The Courvoisier Collective

Have you noticed the silhouette of Napoleon incorporated into a scannable QR code around billboards in Downtown Toronto? For those of you oblivious to advertisements, please see the photo above (courtesy of Media in Canada).

While QR Codes are exciting at first, their novelty wears off pretty quickly. Wouldn't it be a lot more interesting to stare at a piece of art done by a local Torontonian, while stuck in traffic on Adelaide Street West?

I think it would and so do the masterminds behind The Courvoisier Collective, a contest for local artists to submit pieces that explore the theme of "renewal" in relation to the revolutionary role of art.

Artists can either explore the capacity of art to revolutionize its own content and form, or, they can express art's potential to challenge the status quo, something which Napoleon succeeded in.

Courvoisier, a cognac devoted to craftsmanship and innovation, has always prided itself on revolutionizing the art of making cognac without compromising its nature. You can bet that the judging panel expects to see the same passion and revolutionary spirit in the winning artwork.

Art can be submitted through http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/ and voted on to gain billboard or gallery status!

The public can vote online for their favourite pieces, begining on July 15th and ending on August 5th.

Here are some more important dates:

July 8th: Deadline for submissions in order to be considered for "Billboard showcase" and prizing.

July 15th: Deadline for "Gallery Award" submissions. Submissions chosen by the public and judging panel will be included in an exhibit at Gallery 1313

July 15th - August 5th: Online public voting for the "Gallery Award" submissions. Voting can be done by visiting http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/

August 1st - 26th: Three winning "Billboard showcase" submissions displayed on high traffic Toronto billboards

August 5th - 8th: "Gallery Award" winners selected for display at Gallery 1313 in Parkdale

August 11th - September 4th: "Gallery Award" Exhibition at Gallery 1313

Submitted artwork can use such media as photography, painting, mixed media and printmaking. Submissions can easily be made by uploading an image in digital JPG, GIF, TIF, or PNG format.

Below are a few of my favourite pieces so far.

Make sure to visit http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/ and vote for your favourites too!

Artwork by Rob Mclelland

Artwork by Justin Broadbent
Artwork by Lynn Soehner

Crawling Tecumseth (to come see)

Last month, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum Young Associates Toronto branch, held their 2nd annual art gallery crawl along Tecumseth Street just south of Queen West.

Like its predecessor, Crawling Nyood, this gallery crawl raised funds to send children of all religious backgrounds and ethnicities to the National Art Museum in Israel.





Participating galleries included: Susan Hobbs, Georgia Scherman Projects, Birch Libralato and Diaz Contemporary, where the crawl concluded with Kelly Mark's neon infused hues, DJ Will Munro's solid tunes, drinks and dessert.








Here are some pictures from the event: If you missed out, stay tuned for other upcoming art related parties.

Proud committee chairs and event organizers

Checking out the art embedded in the wall at Susan Hobbs

Georgia Scherman Projects

Sudoku?

Halloween Art'd at Marben

The monthly art show which I curate at Marben Restaurant & Lounge with Pink Mafia just got a nice little write up on toronto.com! Here's what they had to say:

"Monthly pop up gallery Art'd inspires revelers and diners with themed art installations, infusing the restaurant with a semblance of a traditional gallery. The final edition gets a ghoulish makeover with a Halloween theme, as Marben is swathed in images of, or inspired by, creatures of the night.

The use of local art and up-and-coming artists lends the series a particular poignancy. The Halloween edition features Bowman, Andrew Foerster, Ian Bethune, Jean-Paul Langlois and Lisa Vanin, whose works remain in the restaurant until November 25 and are available for purchase."

The fun gets underway at 8pm, with spooky art, $4 Steamwhistle Beers, half price appetizers and a prix-fixe Harvest menu for $35.

Hope to see you tomorrow night!

Costumes optional.

Nuit Blanche 2009

Aside from Halloween, Nuit Blanche has become my favourite night of the year. The city is filled with positive energy and excitement as thousands of Torontonians take to the streets to celebrate contemporary culture.

The concept of Nuit Blanche is well suited to the diversity of Toronto. The three zones chosen to showcase art offer different themes representing their neighbourhood's characteristics. For example, Zone B, which comprises the Financial District, offered spectators a chance to witness local (and somewhat famous) Torontonians playing a live game of Monopoly with real money.


Although I was intrigued by this idea, along with an installation featuring a pool of vodka in Commerce Court (a reflection of the intoxicating power of the high life?) I chose to stick to Zone C.


It's quite difficult to navigate through all three zones in the course of 12 hours, especially while bumping into old friends, drinking and dancing so I figured that one zone would be enough.


Zone C, which was sponsored by Heineken, offered tours taking place in Liberty Village which proved to be a wonderful way to see and makes sense of the art installations. The theme was "Urban Disaster/Catastrophe/Survival Actions" which I found quite fitting for an area of town with "Liberty" in its moniker.














I particularly enjoyed "Bicitycle" or "Bike City" an interactive mobile installation from Japan. The artist was inspired by the lifestyle, innovation and survival skills of homeless people. By attaching recyclable materials and natural resources to the backs of bikes, spectators were invited to ride around and feel what it would be like to bring their necessities with them wherever they went.











I was also extremely impressed by "A Sultry World", another exhibit from Japan, featuring a young woman dressed in a huge scarlet skirt that enveloped the warehouse in which we were standing (in awe). The stark contrast between the white walls and deep red dress was startling.


We were invited to crawl underneath the dress and discover the sensory chamber created in the three meter high space from the stool that the woman was sitting on. In this peaceful alcove, we took turns writing our thoughts in books that were placed on red velvet pillows.


The woman, to my surprise, was wearing army pattern underwear. I assumed that she'd be wearing red velvet lingerie, to match her flowing dress. Then I read the artist's statement and learned that this exhibit was inspired by a friend who contracted HIV. Perhaps the army motif was a sign of defense against the unknown and a symbol of protection from the vulnerability of being a woman.





The Apology Project, from Maria Legault of Toronto, was a cool concept, with 55 people wearing large paper bags over their bodies, crowding a hallway and bumping into people while saying "I'm sorry."


Waiting in line to enter the hallway, I felt like I was gearing up for a game of Red Rover. Unfortunately, the aggression that I was expecting turned out to be nonchalant chants of "I'm sorry". No one actually tried to block me from passing. It was all a bit too easy and lost the effect I was hoping for. The exhibit was supposed to be a reflection of passive aggressive behaviour and comment on the Canadian custom of constantly apologizing. Maybe that's why I was disappointed; the exhibit was too accurate - Canadians really are passive citizens, or at least the 55 chosen to participate were.








Fortunately there were caldrons of hot chocolate and lamb sausages courtesy of Jamie Kennedy to keep the communal spirit of exploration burning. The exhibit "Fire and Sausage: Small Mercies" which was found throughout Liberty Village, tried to create a post apocalyptic environment, in which to count our mercies and share the surplus. There was a definitely a calm aura that descended over those who were sitting on the communal benches sharing blankets and stories.





Finally, we ended our tour by creating our own art in the Heineken Lounge on a digital graffiti wall. Here's my final creation:



Good times indeed! Every year Nuit Blanche gets bigger and better and I can't wait to see what 2010 will bring. Check out this amazing video featuring 10,628 photos from Zone C, which I found on Fotografic Memory's Vimeo page.


Check out this

Toronto's White Night - Nuit Blanche [Zone C] from Fotografic Memory on Vimeo.

">amazing video featuring Zone C in 10, 628 photographs, posted on Vimeo by Fotografic Memory.

Spin, Booze or Draw

I recently chaired a fantastic event at The Edward Day Gallery called Spin, Booze or Draw. The fundraising art lottery featured the works of 18 up and coming Toronto artists. With the help and support of our enthusiastic guests, combined with the curatorial brilliance of gallery owner Jamie Angell, the event turned out to be a huge success!


Below are some of my favourite photos from the party:




This is the entrance to the Edward Day Gallery, located right beside the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, just west of Queen & Shaw.









Here's a shot from the inside of the gallery, as the party was getting started.









My handsome co-chairs of the event, Jamie & Laurence.









Guest Karelle Steiner, winner of the Min Hyung painting behind her, flanked beside Media sponsors, Anna Von Francis of Pink Mafia and Jen McNeely from She Does the City.






Rina & I standing in front of Danielle Hession's artwork. Guests stuffed their raffle tickets into the pig that Rina is holding, in order to win art by the corresponding artist. My Mom ended up winning Danielle Hession's painting of the boy on the horse which she absolutely adores, as she used to ride horses as a child.






We called up the artists who were in attendance to smash their pigs and give away their art. Here's a picture of artist Mike Hammer in action - gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Hammer Time!"






Laurence, Jamie or myself would then pull a ticket out from the crushed pig and call out the lucky winner.






I really wanted to win some art by James Olley, who is represented at Angell Gallery. Here is one of his pieces that I love. It's called Bands of Light.






Instead I won two prints and four books that were donated from Studio Gallery. Vanessa Gronowski, also known as DJ Vaneska, is the owner of Studio and also provided us with amazing music all night! If you missed the event, stay tuned for a possible Spin, Booze or Draw in 2010...

Nature Calls

Imagine being in the great outdoors on a camping trip and stumbling upon this modern day sanctuary of an outhouse. Such was my delight when I found this unexpected environment in a predictable space, during The Gladstone Hotel's "Come up to my Room" design exhibit in Toronto this past weekend.

Canadian artists Laura McKibbon & Jasna Sokolovic have created a visually stunning restroom which plays on our conceptions of sharing private space with nature. Just watch out for the bird poo.

Artist Spotlight: Kim Dorland

Kim Dorland is a Toronto based painter who's colourful work suggests a modern take on our relationship to nature, focusing on both urban space and landscape. Born in Red Deer, Alberta, Dorlands' paintings offer familiar Canadian images but with a hipster twist. I love the bright neon colours and bold brushstrokes that make up his signature style.

Check out Angell Gallery in Toronto's Art & Design District for more of Dorland's work.

The Royalty & Riches Report

Check out the following pictures from a charity event which I was recently involved in organizing.

The regal affair was aptly titled "Royalty & Riches" as it was held in Toronto's historic Casa Loma and was in conjunction with Christie's, the world renowned auction house.



Christie's Jewels


In order to make the party less pretentious and more attractive to young patrons, we decided to play up the bling factor and invite Kanye West.



our bling


Due to a heavy touring schedule, Kanye was unable to attend. Instead he sent us some of his backup dancers dressed up as jesters to fit in with the party's theme. With the help of local Toronto DJ Dougie Boom, emerald ring pops and chocolate covered coins, we managed to make the first snowy night of the year, one worth celebrating.

All the money raised from the event, goes to fund free admission for children of all backgrounds and ethnicities to learn about art together at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. If you're interested in becoming involved, or just enjoy attending art themed parties that support a good cause, please send me a message and I'll add you to our email list.


Special thanks to our fantastic photographer, Zach Slootsky.