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Urbandreamer tours the indie art galleries....

Friday, 23 May 2008 night at the galleries...Queen West style

Frankly, I was in a pissed off mood ... but I took photos of Clint Roenisch's new show which opened tonight We Share Our Blanket With The Owl featuring mostly pretentious, fussy but ultimately boring "art." So typical gallery fare where the show name is better than the show! http://www.clintroenisch.com/ In a lonely mood, I kept walking all the way out to Parkdale and up Roncevalles home.... Here's what I saw: please click on all images to expand. thanks.



I'd rather have the one Lambo than 1000 streetcars....but I'm weird, eh?




A happy accident as I discover two gorgeous blue homes side by side on Wright Avenue between Macdonnell and Roncevalles:


On Roncevalles, a Contact 2008 photography show....


I'm only about halfway home here--can you see that sexy slab@Bloor West in the distance?, but goodnight from Roncevalles!
 
Okay, I'm lazy, so I'll show you the rest of my OCAD 2008 student show pix now...

Yes, #1 is still Adrienne Coffey!
Refresher here:

#2 are the following woodcuts/"puzzles" by Melissa Fisher (I told her she needs to contact a condo sales centre ASAP!):

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#3, this painting by ?
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#4-#10: some of the other installations shown (the big cotton balls, some of those colourful paintings, especially the one with all the faces/portraits)

The best, imho, graphic design display: nice and simple wood background, colourful, crisp display:




The rest, you decide what you like. I know what I liked!

Stuff like this: wow! Filipa Pimentel's lamps should find a buyer--me?;)
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And anything that is graphic, colourful and bold! Click to enlarge and enjoy.:)



Overall, the show, compared to the last few years, impressed. I realize the student's graduating this year spent their entire "career" with the new Alsop addition--I wonder if the funky box on stilts inspired some students, or attracted better artists? I'd like to think so, judging by what I saw. However, the "D(esign)" in OCAD really needs work--most of their stuff is high-school amateurish at best. Clearly OCAD's Material's Art and Design program is attracting the best and brightest, though! As is their Painting program.
 
fantastic selection of images! you are doing a great job documenting the art scene in the city. I am really digging your happy accident blurred shot - that's art!
 
A wet day on Queen West for gallery sight-seeing; but I did it anyway!

As usual, I got off the Ossington bus @Dundas and started taking photos. Some creepy old man in an auto garage actually whistled at me! (Creep.)

Luckily, as a year of the tiger creature I have the last laugh:
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Today was the final day of the Sheridan College student show at Lennox Contemporary. I spy a few things I rather like, and here they are for your viewing pleasure:


Heading East on Queen West, the first gallery I hit is Propellor. Inside, the back room/gallery has an interesting show using old video tape to create the art, old diskettes etc. Some of it is boring, but since I once spent hours editing video way back play back, some of the good:

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yes, the black "frame" is "woven" video tape!
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Paul Petro has a new show where the artists (Sonya Grabowski + Becky Myers: May 30 - June 12, 2008, Opens Saturday May 31, 1-5pm) have taken inspiration from their day jobs--working for a construction contractor--and created 28,000 feet of "mop" streaming out of cinder blocks. @.50/foot, that's not a bad idea to pay the bills, eh?! I'm not buying though, as I could always cut a foot off my mop at home.... Appropriately though, it's raining buckets outside--quick buy a mop!
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As per usual, Edward Day puts me to sleep...can you tell by the crappy photos I took?;)


Across the courtyard, I finally see MOCCA's Contact show--on its final day! Lucky I did, as the photos were almost as hot as the girls inside the gallery today!


Did anyone else watch Nan Goldin's "x-rated" (lol, it wasn't) slide show about sex in Paris?

Back out on Queen West, I head towards the unwashed masses....
 
Monday, 9 June 2008 I tour Ossington and Queen West

Ossington was dead. I suppose people knew a storm was coming? Or maybe they have dayjobs?;)

Either way, let's start the tour with the an Ideal view:

The art, like the street, was rather sleepy....


A few distractions on Ossington:
1)shiny red Italian sportscar

2)My TIGER is a little more worn and wet, but still loving all the attention!:)

3)I meet "ROCKER DUDE"==he requests I take his photo, I do and show it to him. ROCK ON!!! DUDE, eh?
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Waving my friends goodbye, I round the corner on Queen and head East. It's noisy, and under construction (new drains?)

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Angell Gallery looks interesting--it's closed on Monday.
Poster art:




Nice sock painting!
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Friday 13 June 2008 before and after the t-storm on Queen West

That was a brutal thunderstorm, eh? I started the gallery tour earlier in the evening but I'm going to start near the end, after the severe lightning had passed and the rain had slowed to a mere drizzle. The bars were hopping, I was hammered and here's where I begin.

At the Great Hall at Queen and Dovercourt, looks like some artists are setting up their show--opening today (Saturday?)
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Paul Petro was interesting to watch as the skies darkened; earlier, around 8PM the place looked abandoned, but under construction. Later, the (artist?, gallery assistant?) is seen placing the last bits on the wall. It's a Dyke Pussy festival--just in time for this year's Pride party? Since I like cats, I'm happy to snap away.
@11:30PM:
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@8:30PM:
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A good-looking show at the OCC for a change. I'm too intimidated to go inside--it looks like an insiders' party tonight.
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Propellor and Ideal Coffee/Black Dog Video.


Loop Gallery and Lens Factory:


Engine Gallery, a small window gallery (part of Paul Petro's empire, I believe) and a crowd at David Kaye on Dovercourt.


Before I hit my favourite pubs, I people watch in Trinity-Bellwoods Park:

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30 June 2008 update from Queen St West

Fly Gallery:
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Loop Gallery has an interesting show:
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A peek through the Gladstone window:
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I haven't checked out Clint Griffen's latest show at Katherine Mulherin, but it looks pretty damn interesting. He's obsessed with old paint on old wood. Nice. Here's a direct link: http://www.katharinemulherin.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=70&Count=0

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Not art, but I took this photo of some flowers on Indian Road south of Bloor West:
 
just caught up on your last few posts that I had missed till now...

jumping back to your July3 post, I would really like to check out those street level panoramas or whatever they're called. I remember seeing a report on CityTV a couple years ago about the photographer where they showed the special equipment/ technique he uses to make those... very cool. If you bought all of his works, you could paste together a virtual T.O. But actually, you seem to be working on that yourself...
 
Monday, 7 July 2008 peak at WQW galleries

Hey Redroom: Fly Gallery, as you'll see in this tour, has a new exhibit--so those retail strips are gone. However, you can always call the number I'll post below, and ask for the artists name and contact details.

Monday, 7 July 2008 was one of those early to mid-July Toronto summer classics--very hot and humid. Only urbandreamer wears a jacket in the middle of summer! :p So my comfort level is the reason these photos look crappy....

Before I reach WQW, here's a sort of commercial (read: boring) photography gallery on Dundas west at Margueretta St. For those interested in new townhouse projects, yes indeed that's the AZUL sales centre in the reflection of the Lubo Design collective.



Showing how distracted (aka in love:) I've been lately, I was annoyed to see BlogTO scoop me on Engine Gallery's latest show. So I decided to promote this site on that blog.:) Here's Lisa Bradburn's BlogTO review: http://www.blogto.com/arts/2008/07/femininity_confused/

No worries, I'll get some photos of the naked women soon!;)

Some blah art--is it just me, or does Toronto seem to grind to a halt in the summer? All the "poor" artists are at their parent's cottage I reckon! Or maybe all the galleries are abandoning WQW?



Paul Petro is up to his weird stuff again. Some sort of First Nations/hunting theme, the meaning of which escapes me. But, maybe I'll investigate? Either way, I haven't seen a moose this real since I killed one years ago....

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Redroom, pay attention to these details: Fly Gallery's phone number!

Sort of interesting, but the artist "cheats" using screws to hold the "sculpture" together. Lazy persons art, I think. Has the cereal been eaten yet? Maybe it's commentary on the homeless skateborders consuming cereal and pop? The Fly exhibit is all grunge, all the time! (Although in truth, when I first biked by, I thought it was some large lighting installation. I once used a Tide bottle as a lamp shade.)

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Later, relaxing in the park, I watch all the hipster commuters speeding home (or to bars, perhaps.)

The hip:

The rich:

The green:
 
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