the last place on earth you probably want to be

I’m a big fan of art in public spaces. I like the site-specificity of it, the ingenuity of the design of it, and the fact that people can not only make the spaces destinations, but many people can view the work incidentally as well. Since I’m talking about CONTACT 2008 so much, I thought I’d compile an overview of a few of the public installations that you should look out for this May. Check out the full list on the official CONTACT website.

For those of you less familiar with Toronto: If you start at the Consulate General of Italy (1), you could head East on Dundas to the AGO (2), South on McCaul to Queen, and West on Queen to MOCCA (3) and the Drake (4). It would be a long walk but along the way you’d also catch Obelisk by Anthony Koutras.

$Souvenir d\'Italie$

1. Consulate General of Italy
Souvenir d’Italie by Raffaela Mariniello
Photographs of Italian cities line the fence of the heritage building that is the Consulate General. Juxtaposition of old and new. Dundas St. W. at Beverly St. Until May 31.

2. AGO Construction Hoarding
Rhythm of a True Space by Suzy Lake
A photographic exploration of gender and identity. A woman sweeps up the construction mess. Clever and eerie. Seen from McCaul Street, just south of Dundas St. W. Until May 31st.

3. MOCCA Courtyard
Disappearance of Darkness by Robert Burley
Burley explores the disappearance of traditional methods of photography. Do you know anyone who doesn’t own a camera of any kind? His work is also inside the MOCCA, but this installation is on view all day and night. Join Burley for a talk at MOCCA on May 25th at 2pm. 952 Queen St. W. Until May 31st.

4. Drake Hotel Windows
Magnum in Motion
Every evening in May, projections of documentary-style videos are projected into the windows at the Drake. Testaments of and about Magnum photographers, who will be present during the opening week to create new work for the Magnum archive. 1150 Queen St. W. Until May 31st.

Although I’d never discount the placement of installations in any particular place, I’m disappointed that Pearson International is a site of interest mainly because I am decidedly not traveling in the next month and it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll have a chance to visit for the purpose of art. For the month of May, Pearson International displays the work of Eamon Mac Mahon and the Icelandic Love Corporation.

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