Thursday 26 April 2012

The Alternative Tentacle 7


Opening Reception: Friday, May 11, 2012 6-9pm
Show runs May 11- May 26, 2012

Featuring student work from 9 of Toronto's alternative highschools, The Alternative Tentacle returns for its 7th consecutive exhibition at Xpace. This remarkable show inhabits Xpace's Main Space, Window Space and XBASE with a variety of works, including video and audio works, sculptures, drawings, paintings, prints, t-shirts, skateboard decks and much more. Participating schools include: City/Contact/East York Alternative/Inglenook/Oasis/SEE/SEED/Subway Two/West End (Toronto District School Board)

Poster by Lauren at Oasis

Thursday 19 April 2012

Jennie Suddick + Harbourfront Centre = A must see!


As part of their Spring Visual Arts programme, Habourfront Centre presents Jennie Suddick's Beacon. Fans of road trips and Canadiana will be delighted by Suddick's carefully crafted miniature rendering of Weber's Hamburgers, located on Highway 11 in Orillia, Ontario.
Beacon is on display from April 21st to July 15th, 2012.
The opening reception is Friday April 20th, from 6-10pm. http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/2012/beacon/

THE BRIDGE DINNER SERIES: WHAT IS WORK WORTH? PART TWO

Toronto Free Gallery Presents

THE BRIDGE DINNER SERIES: WHAT IS WORK WORTH? PART TWO

How Precarious Labour Breeds Competition

A dinner & talk about work in the cultural sector

this is the seventh talk in the Toronto Free series: The Bridge

Saturday April 21, 2012

Dinner & Talk: seating at 7 pm


Location:

Toronto Free Gallery

1277 Bloor Street West

416-913-0461

$15/person for dinner (vegan) & talk (meaty)

Seats are limited. Please contact amber@torontofreegallery.org to reserve your spot.

“Precarious cognitive workers are forced to think in terms of competition. You can become friends with another person on Facebook, but genuine friendship is difficult under conditions of virtual isolation and intense economic competition.”

- Franco Berardi Bifo, “Cognitarian Subjectivation”

This Bridge is the second of three talks that ask the question, “What is Work Worth?” in order to begin a dialogue about the value of work. The first talk (Don’t Feed the Interns) questioned the increasing normalization of unpaid internships, while this second talk focuses on competition in educational institutions, and the effect competition has on workers as a social and political body.

How can we encourage collective research when access to positions and funding is so competitive?

What kind of research is privileged in a market that focuses on competition?

"The Bridge" is Toronto Free Gallery's monthly speakers' series that uses the format of a sit-down dinner as a site of engagement and conversation about gaps in racial, social, and economic inequality, and equal representation. We're interested in activating lively, productive conversation in an informal setting that will help to bridge the divide.

Speakers

Rodrigo Martí is a Mexican-Canadian artist working between sculpture, performance and drawing. His practice looks at and involves itself in the cultural and aesthetic dimensions of political struggle. He is presently focused on the 'barricade sculpture workshop' a collaborative participatory sculpture which erects and demolishes walls of 'stuff' within public and private spaces as an expression and embodiment of collective power. Rodrigo received his MFA in Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA and is presently based in Toronto, Canada.

Derek Liddington works and lives in Toronto. He obtained his MFA from the University of Western Ontario and BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Liddington’s work has been exhibited in numerous public settings, most recently at the opening night of Art Toronto 2011 where he staged Dandy Gangs. In 2010, Liddington staged Allegory for an Opera as part of Nuit Blanche. He had his first solo show, titled Coupe de Grace, at Clark and Faria Gallery in 2010. Liddington’s work has also been exhibited in group shows, most recently in Meet us on the Commons, curated by Elizabeth Underhill for the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Derek has received project support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and the London Community Foundation. In 2011, Derek Liddington was shortlisted for the Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts Artist Prize.

A former affordable housing and food security planner, Heather McLean’s doctoral research is situated in current debates on the neoliberalization of arts and culture in Canada and the rise and spread of “creative city” policies in arts and culture policy and urban planning politics. Specifically, her work investigates the founding, funding, and staging of Toronto blockbuster arts initiatives and how they are interconnected with real estate development priorities and exclusionary efforts to “clean up” urban spaces for particular residents. She is also currently a research assistant on a Toronto-based anti-poverty, participatory action research project investigating the impact of gentrification on commercial spaces in two neighbourhoods.

Tannis Nielsen is a Metis, of Sohto, Dene and Danish descent. As a practicing professional Indigenous artist, and academic, Tannis has focused her research interests upon the examinations of an anti-colonial, Fourth World / Indigenous paradigm, as well as the Western / Euro-centric paradigm, in order to further understand how certain theories born from the European Enlightenment period, have served as “an attempted justification” for the imperial domination over Indigenous peoples. In class, the pedagogical objective is to elucidate the negative effects of these theories, by utilizing the study/practice of (both Indigenous and Western) art, as a decolonization methodology.

As an academic, Tannis has created / taught a variety of course listings, in both the Faculties of Arts and Liberal Studies at OCAD-University. As an educator she is located within the praxis of a critical method of instruction that places emphasis towards the ideas of political, cultural, spiritual, social and environmental justice. As an artist, Tannis has exhibited her works at such galleries as the Glenbow Museum in Calgary and has curated exhibitions such as the Enacting Emancipation show at A Space Gallery, with Vicky Moufawad-Paul as co-curator. Tannis has also written a number of articles on arts and culture, some of which include “Re-materializing the Matriarchy” for Spirit Magazine. The Conundrum of Critical pedagogy in Community Arts Education”

Moderator

Amber Landgraff is an artist/curator who uses community and political engagement as an integral part of her curatorial and artistic practice. She has an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practices, and has facilitated, and collaborated on such events as Building Together, FEAST Toronto and Toronto Free Gallery's The Bridge series. She is currently the director at XPACE Cultural Centre, a not-for-profit artist run centre that focuses on supporting and offering professional opportunities to student and emerging artists.

Curated by Amber Landgraff

Toronto Free Gallery is pleased to receive support from:

Canada Council for the Arts & Ontario Arts Council

Today a Legend Died. Viva la Revolution. Derek Liddington

Former Director of XPACE, and forever friend of XPACE, Derek Liddington will be presenting a solo show of his work. Come one, come all! This is gonna be a good one.

Daniel Faria Gallery

188 St Helens Avenue, Toronto, ON

Opening reception- Friday April 20th 2012, 6-8pm. Artist in attendance.

Exhibition runs April 20th-May 26th 2012.


Performance Dates:

Act I-Today a Legend Died (for the workers)

Sunday April 29th, 2-4pm.

Act II- Today a Legend Died ( by the workers)

Saturday May 12th, 2-4pm and Thursday May 17th, 6-8pm.

Act III- Viva la Revolution

May 22nd-26th, 11am-6pm daily.

Dip and Tie Dye n' Such Stuff Workshop

Dip into Spring!

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

1-5pm

We will be having a Dip Dye and Tie Dye workshop to make cooooooool new patterns, colours and styles for your clothes. Bleach your jeans for a ship wrecked look! Dip Dye an old blouse or buton up shirt to make a beautiful gradient! Tie dye some socks for a great addition to any outfit! You could even bring bed sheets, a tote bag or canvas shoes.....imagine the possibilities they are INFINITE

-Tie dye any kind of pattern with any combination of colours

-Use a spray bottle with dye for a speckled look

-make a simple gradient with any colour, or dip a coloured fabric into bleach

-Spray bleach onto black denim for a Galactic Look

We will provide coloured dyes (Dylon cold water dyes), bleach, rubber gloves, spray bottles and elastic bands for tying fabrics for tie-dye.

YOU BRING: any clothing item you would like to dye. Keep in mind that 100% white or light coloured Cotton works best for dyeing, but other fabrics that are ok include: Linen, Rayon, Bamboo, Silk. Natural fabrics are better as opposed to synthetic, although I have used synthetic fabrics in the past, they just don't hold as well.

***Workshop is dependent on weather, as we will need to bleach outside. Rain date will be Saturday, May 19th.

Saturday 14 April 2012

Artist Statement Tips




XPACE recently hosted a workshop on writing an Artist Statement. 



Here's a brief summary of some do's and don'ts to writing one. 





1. There are two kinds of artist statements.
(i) One that explains your overarching practice; and
(ii) One that explains a specific work.

2. Statements should be about 300-500 words.
(i)    What “is” the work?
(ii)  What do we see or experience?
(iii) What is at stake?

3. This is not a mystery novel. Start with a one-sentence description that encompasses all of the above to some extent – especially what it is – then unpack each of the listed items as is needed.

Friday 13 April 2012

Images Festival

The Images Festival has officially begun. 
XPACE is showing works in conjunction with the Festival. 
Click here to read about our exhibition, Yesterdays Today, Tomorrow 
The opening for the exhibition will take place on Friday April 13, 2012 (tonight)
Images Festival is running from April 12 - 21, 2012


Yesterday's Today, Tomorrow investigates impermanence and the recontextualization of art and history through digital media. The artists in this exhibition reference historical means of representation and delineate contemporary modes of interpretation in the information age. 







Thursday 12 April 2012

Current Exhibition

Check out some photos from our last 
Opening Reception. 
The exhibition is running until April 21, 2012.

Pop by XPACE and see our new and uber-fantastic Library





-THE CURATED LIBRARY--Texts curated bi-monthly to coincide with exhibitions 

-NEW XPACE ZINE LIBRARY-- Zines, comics, bookworks, anthologies from local and international artists 

-NEW BOOGIE WOOGIE MIX TAPE LIBRARY-- Curatorial project by Sarah Butterill devoted to cassette tape music and sounds. Participants borrow a tape (each home-made cassette tape has a specific theme) and a walkman of their choice and engage with their surroundings. For more information visit: http://beigecube.de/boogie/boogie.html

No Permanent Address


Opening Reception: Friday April 13, 2012 from 6-8 pm

Images Festival and Gallery TPW are very pleased to co-present work by Mark Boulos. No Permanent Address is a three channel video portrait of the New People’s Army, a Maoist guerrilla group in the Philippines. Shot over several months while living amongst their members, the work speaks to the persistence of communist ideologies at a time in which Boulos suggests “capitalism has begun to lose its sense of inevitability.”

Illustrator Workshop @ XPACE

This Illustrator (and some Photoshop!) workshop will teach you all of the "101" type things you need to know about these Adobe programs. Some specific things we're going to cover is how to set up a document, shape manipulation, photo importing, image processing, what all those keyboard shortcuts do, document layout and more. This workshop is three hours long with a break in the middle. We'll be starting at 1pm sharp, so be sure to get there on time! Bringing a laptop will be extremely helpful to each participant, but it's not mandatory. If you can buddy up with somebody else's computer and take turns trying things out, that would be good, too.


This workshop will take place on Saturday April 14, from 1-4pm @ XPACE Cultural Centre.

Q: What is this good for?
A: Your next gallery show invite, your zines and bookworks, posters, and other publications. It's also extremely helpful to acquaint yourself with Adobe software. A lot of the basic functions are similar and it will be easier to learn other programs if you already know one or two.

Q: What should I bring besides myself?
A: A laptop if you have one (with a mouse!), a notepad, a pen, and some coffee (no spilling).

Q: Can I contact someone if I questions before/after the workshop?
A: Yes, you can e-mail Carolyn here: trippcar@gmail.com



Cost for this workshop is $10. 

Please RSVP by email by April 12th to alicia@xpace.info if you would to attend. 
We will cap the workshop at 16, so be sure to sign up early, as spots with go fast.

Something for the Subway

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Contacting Toronto: We're in this Together

'We're in this Together' is opening up a dialogue about Toronto in all its facets, and we are looking for images that explore Toronto in the following ways: the different communities that define Toronto; how personal relationships help make the city more livable; current political and economic realities; geographical boundaries; ecological uncertainties. All accepted images will be seen on over 300 screens across the TTC, with a photo playing once every five minutes all day throughout the month of May, as well as on the project website. A Public Installation of CONTACT; supported by the the Ontario Arts Council. Submissions must be made through Flickr. Submission Deadline: May 30th, 2012. www.contactingtoronto.ca


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF)


No talk, just TUFF. The Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) returns for a sixth year of spectacular one-minute silent films. Forever the strong and silent type, TUFF takes place September 7 - 17, 2012 on the Pattison Onestop subway screens, reaching an audience of over one million daily commuters. Canadian and international artists are invited to submit work that is of interest to an urban audience. The festival accepts all genres of silent, one-minute film, video and animation. The 2012 guest judge is acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal ("Payback", "Manufactured Landscapes" "Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles"). TUFF is co-produced by Pattison Onestop and Art for Commuters. Submission Deadline: July 15, 2012.www.torontourbanfilmfestival.com




Wednesday 11 April 2012

Puzzled, By Certain Things


April 14-May 19, 2012 @ Trinity Square Video

Opening April 14, 2012

Artist's Talk: May 5, 2012, 2pm



Trinity Square Video and the 25th Images Festival are excited to present a process-based installation by renowned Kingston-based artist Gary Kibbins.Puzzled, By Certain Things is created as part of TSV yearly Artist-in-Residence program, which aims to advance video's expanding sphere of experimentation. Beginning with the festival in early April, this year's edition of the program will see Kibbins activate the TSV Gallery with a video-based work that will change over the course of its exhibition.

Drawing on Kibbins' significant contribution the Canadian video art, the exhibition is organized in two parts: Puzzled, By Certain Things and the presentation of two of the artist's revered videos (Cop Out, featured in the first iteration of the Images festival and A Short History of Water, part of the TSV Purchase Collection, 1979-1999). In each work Kibbins uses humour, language games, and explorations of rhetoric and philosophy to exploit video's capacity to break down linguistic and visual distinction. Kibbins new work will further develop on his fascination with shifting structure and meaning in language through sight, sound, and the introduction of spatial form.

Gary Kibbins is a media artist and writer currently teaching at Queen's University. His latest single-channel work is The Unlucky Sailor: 9 Unread Chapters of Finnegans Wake (2011). A collection of his essays and scripts titled Grammar & Not-Grammar (2006) is available from YYZ Books.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

neither here, nor there


Thursday March 29, 2012 to Thursday April 12, 2012
Student Exhibition @ Transit Space, 
100 McCaul St, OCAD U
'Neither Here, Nor There' investigates the social construction of place through a series of drawings, paintings, photographs and performances. This theme will be explored in two different but interconnected ways. First, the tendency of self identification though place is addressed by several of the artists. 


These works will reflect on the “inherent” human desire to belong and to have a place that they can call their own. Other works will question these desires through depictions of vacancy and abandonment, and lastly an ongoing performance pice will investigate the construction of the Gallery space it's self. Through these varying depictions, Neither Here, Nor There attempts to understand the very soul of the places we inhabit, as well as how they affect our identity and our actions.

Participating artists: Sarah Rose Turner, Tyler Gillan, Johanna Martin and Kelli Jerome
Curated by Meghan Hunter-Gauthier
In collaboration with the OCAD U Performance Collective

Flow



Emily Schaefer's work Flow focuses on the physical application of medium to surface. Working flat, she pours, spreads, dips and manipulates fluid acrylic paint onto panels. At times this spreading carries the colour over the edge of the panel, validating it completely as part of the painting and not simply a vessel that carries it. She intuitively places each mark, layering the abstract forms, and at times adding a heavy build up of material. Her intense, minimalist paintings capitalize on the smooth fluidity of the paint, with strong contrasts in colour and surface.