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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNuit Blanche crowd, Nathan Phillips Square, September 23, 2023 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beginning the tour of installations earlier on in the night is your best bet, for within an hour of walking, I saw the crowd sizes triple and lines begin to form out the doors of many participating buildings. One of which was 401 Richmond, home to dozens of artist-run centers, including Red Head Gallery, Gallery 44 and Abbozzo Gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon entering the main entrance, you are swept up in the sound of saxophones and jazz percussionists, who play surrounded by free standing walls of artwork created by local emerging artists. The musicians can be heard beyond the lobby as you wind up and around the metal staircase and find yourself in Red Head Gallery. Tonia Di Risio\u2019s current exhibit Tracings Revisited<\/em> follows the experiences of objects used in reflection of her grandmother. The sculptures are shown projecting from the walls, each left individually untitled, decorating the space in a seemingly personal narrative of loss and remembrance. <\/p>\n\n\n Tonia Di Risio\u2019s Tracings Revisited<\/em>, on at Red Head Gallery <\/p>\n\n\n\n Down the hall, you\u2019d find yourself entering Gallery 44, the Centre for Contemporary Photography. Two exhibits are currently being shown in adjoining rooms, however, tucked away in their member\u2019s gallery one can see Ryan Jakebek\u2019s, Confluence<\/em>. Within the square space, an entire wall (the first on your right) is a series of cut up photographs hanging together in unison showcasing an event called Kumbh Mela. Every 6 years, a small river in India plays host to upwards of two hundred and forty million visitors. On astrologically pre-determined days, Hindu pilgrims believed these waters obtained divine power. The artist highlights the power of scale found within crowds, further contextualizing this exploration by presenting, on the adjacent wall, individual detailed portraits (which were all left untitled). <\/p>\n\n\n Ryan Jakebek\u2019s Confluence<\/em> exhibit at Gallery 44 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving along to Abbozzo Gallery, a unique collection of works were on display, inspired by artificial intelligence and the legend of Robert Johnson. The exhibition, 12:06 AM<\/em>, is presented by artist Richard A. Jacobson, who heard the legend of the famed guitarist, rumored to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural playing abilities. If you enjoy stepping into the supernatural, technological and fantastical nature of artworks, this is the exhibit for you. Jacobson explores, through the use of his resin guitars and skull sculptures, feelings of fear, curiosity and creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n Richard A Jacobson\u2019s 12:06 AM exhibit at Abbozzo Gallery, (R-L)…exposing our Dark Desires, Outside the cocoon it waits, The Time for Deals is Past, An act of yesterday\u2019s logic <\/em>& hype-ge-al<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n Dark Wind <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously mentioned, each of the sectors participating in Nuit Blanche included curate installations. Some, like those in the downtown core of Toronto, can be found on the streets. The downtown installations were curated by Kari Cwynar and included 9 of the night’s artists stretching from Nathan Phillips Square, down Bay St., ending at Union Station. Under the theme of Disturbed Landscapes,<\/em> these 9 artists unearthed the land beneath the corporate buildings, bank plazas and parking lots to highlight the relationships between land and power in urban environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of these works, along Bay St., was titled A Practical Guide <\/em>by Divya Mehra. This artist used her inflatable installation of a plastic bag to explore themes of displacement, loss and oppression. The word \u201cLOOT\u201d is imprinted on the bag where one would normally see the words \u201cTHANK YOU\u201d. It encourages the viewers to question the colonial displacement of people across history. <\/p>\n\n\n A Practical Guide,<\/em> Divya Mehra<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last of the installations, found at Union Station, was titled To be one and multiple at the same time <\/em>by Krista Belle Stewart. In a series of banners stretching from floor to ceiling in between the columns seen from Front St, Stewart engages with a similar topic of travel across spaces. Having traveled herself by ocean liner from Europe to Quebec City, followed by train to Union Station, Stewart reflects upon the past and present roles of transit and travel between colonial nation-states.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n