October 27–30, 2017
Opening preview: Thursday, October 26
Art Toronto
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
North Building, Exhibit Hall A & B
255 Front Street West
arttoronto.ca
Facebook / Instagram / #ArtToronto17
Art Toronto is excited to announce the programming and speakers for this year’s fair. The Platform Speaker Series, Art Toronto’s original series of lectures and panel discussions from prominent art world figures will be continuing this year with 11 talks that look at the art world in Canada and beyond.
The talks will include curator and artist Tania Willard, speaking on Indigenous epistemology, land rights and creative acts. Art Toronto Show Sponsor, AXA ART, is bringing a panel to speak on perspectives around collecting art and how this informs our view of contemporary art. Presenting Sponsor, RBC, will bring a panel to speak about the shifting role of paint in an artist’s practice.
This year’s project series includes an inflated sculpture by Ness Lee presented by The Drake. It will allow guests to relax in a lounge with the installation floating above them. There will also be a 3D video installation showing the films of Toronto artist Oliver Husain playing consistently, the films working through the relationship between spectator and screen. Full list of programming is available here.
Projects: Carla Fernández
A successful fashion brand based in Mexico City, Fernández works with indigenous artisan communities to create designs using traditional Mexican methods. A sustainable way of creation is integral to their process. At Art Toronto, Carla Fernández will be showing a capsule collection including pieces created and designed in collaboration with artists from the State of Mexico, Puebla and Chiapas.
Projects: Franz Kaka
An independent project space developed in response to recent gallery closures, Franz Kaka works with artists to develop solo and two-person exhibitions in Toronto. Each project must live in a precarious state as the gallery works as a “time-share” space. Each exhibition also includes a writer who produces text to sit alongside the project, allowing the project to live on and creating more writing that relates to contemporary art. This will continue with the projects presented at Art Toronto. Daily readings will occur, and a new text will be available each day of Art Toronto as a takeaway.
Projects: Ed Fornieles
British artist Ed Fornieles presents a series of animated characters who react to complex data systems. Three cartoons are linked to the real-time value of different currencies: Canadian Dollar, the British Pound Sterling and Ethereum. The cartoons are inspired by Japanese Tamagotchi creatures and kawaii culture. Changes in monetary value are reflected in the expressions and moods of these characters—one might be crying while another sips champagne.
Platform Speaker Series: Sobey Art Award winner
The Sobey Art Award winner, announced just a few short days before Art Toronto, will speak on Friday, October 27 along with a presentation of the work of the five finalists. The Sobey Art Award is Canada’s pre-eminent contemporary art prize for professional artists 40 and under. Since its inception in 2002, the annual award has had an undeniable impact on the careers of young Canadian artists.
Focus: Los Angeles: Beyond the Hype
Los Angeles has undoubtedly become an exciting epicenter for artists, art schools, museums and galleries. But we’ve also begun to see backlash to all the growth, whether anti-gallery protests in Boyle Heights or concerns about mega-collectors opening their own museums. Can the city sustain all the new galleries and museums in town? In a panel moderated by journalist Jori Finkel (The New York Times and The Art Newspaper), curator Santi Vernetti, gallerist Luis De Jesus and artist Kim Schoen will discuss the fast-changing landscape of the LA art scene.
About Art Toronto
Founded in 2000, Art Toronto is Canada’s international fair for modern and art. Providing unique access to the Canadian art market, the fair is one of the most important annual art events in Canada. Now in its 18th year, Art Toronto presents important artwork from leading Canadian and international galleries as well as a program of lectures and panel discussions from prominent art world figures, curated projects, an extensive VIP Program, and top-tier cultural offerings throughout the city.
