Dive into the archives.
- How New Media Figures in a Gallery
The evolution of new media has reached a point where it is now being sought out by photography-based galleries to fill their spaces. Why this shift? There is definitely a lack of art spaces to represent new media works, and I am in no way dissenting this shift. But to me it is curious that [...]
- CONTACT 2008: Public Installations
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 [...]
- FishNet
So I toured a bunch of CONTACT openings yesterday and the one show I’m getting behind isn’t even a part of the festival. FishNet: The Great Lakes Craft and Release Project is at the York Quay Centre at Harbourfront until June 22. In what is the most beautifully displayed exhibition I have ever seen — [...]
- CONTACT 2008
Toronto’s annual photography festival, CONTACT, has begun and I thought I’d take a minute to recommend some shows that I’ll be checking out between now and the end of the month. This year’s incarnation is built upon the subtitle, “Between Memory & History”, which I must admit is sort of an obvious theme. I mean, [...]
- What Art Education Lacks
Having explained why I think art education is effective, I suppose I should also note what I think art education is sorely lacking. Currenly, aspiring artists can attend a post-secondary institution and have access to studio education, history, and networking. However, one of the most critical aspects of achieving and maintaining success as an artist [...]
- The Purpose of Art Education
Art education has always been a kind of paradox in my mind. Without qualifying my own thoughts, it never made sense to me to “teach” artists–I believed artistic talent was innate (and still do, though I’ve modified my position on art education itself.) It is actually comical that I not only go to art school, [...]
- 401 Richmond: Artforms and Space
401 Richmond is a century-old building in downtown Toronto whose history has allowed the building’s ownership to change hands several times before settling down as a “mixed-use building with a focus on the arts” almost 15 years ago. The building is home to artist studios, offices and galleries.
I’ll make it clear upfront that I love [...]
- Google Colours
Walter Benjamin, the icon of any good art education, and the bane of many an art student’s existence, wrote a seminal essay in 1936 entitled “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” The essay deals primarily with how authorship, authenticity and accuracy figure in a world where things can be easily mutliplied [...]
- Public Space: Improv/Art
Art in public spaces is one of my areas of interest in studying critical theory. Catching people off guard with an impromptu performance is clever, immediate and impactful. In one of the best public-space/improv performaces I’ve seen in a long time, Improv Everywhere freezes Grand Central Station for five minutes. Watch the video. I could [...]
- Negotiating Pragmatism & Hedonism: Karim Rashid
Some time ago I attended a lecture by Karim Rashid at OCAD. There’s no denying the innovation in Rashid’s work, and I was interested in hearing more about the philosophies behind his design. I found some contradictions in his beliefs and practices, and ultimately, listening to an optimist talk about the future of design when [...]
