is folded and added to the canvas before the paint is applied.
below: Three paintings, oil on board, on a gallery wall – painted by Ron Bolt. They are images of rock formations that have been shaped by the ocean, and they are titled, Sea Carvings 1, 2 and 3.
below: d|azur A blue and white mural by Toronto-based artist Dahae Song on the corner of the Four Seasons Hotel. It’s title is “d|azur”.
below: This is “Raptor” by Nathan Mabry. Something like ‘Toronto Raptors meet the Toronto Blue Jays’ vibes going on here.
below: Large black and white photographs by Deana Nastic in the windows of the Izzy Gallery
below: Another gallery window, another female image but that is where the similarities end! Betty Boop and a collage of pop culture references such as The Beatles, Marilyn Munroe by Andy Warhol, bazooka chewing gum, Pac-Man, the Starbucks logo, and more.
below: Art on the streets, specifically on hoardings to hide a construction site.
below: Big coloured ovals on a black background, by Peter Triantos.
below: Slightly different from all the other image here, but still art in my opinion. This image is from inside the Cumberland Terrace, a shopping center that has always struggled and is now facing demoltion (or total makeover, not sure what the plan is). The interesting tile design on the wall was defaced by a line of Bell telephone booths. I wonder how long it’s been since someone made a call here?
below: Gallery clutter. He’s watching you watching him. What does he see?
I am going to end this post with three artists (from different eras and different backgrounds) who have portrayed their Canadian experiences in their paintings.
below: First is the oldest, Dutch born and European taught, Cornelius Kreighoff (1815-1872), whose “A Trip to Town” (1865), is one of his many scenes of life in what is now Quebec. Kreighoff was a fairly prolific artist during his time in what is now Canada. He first moved to the Montreal area about 1846. At one point Ken Thomson (the newspaper/magazine publisher) owned about 200 paintings, many of which are now at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
below: Lawren Harris (1885-1970), of the Group of Seven, painted “House in the Ward, Winter City Painting No. 1” (Toronto) in circa 1924. A snow covered street scene with not a car in sight! Just lovely old trees and red brick houses.
below: And last, William Kurelek (1927-1977) “The School’s Woodpile” 1972, mixed media on board. Kurelek, son of Ukrainian immigrants, grew up on the Prairies during the Depression.
Previous posts about Yorkville Art:
1. The Yorkville-ification of Street Art.
2. A Yorkville meander with Captain Canuck
For the last 12 days of June, Gallery 1313 had an exhibit of artworks that featured Toronto. As someone who walks around this city with a camera, I was interested to find out how others “see” the city.
below: “Cranes on the Rooftop” (collage) and a photo of the old Humber Cinema on Bloor West. Both are the creation of Jesse Miletin.
below: Two paintings by Kathleen McGuire (“Shwarma King” and “Abell Street Stop”), and a photograph by Courtney Fairweather of the Gooderham Building. The distinctive yellow building on the northeast corner of Church and Queen was a Shwarma King restaurant in the last years of its life. It is now being demolished.
below: Drawing of a raccoon (actually a digital print on canvas), “Toronto, Mood the Raccoon” by Edgar Baculi.
below: Two Toronto images – on the left the CBC building with shadows of people dancing or cheering by Phil Taylor. And on the right a mix of Yonge subway station and the interior of a subway car by Tim Gorewich. Or at least that’s what the labels on the wall claim. As it turns out, both pieces are Tim & Phil collaborations. The two men have been friends and collaborators for more than 30 years.
below: Collage with a TTC theme, by Emily Pike, “Takeover”.
below: “Why Wellesley” by Anshul Sharma.
below: “Fresh Peaches” by Steve Schnier
below: On the left (and yes, it’s difficult to see), a pencil drawing by Michele Cross, “The Railway Bridge at King”. In the middle is “Bus Stop No. 1” by Elnaz Hessami Pilehrood. TTC bus route 39 is Finch East.
below: A section of the “The Toronto Show” exhibit.
below: Two black and white photographs by Monique Campbell – “Timeless”, taken in a barber shop and “Union Station” showcasing the ornate decorative elements in the arched doorway.
below: Just looking
“The Toronto Show” was in the larger room at Gallery 1313. Off to the side are two smaller rooms and each featured a different show. One of these was “Artist Pets”.
below: “Whiskered Foster” by Mariel Pagliai
below: Photo of a dog on an old wicker chair by Karen Perlmutter, “Gracie in the Woods”. Gracie has had her photo taken MANY times!! A star model.
below: And last, a painting by Roy Wong of a barn in winter, seen somewhere in Caledon. “Impressions of Beauty” was the title of the small exhibit of Wong’s still life paintings and landscapes.
In the lobby of 150 King West there is a display of the artwork of two artists, Katerina Bohac and Diana Rosa. Most of the paintings are portraits of women. The exhibit continues until the end of May.
below: “Sophia in Dubai”, Katerina Bohac
below: “Saguaro Amor”, Diana Rosa
below: “Light of Hope” by Katerina Bohac
below: “A Century of Chairs”, Diana Rosa
The exhibit was organized by Helloart whose goal is to bring businesses and local artists together.
For more information on the artists see the links:
below: An aside, being in the lobby of 150 King West provides a different vantage point for this sculpture by Sorel E. Trog on the northeast corner of King and University.
… As seen on Gerrard Street East and the alleys that run behind it.
below: Paintings in a little outdoor gallery space – along the fence on Craven.
below: Swirls in black and red
below: Monstrous creatures and flowers on the stairs.
below: In a parking lot behind Gerrard, south side.
below: More laneway art
below: Close up view of a woman’s portrait painted by Anya Mielniczek
below: Part of a mural by Chief Ladybird and Auralas
below: It looks like the Venus Flytrap is trying to hide…
below: More illustrations of his work at SOWL, Art of Sowl
below: Tommy Drift characters on two sides.
below: The life of a mural isn’t always nice – the bottom part was tagged over and then painted.
below: Part of mural on the side of Whole Foods store
below: Large yellow flowers on Kohinoor Foods store.
below: More flowers, bright bold coloured flowers
below: And a red rose in Blazeworks mural
below: Woman in a pink head scarf overlooks the street
The Riverdale Hub and Gallery is on Gerrard Street. It is now home to three floors of gallery space. The remaining images in this post is a sampling of what I saw there when I visited back in March.
below: Poonam Khanna, Rainy Day series
below: Robyn Asquini
below: Detail, close up, of a Steve McDonald artwork.
below: Kyla Yager, “Looking for Words”
below: Three little pieces by Natalie Plociennik
below: Karen Couillard, part of a series, “ Beautiful Chaos : Nature’s Resilience”
below: Marina Doukas, “Performance by Bob the Drag Queen”.
below: Miyakah Emon, part of the “Invisible Playground” exhibit.
below: Mimmo (Domenico) Baronello, owls, the story tellers.
The Art Gallery of Ontario has recently acquired two new paintings by Ojibwe artist Travis Shilling. Both paintings are from a series of 11 paintings titled “Tyrannosaurus Clan” that depict varies spirit animals looking over, or observing, people building a pipeline through a subdued coloured landscape. The people are unaware that they are being watched; there is no interaction between the two.
below: An owl perches on a piece of heavy equipment in this painting that is simply titled “Owl”.
below: A dinosaur type creature embodies other species in “The Excavators”
Behind the Toronto Reference Library that is…..
The passage between Asquith and Church streets has been renamed Sherlock Holmes Walk and it now features a large mural honoring the fictional detective first brought to life by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“I am a brain Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix”, section by Bernice Lum
The mural was developed in partnership with the TTC, the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) and the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection. It differs from most street art in that the panels were produced elsewhere. They also have a shiny finish on them so there are many reflections.
The hoardings surround a construction site for the TTC’s Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements Project. The site will be home to a future fan building to enhance air circulation at the newly renovated station.
below: The Palace of Westminster (England’s parliament buildings) as Sherlock’s “Mind Palace”, an image created by EGR. Other London scenes can be found in the background.
below: A younger Sherlock Holmes playing with toy soldiers and toy dinosaurs, Jeff Blackburn
below: A collection of images from Heidi Berton,
below: Niiwin Binesi (Four Birds) – Brent Hardisty
A group of StART artists provided artwork for the mural – I haven’t been able to match all the artists to the sections (and I missed a panel or two?) As well as the artists named above, the following were also involved in this project: Artists: Adrian Hayles, Annwin Arts, Fatspatrol, Brian Jiang, Jasmin Pannu, Keitha Keeshig Tobias, Megan Oldhues, Melika Saeeda, Poser.
below: An image that makes me think of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” novel.
One of the exhibits now on at the Art Gallery of Ontario features the work of two Impressionist painters. One is Helen McNicoll who born in Toronto in 1879 but raised in Montreal. When she was two years old she contacted scarlet fever which left her deaf. After a few years of art studies in both England and Montreal, she moved to Europe in 1908. She was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1913 and was created an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1914. In 1915 she died. Over her short career she contributed over 70 works to exhibitions in both Canada and Britain.
below: “The Open Door” about 1913, by Helen McNicoll. The words beside the painting end with this sentence: “(The) title asks us what it means to stand next to an open door and not walk out.” Also, note that there is no reflection in the mirror.
below:“In the Shadow of a Tree” by Helen McNicoll.
In this exhibit, McNicoll’s work is shown along side some of Mary Cassatt’s paintings. Cassatt (1844-1926). Both artists were women and both painted in an Impressionist style. Cassatt was at least a generation older as she was showing her paintings in Europe a few years before McNicoll was born.
below: “The Cup of Tea” by Mary Cassatt, about 1880 to 1881. This painting was shown in the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1881. It is a portrait of Cassatt’s sister Lydia as she partakes in a Parisian afternoon tea with white gloves and pink finery. The pink of the dress is reflected in the shiny fabric of the purple chair. (note: between 1874 and 1886 there were 8 exhibits featuring Impressionist paintings. Cassatt had paintings in many of these exhibitions.)
below: “Montreal in a Snowstorm” by Helen McNicoll. Although McNicoll spent most of her adult life in Europe, she returned home to visit her family in Montreal frequently.
This exhibit is on until 4th Sept 2023.
May 2023 edition
below: “In the Comfort of Embers” by Amartey Golding. Photography, video, objects, all in a darkened red space.
below: “Drink from the River” by Brenda Draney – a collection of her paintings.
below: A lime green webbed folding lawn chair on a red surface dominates this picture and overpowers the large negative space.
below: “Decoded” by Joi T. Arcand. The walls are covered by this blue and pink striped design. Using the pink plastic hearts, one can look at the wall and see things differently – can you find the words, can you decode the message?
below: Black and white photographs by Anique Jordan both inside the gallery. “Glitches”, a woman on a bed holding two large chunks of watermelon.
below: … and on the exterior south wall. “These Times 2019” by Anique Jordan
Just outside the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is Ontario Square. There is another art installation there – Double Pendulum by Maggie Groat. Photos of that display are in a previous blog post (Double Pendulum, 19 May)
as I walk Toronto 