The Artist Project opens this Thursday featuring work by many talented Akin artists!

This year The Artist Project contemporary art fair Feb 22-25 at the Better Living Centre and will feature work by over 250 incredible artists from Canada and abroad including some Akin Collective studio members!

Today only you could win two free passes to the early access preview party which is happening on Thursday! Follow us on Instagram and comment on the Artist Project post we put up today with which friend you'll bring along and at the end of the day we'll pull a name from a hat! 

Click here to visit the Instagram post and participate in the ticket giveaway competition. 

The Artist Project is a four day contemporary art fair. From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. This is a unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from artists. We encourage you to check out the fair this week and while you are there please visit our talented Akin artists and chat with them about their artwork! 

Kayla Polan of Akin Dupont - Booth U-6 (UNTAPPED Emerging Artist)

Monique Resnick of Akin Lansdowne - Booth U-15 (UNTAPPED Emerging Artist)

Nancy Bennett of Akin Sunrise - Booth 514

Laura Kay Keeling of Akin Dupont - Booth I-11

Nicole Krstin of Akin Dupont - Booth 812

Chris Harms of Akin Dupont - Booth 340

SHOW SCHEDULE:
Thursday February 22: Opening Night Party  7-10 PM
Friday February 23: 11 AM-10 PM
Saturday February 24: 11 AM-8 PM
Sunday February 25 11 AM-6 PM

Luvsuone of Akin St Clair and Javid Jah present "OPENING" at Hashtag Gallery

To open is to create opportunity - to manifest new pathways for growth and transformation.

Akin St Clair artist Luvsumone has collaborated with street artist Javid Jah on an exhibition of new artwork using modified discarded steel corrugate from shipping containers as the canvas to create a conversation about spiritual openness. The images depicted on these discarded pieces play with our perceptions of individual sacred space - meditative spatial manifestations originating from various spiritual traditions.

OPENING launches tomorrow night with a reception starting at 6pm at Hashtag Gallery and runs until February 18, 2018. 

You can follow the artists Instagram for sneak peek videos, and progress shots of their work for the show:  Luvsumone @luvsumone  /  Javid @javid_jah

Art Propagandha Show 2 featuring work by Akin St Clair artist Stanislav Plavcic

You are invited to attend the opening party of Art Propagandha Show 2 at 2381 Dundas Street West on Saturday, February 10, 2018 featuring new work by Akin St Clair artist Stanislav Plavcic. Doors open @ 5:00 PM, the party runs from 7pm until late.  The show runs until February 22, 2018.

'Clear Enigma' by Eloisa Morra of Akin Lansdowne in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 programming in two Vitrine Galleries at our St. Clair studios and Dupont studios. These miniature galleries will feature the diverse talent of our studio members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Akin Dupont and second month at Akin St. Clair.

Our February/March exhibit features the work of Akin Lansdowne member, Eloisa Morra. Eloisa’s work deals with the problems of perception in figurative painting and the inclusion of multiple narratives in a picture.
 
As Philip Guston once wrote, “A good painting should be a clear enigma”. How can the artist create a visual alphabet, avoiding both the trivialization of reality of naturalism and the stillness of the symbol? Clear Enigma presents an imagined space where two different creatures — the Eye and the Duende — meet, exploring the multiple feelings and stories generated by their encounter. 
 
‘Clear Enigma' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions
 
The exhibition runs for the month of February in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. To arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact us at info@akincollective.com
 
‘Clear Enigma’ will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of March at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.
 
To contact the artist:
Instagram: eloisa_morra

For more information about our artists and our programming join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art at the Royal Ontario Museum featuring work by Akin Sunrise artist Charmaine Lurch

Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art is a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum featuring work by Akin Sunrise artist Charmaine Lurch, along with eight other Canadian artists. This multidisciplinary exhibition brings together nine Canadian contemporary artists to explore the deep rooted histories and enduring presence of Black culture in Canada. Through the artists’ work, Here We Are Here examines the complexities of art, race and historical identity in Canada. The exhibition will be on display in the ROM’s Third Floor Centre Block

The exhibition, presented by TD Bank Group, opened on January 27, 2018 and runs until April 22, 2018. Through these unique and visually compelling installations, you are invited to challenge yourself to think differently about the deep-rooted histories and enduring presence of Black Canadians, and gain a new and multifaceted understanding of Canada.

Charmaine Lurch is an award winning arts researcher and interdisciplinary artist. She connects race, time, and space in her work. She portrays the agency and boundless persistence of racially marked subjects to be and belong in spaces they inhabit. Engaging the audience through story, and with opportunities for participatory action is integral to this work. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues including the Royal Ontario Museum, the art Gallery of Ontario, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, The University of British Columbia, and the National Gallery of Jamaica.

Charmaine’s installations often meld sculptural and pictorial elements. Her integration of mixed media, linear and painterly elements, maximizes a line quality that is both purposeful and descriptive. Charmaine has her Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University, is a graduate of Sheridan College Arts & Design program, and studied at the Ontario College of Arts & Design and The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Oblivion, a group art show featuring work by Akin Dufferin artist Liliana Vera

Oblivion features artwork from five Toronto-based emerging artists including Liliana Vera of Akin Dufferin, each exploring the links between portraits, memory and the ungovernable act of forgetting.

The show runs from February 12 to March 3 at Story Arts Centre's "Corridor Gallery" (second floor, 951 Carlaw Avenue, East York).

There will be an opening party will be held on Thursday, February 22, 2018 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

'Cash it! Don't trash it!' installation on February 15 at Union station by Rebecca Jane Houston of Akin Lansdowne

Arist Rebecca Jane Houston of Akin Lansdowne has been working hard transforming 12,000 plastic bottles into a sculpture that will be installed at Union station York GO Concourse all day on February 15th.

The project is part of Environmental Defence's “Cash it! Don’t trash it!” campaign. The campaign aims to encourage the province of Ontario to initiate a deposit return system for plastic drink bottles, something that already exists in other provinces.

Despite the Blue Box program, Ontario has one of the worst return rates for plastic bottles in the country. Over 1 billion plastic bottles are not recycled in Ontario and end up in landfills or the environment every year.

Akin Winter Gallery Crawl on Saturday February 24

Saturday, February 24 /  Meet at Koffler Gallery at 1pm - Suite 104-105, 180 Shaw Street (Artscape Youngplace) / FREE & family friendly

Akin Projects invite you to join us as we kick off our 2018 Gallery Crawl series as we spend a little bit longer visiting galleries and artist spaces in Artscape Youngplace, beginning with an exhibition tour at Koffler Centre for the Arts.

Free to attend. All are welcome, open to the public.

1. Meet at tour of Koffler Centre for the Arts at 1:00pm. (Suite 104-105, 180 Shaw Street)
2. Tour the Stairwell Galleries with Koffler Gallery
3. Curatorial tour with the South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) (Suite 302, 180 Shaw Street).
4. Tour the 1st floor Hallway Galleries and hallway video with CDCC.

Accessibility:
Koffler Gallery and Critical Distance Centre for Curators are all located within Artscape Youngplace (180 Shaw Street). Artscape Youngplace is fully accessible by Ontario standards, with a wheelchair ramp at the 180 Shaw Street doors, an elevator servicing every floor and a fully accessible washroom on every level. The nearby 63 Ossington bus on the TTC is wheelchair accessible. More information can be found here

Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can assist. Email michael@akincollective.com with advance notice and we will do our best to accommodate you! Thank you.

Unexpected Subway Living by Jordan MacLachlan of Akin Dupont at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City this weekend

Unexpected Subway Living is an exhibition of over 100 clay sculptures by Jordan MacLachlan of Akin Dupont. The exhibition will be at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City happening January 18-21, 2018 at the Metropolitan Pavilion , 125 W. 18th street, New York, NY.

Unexpected Subway Living imagines a catastrophic event that finds both humans and beasts co-habiting in the equivalent of an underground city. A place where nightmare scenarios and lullaby lyrics collide, it is a paradigm for a reality we have come to know.

Jordan Maclachlan is a storyteller describing to us what is and what could be. A self-taught sculptor, her ceramics are masterworks of detail depicting life in all its layered complexity. They suggest parallel worlds where possibilities become reality in another dimension.

She is unflinching in her narration of what she defines as the endless unexpected ways of subway living. A man wrestles with a giant rat, a woman gives birth on the white tiled floor and primates couple in complete oblivion to the swirl of quotidian chaos around them.

MacLachlan believes that where we live determines how we live. Her work is devoted to exploring the various ways to be.  She has created four environments over the last twenty years - Uncontrollable Worlds; Condo Living; Zoo Living and Unexpected Subway Living. Each one amplifies the concept and context that every action taken, every decision made ripples through the universe leading to unforeseen and often bizarre consequences.

After successful exhibits in Toronto and Quebec, the debut of the entire body of work of over 100 sculptures from Unexpected Subway Living will be for sale in a specifically designed booth measuring 42’ x 4’.  Although only recently available for purchase, Jordan MacLachlan’s work is included in private and museum collections: She will be making a rare visit from Toronto to be present at New York’s Outsider Fair to meet collectors and clients.

Exhibition Dates:
Thursday, January 18, 2018 (VIP Early Access Preview): 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday, January 19, 2018: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday, January 20, 2018: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday, January 21, 2018: 11:00 - 6:00 PM

Akin artists Sara Pearson and Kira Varvanina at the Toronto Design Offsite Festival

The 8th annual Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) has begun with over a hundred design exhibitions and events happing at all over Toronto until January 21, 2018. We invite you to check out the TO DO schedule of events and explore the festival this week. 

Don't miss 'Rugs!' featuring new work by Akin Dupont artist Sara Pearson and 'Le Grand Mobile' featuring intricately made wooden creations by Akin Dupont artist Kira Varvanina. 

MADE presents Rugs!

Prospector Rug by Sara Pearson of Akin Dupont in collaboration with designer Lis Eeuwes

Location: MADE Design, 70 Geary Avenue
Exhibition Dates: January 16-20, 2018
Opening Reception: Sat, Jan 20, 5-8PM

MADE is committed to innovative design made on a small scale in Canada to the highest quality. 

This is the first collaboration between artist Sara Pearson and designer Liz Eeuwes. Their creation combines elements of Sara’s gemstone paintings and colour palette, with the rich texture and sculptural design.

Sara Pearson is a Toronto based interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationship between materials and the natural world, using the optical phenomena that exist within cut gemstones as inspiration in her paintings. She also works with found materials, bronze, marble, clay, cement, and terra-skin paper to compose her sculptures and installations and has shown with Project Gallery in Toronto. 

Liz Eeuwes is a materials-led designer with a focus on small batch and custom produced rugs and accessories. Working in partnership with international artisan craftsmen, her home collections marry modern designs and colour stories with the rich heritage of traditional weaving. Her past collections have included themes of placemaking, scale, and our connection to Canadian iconography.

Le Grande Mobile at Mini Mioche

Wooden mobile by Kira Varvanina

Location: Mini Mioche Store, 795 Queen Street West
Exhibition Dates: January 15-21, 2018

“Le Grand Mobile” is an artistic exploration of the idea of the “mobile” as not merely a children’s toy but a hanging artwork, which derives its movement from air or touch. “Le Grand Mobile” window installation is inspired by the sculptures of Alexander Calder – the creator of the modern mobile. Kira Varvanina's intricately made wooden creations, in particular Geometric Mobiles, are suspended from the ceiling and form discrete movable parts. The overall sculpture moves with air and motors creating a non-static presence.

Kira Varvanina is the owner and creator of Miloshka Handmade, a design brand specializing in unique lasercut nursery mobiles, clocks & wall décor. 

Akin members selected as Artist Project 2018 UNTAPPED Emerging Artists

Akin would like to Congratulate Monique Resnick of Akin Lansdowne and Kayla Polan of Akin Dupont for being selected as UNTAPPED Emerging Artists at the 2018 Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair. Monique and Kayla were selected along with 18 other artists including former Akin member Raquel De Silva. The UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition is a juried competition that awards 20 emerging artists from all mediums an opportunity to exhibit at a professional-level art fair for free.

UNTAPPED Emerging Artists benefit from a dedicated feature space at The Artist Project. This program aims to provide a platform for young artists to launch their artwork to a public audience, make connections within the arts industry and gain experience in the contemporary art world.

About Kayla Polan
Calgary-born, Toronto based artist Kayla Polan is a multidisciplinary artist working across traditional and new media. She graduated with Distinction from the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a BFA major in Drawing & Painting. Her practice melds feminism and popular culture to investigate contemporary ideas about sexuality, fetishism, domesticity, queer identity, autobiography, and consumer culture through painting, sculpture, printmaking, and performance. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Spark Box Studio Emerging Artist Award. Her work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions in Canada and Europe. www.kaylapolan.com

About Monique Resnick
Monique Resnick is a visual artist based in Toronto. Her approach to art involves viewing the subject matter from a literal 20, 000 ft. Specifically she uses Google Earth imagery to assess and depict the relationship between the land and those who occupy it. By taking this approach the viewer is able to evaluate the discrepancies fuelled by conspicuous consumption. From population density to the degree of resources required to manicure lawns, she forces the viewer to acknowledge that which they may not have otherwise been exposed to. A graduate of McGill University and OCAD U, Monique has exhibited in numerous juried shows throughout Ontario. She currently maintains a studio practice at Akin Collective. www.moniqueresnick.com

About The Artist Project
The Artist Project is a four day contemporary art fair happening at the Better Living Centre. From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. This is a unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from artists. www.theartistproject.com

SHOW SCHEDULE:
Thursday February 22: Opening Night Party  7-10 PM
Friday February 23: 11 AM-10 PM
Saturday February 24: 11 AM-8 PM
Sunday February 25 11 AM-6 PM

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne present Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne presents Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎ (WAHC) from January 24 - April 21, 2018. The exhibition Balikbayan features a visual timeline of the 150+ year history of caregiving in Canada by racialized women, and Balikbayan boxes that contain migration and labour stories. Opens to the public on January 24th, 2017. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, February 9th, 7 – 9 pm; artists will be in attendance. 

Learn more about the work of Kwentong Bayan with a slide talk and exhibition walkthrough conducted by Althea and Jo on Saturday February 10. Click here for more information. 

About the Exhibition:
In the Filipino language, “balik” means “to return” and “bayan” can mean “country, place, home, or town”.

Since the 70’s, the labour export policy of the Philippine government has forced Overseas Filipino Workers to work abroad to provide for their families. An average of 6,000 workers leave the Philippines each day. One way they maintain a connection with their loved ones is to send home balikbayan boxes home packed with items that symbolize their labour and care.

BALIKBAYAN will transform WAHC into a gathering place to listen to migrant worker stories. In a series of gatherings, workers from Hamilton and Toronto will participate in a healing soup circle, create storytelling wearables, and plant native seeds. At each gathering, folks can create their own pasalubong (gifts) to take home and share with others.

This exhibition will be accompanied by an exhibition essay by Zenee Maceda, Labour Activist and National Representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada.

The Workers Arts and Heritage Centre will also offer additional programming alongside BALIKBAYAN over the winter season, including two PA Day camps, a comic jam for ages 12 and up and much more. Click here for more information.

About the Kwentong Bayan Collective:
Kwentong Bayan is a collective of two Toronto-based artists, Althea Balmes of Akin Lansdowne and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo. Their artistic mandate is to explore a critical and intersectional approach to community-based art, labour, and education.

Althea Balmes is an artist-educator rooted in community work. She uses her strong connection to her culture and her place as a diasporic Canadian woman of colour to inspire her work and as a way to connect to others. Althea is pursuing a Master of Information degree in User Experience Design at the University of Toronto.

Jo SiMalaya Alcampo is an interdisciplinary artist whose art practice includes community storytelling, interactive installations, and electroacoustic soundscapes. Jo volunteers with Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization (CCESO) – an organization that support migrant caregivers and is a member of the Kapwa Collective – a mutual support group of Filipinx Canadian artists, critical thinkers, and healers bridging narratives between the Indigenous and the Diasporic.

About the Workers Art and Heritage Centre:
Founded in 1991, the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre is a national museum dedicated to celebrating the historic and contemporary cultural contributions of Canada's working people through both the arts and a wide range of interpretive exhibitions. wahc-museum.ca

Come Up to my Room at the Gladstone featuring artists An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont

Come Up to My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual 4-day alternative design exhibition happening this year on January 18-21. There will be art, design, installations and events happening in all areas of the hotel curated by Jana Macalik and Christophe Jivraj with Lukus Toane featuring dozens of artists including An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont.

Each year CUTMR provides artists and designers the opportunity to take risks, to push their ideas, to evoke meaning not just function. The event was conceived in 2004 as a vehicle for experimentation and interaction within the fields of art and design. Acting as counterpoint to the Interior Design Show and giving rise to the more recent Toronto Design Offsite Festival, CUTMR has since become a cornerstone of the Toronto alternative design scene.

This year, CUTMR 2018 explores how people interact with art and design. Is it a shared experience mediated by an artist or designer? Or is it an individual response triggered by personal experience? Or is it all of the above? We hope you decide to check out the event and investigate for yourself! Don't forget to to visit the second floor where Akin artist's An Dy and Kendra Yee will be showing work in the north corridor, and in room 214. 

AN DY | 2ND FLOOR NORTH CORRIDOR: 

'These Pixels are TOO sweet' by An Dy

An Dy is putting Pixels on trial, calling on a variety of media to challenge and affirm the way we consume art and media. Imagery will include motifs taken from virtual interfaces such as the adobe suite programs, and contrast them with traditional forms such as the human figure. Allowing for a slower way to interpret these spaces, An Dy's work postures as stand in’s for the stimulation we receive through our screens at a time where we are both consumed by social media and alienated from it. 

An Dy is a Toronto born artist, graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in April 2017 with a BFA. These Pixels are Too Sweet explores the language of painting as a way to reflect the oversaturated experience he had growing up navigating the structures of the digital world.

SISTER CO-RESISTER | ROOM 214:

Sister Co-Resister is Pamila Matharu, Karen Azoulay, Nedda Baba, Yan Wen Chang, Marianne Ibrahim, Zahra Komeylian, Maanii Oakes, Kalpna Patel, and Akin Dupont artist Kendra Yee.

This project is a marker for the absence of intersectional feminisms’ in contemporary visual culture. It sets out to examine the labour around making and holding space - an often-repeated evocation in contemporary artistic and social discourse. In the art historical canon, the feminine has been relegated to interior, domestic spaces for the past two centuries. The social parallel has been to isolate feminist discourse within biological, ethnic, and class-bound markers. While the experiences of institutionalized misogyny and erasure, the women, femmes, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming artists in this installation intersect- profound discontinuities and contentious disagreements abound. The language of solidarity between these intersections is very much a work in progress- with approximate markers holding space for terms that can encompass the vastness of a marginalized existence. The result is a space in permanent flux- containing the messy shards and jagged edges of solidarity in a state of continual evolution. Shattered nerves, furtive pride, salvaged homelands, nostalgia and itinerant spaces of care populate this room. Its inhabitants are late-invited guests, squatters even, at a conversation whose terms have been pre-defined. They speak in languages that have been misappropriated and distorted, vulnerable to misinterpretation and co-optation. Their loud din echoes in passages and labyrinthine hallways, leading to a protected space where their incitements can breathe. 

KENDRA YEE is a Toronto-based artist and designer. She focuses on recreating the speculative world that exists within her head, combining these landscapes with cultural elements discovered throughout local neighbourhoods. 

EXHIBITION HOURS:
THURS, JAN 18: 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19: 11AM - 10PM
SAT, JAN 20: 11AM - 10PM + Opening Reception 7-10PM
(after 6pm, entry is dependent on capacity - online ticket holders who arrive after this time may not get in if venue is already full)
SUN, JAN 21: 11AM - 5PM

SPECIAL EVENTS:
THURS, JAN 18 | EXHIBITION PREVIEW | 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19 | STUDENT DAY - $5 STUDENT TICKETS WITH VALID STUDENT ID ONLY
SAT, JAN 20 | OPENING RECEPTION | 7-10PM
SAT, JAN 20 | LOVE DESIGN PARTY | 10PM - LATE
SUN, JAN 21 | TSA IDEAS FORUM | 1-3PM

'Pretty Bird' by Chris Harms at the Akin Vitrine Galleries

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 programming in two Vitrine Galleries, one a recent addition to our St. Clair studios and our original location at our Dupont studios. These miniature galleries will feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

We are excited to welcome the new year by featuring new work by returning artist, Chris Harms! 

Chris is a self taught artist living and working in Toronto. He is an Akin Dupont member whose artwork explores the relationship between our city’s constant state of construction and its citizens. Chris creates vibrant sculptures with plexiglass, objects seen and unseen, that shape our world and envision the future.

Venturing into the bizarre and humorous, this installation, ‘Pretty Bird’ combines two mundane objects, made with a minimal aesthetic, to create a playful, laughable environment. 

‘Pretty Bird' 
Plexiglass, found materials
Variable Dimensions

Exhibition runs for the month of January in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

‘Pretty Bird’ will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of February at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

To contact the artist: chrshrms@me.com
www.chris-harms.com
Instagram: @chrshrms

Storefront Gallery on the Danforth: Rebekah Andrade

Akin Dufferin member Rebekah Andrade has enough work to fill a small store. And so she has. Filling it with her paintings in a last-minute turn of events, she has transformed the empty storefront, formerly a shoestore at 348 Danforth Ave, into a small gallery full of bright beautiful art for the next ten days. 

The venue, owned by Thomas Walsh a local businessman, was only going to be empty for a short period but within a matter of days Rebekah had a working title (taken from a recent piece in the show) and complete collection ready. '' It was a challenge'', she says, ''but I'm so happy I did it!'' Rebekah says the titles of her paintings arise from a self-reflective and humorous take on life, with pieces like We Drank We Laughed and So Tender And Delicate. 

Coming from Northern BC, Rebekah Andrade finished her BA at Emily Carr in 2012 and has since exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her most recent formal exhibition, a group show, is still up at Sussex Contemporary in Ottawa. Check out her pop-up featuring IT WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU and chat with Rebekah until January 31, most days (except christmas) 11-7 pm at 348 Danforth Ave. 

Artwork by Akin Ossington Artist Amy McNeill at Volta Espresso until December 31

Amy McNeill is a Toronto-based artist who just recently went full-time when she joined Akin Ossington in August with her company Little Potje Ceramics. Amy is a ceramic artist but writes and creates paintings as well. Limited edition signed prints, original paintings and a limited selection of Little Potje Ceramics are now available for sale at Volta Espresso until Dec. 31, 2017. 

Volta Espresso
Open everyday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
866 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G3

Amy is motivated strongly by her personal experience of losing loved ones who made their livings as makers. Every pot, bowl and vessel she throws is dedicated to her family who raised her to have a strong work ethic and dedication to quality craftsmanship. 

In her fine art, Amy meditates on issues of fertility and reproduction. Trying to decipher what it means to be human rather than female, she's found that it's an identity mixture hard to separate and isolate at the best of times. 

Amy also enjoys writing arts and life pieces for news outlets, and working with small businesses as a copywriter and content strategist. She spends her spare time sailing, skiing and making terrible jokes at which her friends and family rarely laugh.

"All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member Bernadette Peets in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Introducing our Akin Vitrine Gallery December exhibition, “All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets.

“I have been thinking a lot about how recent immigrants and in particular refugees who come to Canada feel about us, this country and in particular what their experience is of our landscapes. 

Is Canadian society the open, warm and friendly culture that we like to think it is for these newcomers? Is our pristine landscape available to them? Does it represent a refuge or is it viewed as threatening due to its vastness and unknown dangers?

I often use wild animals in my shadow boxes to represent the vulnerability of the human characters in the narrative. In this case, the deer with the bullseye carries the symbol of the 'hunted' while at the same time acting as a warning to these individuals. The orange screen across the front is meant to slightly obscure the scene so that the viewer must look even closer to be able to see it completely. The screen says "All Are Welcome" but also acts as a barrier or an enclosure reminiscent of a refugee camp. The scenes on the side walls remind us of the origins of the travellers and the reflective surface creates a way for all of the scenes and characters to merge.

I think that we still need to go some distance in our understanding of how these newcomers may be feeling in their new reality and how we might bridge the gap between viewing them as 'other' and more as part of our communities.” 

Bernadette was born in Toronto where she currently lives and works. Her studio is in the Akin Collective at 1485 Dupont Street. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996 where she majored in Drawing, Painting and Art History. She lived in Florence Italy for two years (1987–88 & 1994–95) where she continued to study Art History and develop her craft as a painter.

She has explored many themes over the past 20 years of her art practice and while she has mainly used painting as her medium she has also included three dimensional installation work as well as other pictorial devices that include shadow boxes, photographs, drawing and printmaking.

Her subjects of interest have been rooted in her political, social and aesthetic ideals. Whether she is using her work as a platform for a discussion on topics as diverse as the female body image to issues relating to the Indigenous Nations in Canada, her approach is always connected to her strong sense of design, colour and technical precision.

Craft is important to her as an effective means of communication. She believes that having a high quality of execution in her work facilitates a more effective communication of her intent.

‘All Are Welcome' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner.

The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: bernadettepeets1@gmail.com

www.bernadettepeets.com
Instagram: @b_peets
#AkinVitrine

Contemporary Art Bus Tour on November 19

CONTEMPORARY ART BUS TOUR
Sunday, November 19, 2017 | 12–5 PM | FREE

The tour picks up at Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) then departs for Blackwood Gallery, Oakville Galleries, and Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.

To RSVP: email blackwood.gallery@utoronto.ca or call 905-828-3789 by Friday, November 17 at 5pm.

In the Round opening reception this Thursday

Graven Feather presents In the Round V opening this Thursday from 7-10pm at 906 Queen St West. Featuring hundreds of new original works by local and international artists including Rebekah Andrade, ClayGirl Ceramics and Erin Candela of Akin Dufferin. Laura Elliot, Julianne Ess, and Jen Pilles of Akin Lansdowne. Bernadette Peets of Akin Dupont and Renee Castonguay of Akin Sunrise. 

In The Round is an open call art exhibition that encourages artists to work in any medium yet on the same platform. Each artist is given three 6" rounds on which to create their work. The result is a collection of work which is varied and each piece is spectacular in it's uniqueness. The rounds will be sold directly off the wall so for the best view of the show be sure to arrive early!

Exhibition Runs Thursday, November 16th - Sunday November 26th

About Graven Feather:
Established in 2011, Graven Feather is an arts space committed to working with emerging artists. Starting 2017 we made a big change from our West Queen West location.  We have started a nomadic year and will be leading events and workshops throughout the city.  We have also launched residencies and classes from our new cozy studio in the Junction Triangle.  

Walnut's 10th Anniversary party next Saturday!

Walnut Studios is celebrating their 10 year Anniversary and opening its doors to the public for their annual Holiday Art Exhibition and celebration! 

Walnut Studios is a collective art studio in the King West Village, housing 55 artists working in a variety of disciplines including painting, jewellery, fashion design, sculpture, photography, graphic design, and installation.

Established in 2007, Walnut is a hub of creativity, inspiration, and collaboration.

On November 18th, Walnut will open the doors of the warehouse studio to allow the public to come in for a holiday celebration of art and share in the creative process.

Saturday, November 18th, 7-11pm
PWYC at the door
Reception • Cash bar • DJ

Please join us and support local artists in the community!