{"id":21707,"date":"2013-10-28T21:38:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-29T01:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=21707"},"modified":"2013-11-12T20:36:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T01:36:58","slug":"art-toronto-2013-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=21707","title":{"rendered":"Art Toronto 2013 \/ Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Art Toronto 2013\u00a0by Shellie Zhang<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year, Art Toronto 2013 housed over 100 galleries from 13 countries at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. With works ranging from emerging to established artists, new and familiar galleries, the 200,000 square feet of art can be quite intimidating. Here are some of the highlights of this year\u2019s art fair.<\/p>\n

The venue can be separated into a few distinct categories. On the east side were the more commercial and big name galleries, many of which were from international locations. However, a lot of money was exchanged this weekend at Toronto\u2019s only international art fair among local galleries. On opening night, Loch Gallery sold $3-million dollars\u2019 worth of art and Mayberry Fine Art bore a red dot on a sale price of $350,000.<\/p>\n

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Over at the Art Toronto Stage, Julia Dault talked of her own work in relation to her understanding of anti-illusionism and the fluid concept of home. In the past couple of years, the career of this Brooklyn-based Canadian artist has skyrocketed. Recently, her work has appeared in New Museum triennial \u201cThe Ungovernables\u201d, Art Basel Miami, and the Armory Show in New York.<\/p>\n

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Art Metropole\u2019s large bookstore display offered more affordable pieces of art for the average art-collector. Founded in 1974 by the artists’ collective General Idea as an artist-run centre, Art Metropole is a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on the production, dissemination and contextualisation of artist-initiated publication. In keeping with the centre\u2019s mandate, many visitors could be seen walking around with a little piece of ephemera that brightened their day.<\/p>\n

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Angell Gallery had an extremely vast selection from the works of Kim Dorland to Yigal Ozeri. The gallery is known for featuring artists who employ unique techniques that defy set genres of production, straddle many mediums and produce fantastically exciting results. With their programming summarized at booth 900, their roster shines through as a diverse yet cohesive display.<\/p>\n

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Stephen Bulger Gallery focused on the work of one artist this year in what was an extremely risky strategy. The concentration on Alison Rossiter\u2019s unique gelatin silver prints allowed for a more intimate and meditative experience amongst the loud and large works of many other booths. Focusing on detail, subtleties, and the artist\u2019s process, Stephen Bulger\u2019s strict selection resulted in the gallery\u2019s distinction.<\/p>\n

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On the west side of the convention center at the Toronto Next Lounge, Instant Coffee has built a seating area amalgamating and redesigning elements from their recent exhibition Take The Easy Way<\/em> at MKG 127. Here, artists who participated in Toronto\u2019s Roundtable Residency discuss the works they produced and the benefits of this new local program.<\/p>\n

Text and photo: Shellie Zhang<\/p>\n

International Galleries at Art Toronto 2013\u00a0by Veronica Scarpati<\/strong><\/p>\n

With 20 new international galleries in attendance and over 13 countries represented, Art Toronto brought an exciting mix of contemporary talent to our own back yard, but what exactly drew so many international galleries to Toronto for the first time?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Now in its sixth year, Messum\u2019s has become a regular at Art Toronto, bringing the best of British historical and contemporary art to Canadian collectors.<\/p>\n

From Japan to Tel Aviv, repeat exhibitors to first-time attendees, when asked to describe what set Art Toronto apart, the answer was surprisingly unanimous: strong referrals, friendly crowds and\u2014most importantly\u2014interested buyers.<\/p>\n

As Yann Bombard, first-time exhibitor from K+Y Gallery, Paris, explained, \u201cCompared to New York or Paris, visitors here seem to have more time\u2014and a genuine interest to learn about our artists.\u201d When I spoke with Bombard, he was simultaneously writing up a sale, interacting with clients, and answering questions from fascinated visitors; with only four days to introduce his varied roster of European artists to the Canadian market, he had to make the most of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Yann Bombard (right) introducing C\u00e9cile Plaisance\u2019s playful lenticular, Wall Street<\/em>, to an interested visitor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Visitors admiring French artist Elisabeth Lecourt\u2019s work at K+Y Gallery. The artist folds vintage maps to create beautiful doll-like dresses.<\/p>\n

Among the works Bombard presented at K+Y Gallery, two blue ceramic foetuses by up-and-coming artist Joseph Klibansky were particularly striking. Fresh off a record-breaking sale at Sotheby\u2019s Amsterdam and named one of the \u201cyoung geniuses of the contemporary art market\u201d, Klibansky\u2014a celebrity in his own right\u2014conceived of the idea for his gold-plated series in order to comment on the relentless reach of today\u2019s material culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Joseph Klibansky, Turquoise Evolution<\/em>, 2013, gold-plated ceramic sculpture.<\/p>\n

Eager to expose Canadian collectors to contemporary movements in her own country, Monica Gutierrez, director of Mexico\u2019s The New Wall Gallery was another first-time exhibitor at Art Toronto. Playing on the gallery\u2019s name and mandate, Gutierrez is after new walls on which to showcase her artist\u2019s work, and Art Toronto\u2019s newly developed NEXT section provided just the platform she needed. \u201cI had heard very good things about Art Toronto from other dealers in Mexico,\u201d Gutierrez explained, \u201cso I decided to try it out, and I\u2019ve been surprise by how open and receptive everyone has been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Introducing some of Mexico\u2019s most promising artists to the Canadian market, Monica Gutierrez brings a refreshing mix of contemporary names to Art Toronto.<\/p>\n

Displaying the work of three up-and-coming artists, The New Wall Gallery glittered with a varied assortment of artworks. Although Joao Rodriguez\u2019s gouache on paper pieces were especially beautiful, Hugo Garza\u2019s series Opus Volo<\/em>\u2014a series of works created entirely during flight\u2014stole the show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Hugo Garza, Redondo<\/em>, 2013, from Opus Volo<\/em>, c-print, acrylic dibond mount, 80 x 60 cm.<\/p>\n

Just steps down the corridor another Mexican gallery found its home, this one celebrating its fifth year in Toronto. It seems international exposure can prove very fruitful\u2014and not just for foreign artists trying to break into the North American market. As Laura Ortiz Vega, one of the artists represented by Estudio Antena explained, among the gallery\u2019s roster of emerging Latin American artists, works by Canadian Catto Houghton also found place on the gallery\u2019s walls. Resulting from a chance meeting the previous year, a partnership was forged between Mexican and Canadian artists, and now, hung alongside Leandro Asoli and Andres Basurto\u2019s work, Houghton\u2019s graphic panels brought depth and dialogue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A Pan-American assortment at Estudio Antena, as the works of promising Latin American artists hung alongside those of Canadian Catto Houghton.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In a technique developed by the artist, Vega creates expressive portraits using wax-coated embroidery thread instead of paint\u2014a painstaking process that yields luminous, life-like results.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Catto Houghton, Untitled<\/em>, 2013, acrylic on wood panel.<\/p>\n

With so much talent from around the world, Art Toronto once again proved to be a resounding success. But how does our still nascent fair measure up to its more established and august counterparts? In the words of Messum\u2019s Kristian Day, \u201cToronto by far draws the friendliest and most interesting crowds and that\u2019s why we\u2019ll keep coming back year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Text and photo: Veronica Scarpati<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Shellie Zhang & Veronica Scarpati<\/strong><\/p>\n

With works ranging from emerging to established artists, new and familiar galleries, the 200,000 square feet of art can be quite intimidating. Here are some of the highlights of this year\u2019s art fair<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,129,130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-shellie-zhang","category-veronica-scarpati"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21707"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21712,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21707\/revisions\/21712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}