Glimpsing the Future vol. 2
Thu Jul 09 2020
6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
FREE
REGISTER HERE
Online
Top, from left: Claire Browne, Valentin Brown, Karina Iskandarsjah. Bottom, from left: Yaw Tony, Alejandro Rizzo Nervo, Bruce Horak. Copyright the artists.
The Power Plant, as part of the Toronto Online Art Fair, presents Glimpsing the Future vol. 2. During short virtual presentations, emerging artists from Toronto's diverse art scene will speak about their studio practice and their vision of the future. This fast-paced format will allow each artist only 10-14 images and 30 seconds per image to describe their studio practice, process, and artworks. Following the presentations, the artists will respond to questions from the audience.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
VALENTIN BROWN creates "soft body horror" - a mythology of monstors that live on the "Body Farm". Using mixed media images and sculpture, Valentin pieces together a gaze that is trans, trauma-informed, and on the autism spectrum. This lens not only reframes Valentin's experiences with awe, humour, and hope but also puts accessibility right at the heart of it all through touch and audio. In 2019, Valentin was awarded the Won Lee Fellowship and Intergenerational LGBT Artist Residency, and exhibited his first solo show, "Body Farm", with Tangled Art + Disability.
Access image description captions HERE.
BRUCE HORAK is a legally Blind performer/creator who lost over 90% of his eyesight to cancer as a baby. His work seeks to express the unique way he sees the world through visual art, performance, storytelling, and music. He delights in shifting his own perspective and the perspectives of his audience.
ALEJANDRO RIZZO NERVO is a visual artist whose practice is based in photography, collage, photomontage and non traditional printing processes. In a manipulated reality born out of the artist’s personal knowledge and experiences, Rizzo Nervo utilizes symbols and iconography that reflect a visual analysis of Venezuela and its citizens throughout moments in time. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela and immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 2014. He was the recipient of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from OCAD University in 2019. He has participated in multiple group exhibitions in Canada and Italy. He is currently completing a postgraduate degree in Project Management.
KARINA ISKANDARSJAH is an Indonesian visual artist and curator whose work highlights cultural hybridity and the experience and histories of geographically displaced individuals. She holds an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice from OCAD University. Karina currently works at Trinity Square Video, The Riverdale Hub, and Glory Hole Gallery for 2SLGBTQ+ artists.
YAW TONY is a designer and artist based in Toronto. Trained in architecture, graphic design, and fine art, he also works in product design and creative consulting. His work has been exhibited worldwide and has been published widely, notably in Cent Magazine and Making Africa; A Continent of Contemporary Design. In 2018, he was also the cover feature of Designlines. Yaw Tony is the founder of LLiM, textiles, and visual communication art projects. LLiM is a design/artistic house dedicated to the creation of inimitable quality products, where artistry and character demonstrate a mastery of design. His artistic practice is deeply sourced by the idea of the refinement of use of colours, its reconnection to humanity, and its impact on human behaviour.
CLAIRE BROWNE is an emerging artist living and working in the Toronto area. She graduated from OCAD University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree specializing in drawing and painting. Her art practice focuses on the themes of self-identity and heritage. She is particularly interested in landscape and the deep connection that people have between land and self-identity. Her own family’s stories include travels, displacement, and adapting to new lands and cultural spaces. Through painting the Caribbean country St. Vincent and the Grenadines (where her paternal family originates), Claire navigates the cultural spaces and stories of her childhood, allowing for new narratives to appear.
ABOUT TOAF
To follow physical distancing guidelines, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair has pivoted our 59th anniversary to online. Now adapted as Toronto Online Art Fair, we have created an ecommerce platform for over 300 juried artists to connect with art lovers and buyers. Starting from July 2nd, the artists will be selling their work, participating in virtual events, interacting with potential buyers, and creating connections beyond the 10-day event as online sales continue until December of 2020.
As we make this journey into digital, we bring with us our popular programming, including panels, Artist talks, as well as our awards ceremony, where we give out nearly $40,000 in cash and prizes to our talented artists. This year, we have also initiated a fundraising campaign called Gifts of Heart, in which we give back to frontline workers, giving them gift certificates to put towards art and support TOAF artists.
TOAF is proud of this transition to digital and eager to present the Toronto Online Art fair to more than the 130,000 patrons that visit us every year.
