Wednesday 30 January 2013

Feburary Exhibitions and Calls for Submissions

XPACE will host its first round of openings in the NEW SPACE at 303 Landsdowne Ave this Friday, February 1rst! Drinks and snacks will be provided, artists and curators will be in attendance!

Below is information about the exhibition, along with short blurbs about the participating artists!


MAIN SPACE

The Archivists
Curated by: Cameron Lee
Artists:Melissa Fisher, Felix Kalmenson, Zoe Solomon

In The Archivists, artists Felix Kalmenson, Zoe Solomon, and Melissa Fisher collect and arrange materials from their everyday activities: visiting the library, reading the daily news and recycling. These activities are repeated, forming a ritualized process. Solomon compulsively saves her library withdrawal slips, forming an on-going narrative or documentary portrait of the artist as researcher. Fisher composes symmetrical site-specific installations, using collected materials and materials from previous installations, composing, photographing and reproducing them as printed motifs on fabric in an endless process of self-reflexivity. Finally, Kalmenson's computer installation prints various daily newspaper editorials on a looped surface, with each proceeding set of text overlapping the previous. Kalmenson’s layered text renders the pointed content of each article as a singular, conflicted band of visual noise.

WINDOW SPACE

Façade
February 1- March 1
Artist: Janine Miedzik

Janine Miedzik’s Façade acts as a veneer over the white interior of the window space. Using a material approach that embodies the artificiality and impermanence of a Potemkin Village (the Russian minister’s attempt at deceptive temporary cloak of prosperity to cover the effects of drought), the decal is created out of large sections of masking and duct tape, materials commonly used for temporary repair.

Miedzik work responds to architectural space and considers our interactions with it--the shifting face of neighborhoods, and the renovation and gentrification that accompany our migrations.

PROJECT SPACE

Makeshift Music
February 1- February 23
Artist: Kate Szabo

Makeshift Music is a collection of interactive sculptures that requires viewer participation. Each sculpture is constructed using reused and recycled materials that have been put together to create objects that produce sound. The work is meant to directly involve the audience to achieve a performative experience unique to each viewer's interaction with the piece as well as others in the gallery space around them.

EXTERNAL SPACE (ongoing)

o, i'm lisa
January 15- February 12, 2013
Artist: Lisa Folkerson
Curated by Jennifer Simaitis

o i’m lisa is a conjoined video about “Lisa”. It features the artist’s best friend and sister styled as the artist’s avatar in an attempt to embody and present an accurate portrait of the artist. o i’m lisa reflects on the value of self or existing as a person in the experience of other people. The video is rendered through the essential memories and details of the artist's intimate relationships.



ARTIST PROFILES

Melissa Fisher
Melissa Fisher graduated from OCAD in 2008 with a BFA in Sculpture/Installation. Having shown work in 2006 in the group exhibitions Wall + Paper II, Observance, and Longer, Fuller Lashes, in addition to a solo exhibition, What Goes Around Comes Around in the Window Space this is Melissa's fifth time showing work at XPACE. She has just completed a solo show BE BE PRESENT at Souvenir Gallery in Victoria, BC. Melissa has also shown work at Magic Pony, Narwhal Art Projects, Lennox Contemporary, Switch Gallery, The OCAD Student Gallery, The Great Hall and Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, in addition to a two person show at Sur La Montagne in Berlin, Germany.
Melissa Fisher's work is autobiographical, abstracting memory through installation art often using string, fabric, found objects and other mediums. Her installations often repeat past work, changing with each new space and highlighting the explorations of that transformation. Read about her work in the solo exhibition BE BE PRESENT here, by Stephanie Feilding. Melissa Fisher is a Toronto-based artist and keeps her studio at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts
www.melissa-fisher.com

Felix Kalmenson
Felix Kalmenson completed his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 2011 and is the recipient of the Emerging Artist Grant from the Toronto Arts Council in 2012. This is Felix's second time showing work at XPACE, his first being Intersection in the Xbase project space, 2012. Felix has shown work through the Whippersnapper Gallery's New Traditions residency, as well as having participated in group shows at the AGO, the MOCCA, Shudder Gallery (Vancouver), Aaran Gallery (Tehran), Art of the Danforth, Forgetus Collective, and Gallery 1313 among others. Along with upcoming exhibitions at Gallery 44, and Non-Fiction gallery in Savannah, Georgia, Felix is preparing for an upcoming artist residency at Z/KU Center for Art and Urbanistics in Berlin, Germany.


Felix works in a variety of media including; installation, film, photography, and collage, within public space, as well as, in the gallery setting. His work engages in conversations surrounding publicness, memory, myth and how these are mediated by complex social, economic, and urban landscapes. Felix Kalmenson is a Toronto based artist.

Zoe Solomon
Zoe Solomon studied at Emily Carr and completed her BA at NSCAD Interdisclipinary Studies with a focus on ceramics. Zoe is a Toronto based artist and a former board member of The White House Studio Project, an artist-run studio and gallery space in Toronto. It is Zoe's first time showing work at XPACE. In the past she has shown work at Gallerywest, The White House Studio Project, The Khyber, Eyelevel Gallery, Ana Leonowens, CFAT and Double Double Land, and is involved with Double Double Land's Life of a Craphead series as a collaborator. Zoe is a multi-disclipilary artist who also has a performance music project called Fresh Flesh. Read a review of Fresh Flesh here at Tome to the Weather Machine, or follow the link below to listen to her on Myspace.
Music project: Fresh Flesh 

Janine Miedzik
Janine Miedzik received a BFA with distinction from OCAD University and works in Toronto Canada. She is the recipient of Anne K. Adler Award for Contemporary Art, the Curry’s Scholarship and the Relative Space Commission Prize. Miedzik’s practice articulates observations and responses to the built environment that encompass a range of media; drawing, painting wall-works photo-based collages installations and sculpture. Her work has been represented at Drabinsky Gallery in Toronto and been included in several group exhibitions in Canada and most recently in Berlin and Denmark at ARHUS Art Academy. In June 2012 Janine produced a large-scale commissioned wall-work for Relative Space in Toronto. Her work in held in corporate and private collections in Canada, the U.S, the Netherlands and U.A.E.
www.janinemiedzik.com


Kate Szabo
Kate Szabo is a recent graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in Studio Art. Over the course of her time at UoG, Kate developed a practice that includes finding rejected objects and constructing fully functional musical instruments. With an interest in art that holds an interactive element, she encourages her audience to take part in the work and play with the instruments to create an experience unique to each viewer. Between the years of 2011 and 2012, Kate has displayed her work at a number of different occasion at the UoG including several groups show in Zavits Gallery as well as the Open Studio experience that the university holds annually along side the Shenkman Lecture. She also was involved in the University of Guelph, University of Waterloo art exchange where her work was displayed in the Artery Gallery in Kitchener in 2012. Currently, Kate is living in Guelph where she works in her studio producing work that she hopes to share at future shows.  


Lisa Folkerson
Lisa Folkerson graduated from NSCAD with a BFA in Intermedia Studies in 2011. She has completed two solo exhibitions in Halifax at Anna Leonowens Gallery and Microgallery in 2011 and 2010.  Lisa has also shown work in group exhibitions at Eyelevel Gallery, The Khyber and Port Loggia Gallery, as well as the Mendel art Gallery in Saskatoon. She is a member of Eyelevel Gallery, the Khyber and Centre for Art Tapes in Halifax, NS. 

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS / Residencies, Shows, Publications!

Spark Box Studio


Today and tomorrow are the last two days to submit to Spark Box Studio's Emerging Artist Residency Award! 

Six emerging artists will recieve a one week/ 7 day residency in Prince Edward County. The selected 
applicants will be given a semi-private studio space and given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources, as well, winners will be provided with living accommodations for their week long stay. They will also have access to career guidance from owners Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping, along with, local community members.

The 2013 Winter Residency Award runs from February 1, 2013 to 
April 30, 2013. Please be advised that the award is for 7 
consecutive days.

To apply, visit their website: 

They are also always accepting ongoing submissions for their residency programme.

Artscape Gibraltar Point
Thematic Residency Program


These two-week residencies offer artists the opportunity to work independently with the mentorship of a visiting professional artist, curator or critic working in international contemporary art. 

Find out more on their website:

Klondike Institute of Art & Culture
Dawson City, Yukon

Apply to the 2014 Residency Program. Includes two thematic residencies: The Film Festival Residency and The Natural and the Manufactured. Deadline April 1 2013.

918 Bathurst 
918 Bathurst is accepting calls for submissions for two separate projects.

Today, From Yesterday and Tomorrow
Gallery 918 is calling out to all emerging/professional artists who demonstrate creative innovation with materials in the craft realm. Our intention is to expose a diverse variety of media/techniques that will link yesterday’s tradition to its contemporary context, and the artists who are taking craft skills 
into the future.

The Darkroom
The Dark Room is a magical space where alchemy transforms photo paper into a tangible image from the depths of one’s imagination. This group exhibition brings together artists working with photography, who are testing the boundaries of analogue media and alternative processes in the digital age. This is an exhibition that will be juried twice: works that make it into the first round will be on display to the voting public at 918 Bauthurst for one day only - April 26. The public will vote for which pieces should move into the second round, which is a two-week exhibition in Gallery 918 from May 7-21. Popular vote will decide 50% of the show, while the  jury will select the remaining 50%.
All artists selected for the exhibition in the gallery will be eligible for awards provided by sponsors and partners. Presented at the closing reception, awards range in value from gift certificates to cash prizes to solo exhibitions in Toronto and London, Ontario.

To apply to either project or find out more visit: http://918bathurst.com/gallery-918/

221A Artist Run Centre, Vancouver BC
221A is seeking proposals from curators for projects to 
commence in 2014.

Emerging and professional curators, curatorial collectives, which may include recent graduates and practicing artists, designers and architects, are encouraged to submit proposals to be developed over the course of one year. Projects may include exhibitions, performances, publications, talks or workshops. Proposals should discuss a viewpoint, theory or approach that the project hopes to foster in relation to the organization's mandate.

Selected candidates will be expected to work with the Executive Director to research, plan and execute the project. International participants will be expected to attend meetings through online voice/video chat.




More information can be found here: http://221a.ca/call-2013-14/

Scarborough Arts - Big Art Book 2013
The Big Art Book is a digital anthology of writing & visual arts which will be launched online in April 2013. Now in its second year, the Big Art Book is a fresh assortment of creativity; an 
invitation to make new connections; an opportunity to embrace new media and build upon traditional forms of artistic expression in Scarborough.

Deadline is Monday, March 4 2013






Tuesday 29 January 2013

FEAST 05


A big thank you to all of the participants, attendees and volunteers who helped make this past FEAST event a success.
Thank you to Lisa for the delicious food (the moistest of cornbreads!), to Greer and Ginger for their help serving and setting up, to Alison for her dj-skills and of course to Amber for making it all happen.
Congratulations to Jennifer and Su-Ying, the recipients of the Project Grant, and to Layne, the recipient of the Student Grant. FEAST 05 was the first of many more events to come in our new home at 303 Lansdowne Ave.
For more information about FEAST, check out their blog.








Wednesday 23 January 2013

New Space / FEAST / Submissions / EVENT

NEW LOCATION

XPACE has moved to 301 Landsdowne Ave! Here are some sneak peeks at the new space:

Window Space
Facing out onto Landsdowne Ave, the window space provides opportunity or collaborative exhibitions that can be viewed around the clock. 

Main Space
Xpace's primary space, programmed for group exhibitions, as well as panel discussions, workshops and other events, including space for the Zine Library and Boogie-Woogie Mix Tape Library.

Project Space 

A new incarnation of Xbase, for solo and group exhibitions, including works-in-progress that respond to the environment.


Office Space
Brand new office featuring Amber and Alicia hard at work.



XPACE continues to maintain the Xternal Space in OCAD's Learning Zone (located in the Jim Meekison Student Lounge), a screen programmed for video and interactive artworks with an emphasis on student and emerging artists.


EVENT - FEAST 05



COME FEAST WITH US!

Tickets for FEAST 05 are now sold out!

FEAST is happening Sunday, January 27, 2012 at XPACE Cultural Centre from 6-10 PM.
What it is:
FEAST (Funding Engaging Actions with Sustainable Tactics) Toronto is a series of community dinners and micro-funding events. During each dinner, artists, designers and groups are invited to present proposals for art-
or design-based projects. Everyone attending the dinner votes on which project they would like to fund, and the project with the most votes is given a grant from the money raised from the ticket sales.
The ticket cost for the locally sourced, vegetarian dinner is a sliding scale of $20-30 (and $10 for students with valid student ID).
FEAST works on the basis that the more that people can share, the larger the grants we can collectively provide. Since our frist FEAST, we've funded almost $4000 worth of projects.

How it works:
1. Buy a ticket for the dinner on January 27th, 2012 at XPACE Cultural Centre
2. Enjoy dinner and conversation with your friends and community
3. Over the course of dinner people present project proposals for your consideration
4. Everyone votes for which project they would like to fund
5. The project with the most votes is funded from the money raised from ticket sales

Contact XPACE at amber@xpace.info
Contact FEAST at info@feat-toronto.com



CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS


TIMERAISER
January 28 2013


The Timeraiser is part volunteer fair, part silent art auction and part night on the town. Timeraiser artists are paid for their work. Selected pieces will help inspire people to donate their time in support of great causes. The Timeraiser supports emerging and mid-career artists like few other community events do. Artists are paid fair market value for their work instead of being asked to donate their creativity. The art is then auctioned off at the Timeraiser to raise volunteer hours for the community.

The Timeraiser pays fair market value up to $1000 (including framing and HST). You set the price of the work. Timeraiser's volunteer art jury will then select the pieces that will be purchased for the Timeraiser.

Timeraiser juries typically select:
1. Mixed media canvas/photography/framed work over sculptures
2. Artwork that fits well in a house or apartment
3. Works where it is clear that a financial contribution will make a difference in the artists' career
4. From their local city; though not always

Applications can be made here.


KLONDIKE INSTITUTE FOR ART AND CULTURE
DAWSON CITY, YUKON
Febuary 7, 2013

Seeking video work for a curated project by Suzanne Carte & Su-Ying Lee (Under New Management) taking place in March 2013 at ODD Gallery at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) in Dawson City, Yukon then traveling to various locations in 2013. The exhibition will take the form of a video rental store that carries artists' videos. The project employs the characteristics of the retail environment to connect to the local community while, challenging the gallery's role as an intermediary that delimits the viewer's direct access to art. "Customers" are asked to pay what they wish, which can be interpreted as cash, a non-monetary exchange, critique, or no renumeration. This facet is in place as an experimental form of engagement, where artists have the opportunity to receive responses directly from viewers. In turn, the viewer has an uncommon channel to the artist. In addition to payment, rental and return are also on an honour-system basis therefore removing barriers that exist due to membership, deposit, and return policies at commercial ventures.

This is the second iteration of the Under New Management video "rental" store. As part of a larger exhibition/project, the first store took place in Toronto from August 3-14, 2010. This method of disseminating video art to the general public was exceptionally popular during its short run. 

For information about the project, visit:


For submissions forms please visit videorentalshop.blogspot.ca
For further inquiries please contact suzannecarte@gmail.com


PLEASURE DOME: NEW TORONTO WORKS
February 22, 2013

Pleasure Dome is calling for submissions looking for a new New Toronto Works to ring in 2013! Revealing the unique wealth of talent emerging in Toronto every year, New Toronto Works is looking for something extra special to celebrate 20 years of creative arts.
Pleasure Dome takes pride in standing behind experimental, uncensored new media arts and has been a champion of artistic expression in film and video since 1989. New Toronto Works showcases the best of film and video minds brewing locally. If this fits your bill, submit your film or video to New Toronto Works and see what happens!

Films and videos under 15 minutes in length and produced after January 2011 qualify. For submission guidelines and applications, check out the Pleasure Dome website. Deadline for submissions is Friday, February 22 2013.

EXHIBITION



Tables, Chairs and Unrelated Objects
OCADU Student Gallery
January 16, 2013 to February 9, 2013
52 McCaul Street / Toronto

For those of us who make furniture, it is not always the object alone that we pursue. As students within the furniture program at OCAD University, we are encouraged to explore and develop our thinking around the role of furniture -- as a medium for personal expression, as a reflection of social and cultural norms, and as an influence upon human behavior. This exhibition presents original furniture pieces that take these broader discussions into consideration.

Featuring work by Jeremy Alter, Nathan Asis, Sean Collins, Sarah Eldershaw, Edward Fong, Alex Taehyuk Ko, Greg McRoberts, Sanaz Mianji, Ewelina Pankowska, Seung-Min Park, Dora Poon, Zeynep Sen, Jade Junghyun Yoo and Aleena Zadi
 
Opening reception and dance party: January 23 (7-11pm)
 
This exhibition is sponsored by Mark McCain, Caro Macdonald & Keilhauer
Organized by Matthew Cherkas, Bahar Ghaemi and Vincent Joseph Monastero




Wednesday 16 January 2013

SWAP- Call for Submissions

Call for Submissions

swap |swäp|
verb ( swapped , swapping )
take part in an exchange of : I was wondering if you'd like to swap with me.
• give (one thing) and receive something else in exchange : swap one of your sandwiches for a cheese and pickle?
• substitute (one thing) for another : I swapped my busy life on Wall Street for a peaceful mountain retreat.

SWAP: Work by OCAD U’s First Generation Students*

* First Generation Students are those whose parents or guardians did not attend university or college.

First Generation Art and Design students are invited to participate in the opportunity to have their work be part of a publication that will be launched at XPACE Cultural Centre on April 6th, 2013. Each contributor will also receive a copy of this original publication!

This is a call for students of all disciplines to produce one page of this publication working within the theme of SWAP,considering any exchange of giving and getting and the act of reciprocity. This theme can be interpreted any way you wish, and be expressed in any medium! The pages will be compiled and printed as a limited-edition risograph bookwork to be included in OCAD University and other local collections. The launch event will also feature a PechaKucha where interested publication participants will have the opportunity to speak about their work, their inspiration and anything else they choose!

Guidelines for Submission:
- Submit one page with the dimensions 8 ½ " x 11"
- All works are to be submitted as a high resolution black and white or greyscale PDF at 300 dpi resolution at the above mentioned dimensions (this includes scans or digitally created 2-dimentional work, as well as photo documentation of 3-dimensional work or performances)
- The book will be printed in a single dark colour - please keep in mind that your page should read well in black and white!

                    Please e-mail Jennie Suddick by Monday, January 21st, 2013 to express your interest in participating in the project

                    Deadline for Submissions: Monday, February25th, 2013 @ 5:00pm

Send Submissions and expression of interest to:  Jennie Suddick jsuddick@faculty.ocadu.ca

 All First generation students are welcome to submit- you do not have had to participate in any previous First Generation Programming to take part!

** Please note: we reserve the right to not include any submission if it is deemed un-publishable for reasons of image quality, appropriateness, etc. 

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Upcoming: Workshop/Discussion at XPACE


Talking Back to the Officer: A discussion on how to get a grant with Peter Livingstone

XPACE Cultural Centre

303 Lansdowne Ave, Main Floor Unit 2
M6K 2W5 

Saturday, February 16th
1- 4pm
*Free

XPACE is pleased to present a workshop/discussion with Peter Kingstone (Acting Visual/Media Arts Officer at Toronto Arts Council). He will lead an informal discussion on what is needed for a grant, and will address specific questions on difficulties with translating work to a jury. There will also be tips on how a grant could be written highlighting things like storytelling, audience, history, and documentation.

We will follow with one on one workshops, so feel free to bring a proposal or an idea/project you are working on.

*The workshop is free, but please RSVP as space is limited. Email alicia@xpace.info to reserve your spot.

Peter Kingstone is a Toronto-based visual artist and curator, working primarily in video and photography. As an independent artist, Peter’s installation pieces have been shown across Canada and internationally, and he was awarded the Untitled Artist Award in 2005 for his installation The Strange Case of peter K. (1974-2004). Peter holds a degree in Philosophy/Cultural Studies from Trent University in Peterborough and a Masters of Fine Art focussing on video and new media from York University in Toronto. Peter has presented at many conferences on the ideas around storytelling and social engagement. Peter started in September 2012 as the Acting Visual/Media Arts Officer at Toronto Arts Council.