Click here for gallery of images from Opening Night
Schuster Gindin, the curator for Sidespace Gallery, the one who transformed the neglected glass-enclosed space beside a corner building on St. Clair and Lauder into a gallery space that people can view from the street, describes it as a giant aquarium for the opening of her fourth exhibition, Body of Water.
“Toronto may have constructed an architectural denial, but in this city we are all littoral creatures. We are adjacent to our lake, we ingest it, we disgorge into it. We know that we ourselves are composed of 70% water. We are the lake and it, in all its pollution and beauty, is us. Up here on the escarpment, it has always been so. We live along the shoreline of an ancient sea,” says Schuster Gindin, as she celebrates the historical legacy of the Regal Heights neighbourhood, and introduces the work of 27 artists who explore the watery world.
On June 14th, opening night, Sidespace’s doors were wide open and inviting in its easy accessibility to passers-by on St. Clair. In keeping with the spirit of the water metaphor, a river of people flowed into the giant aquarium. Neighbourhood residents and friends were thrilled to see the work of people they know, and to discover other artists. The wide range of medium was refreshing. Shannon Bramer’s voice was evocative, making us dream of summer days as she read excerpts from her book, “Fishing”. And the continuous beat of Malik’s performance of Nano Valverde’s musical composition, “Water Wars” pounded its warning message about our environment. The stimulating atmosphere encouraged people to linger and walk around the gallery a few times to take a closer look at the work on display.
Lily Contento’s installation, “Isabella Valancy Crawford”, a profusion of roses, and moss on a long piece of bark sitting over a giant vase with real goldfish swimming in it, recreates the romantic touch of Crawford’s poem. Elizabeth Greisman’s “Fishy Bridal Wear” is amusingly unusual with handpainted fish floating along the edge of a formal bead-embroidered wedding dress. Giovanni Peel’s skillful pen and ink drawing and collage celebrates fish in all shapes and textures. Judy Adler’s stained glass window of turquoise and emerald waterscape evokes peaceful days by the lake and is aptly named, “Cheaper than Waterfront Property”.
From Nomi Drory’s dark mood in “Interior with Diver and Shark”, to Tamara Steinberg’s playful reed and fibre installation, “Rainbow Fish”, the creativity of these 27 artists, most of them living in the area, is proof that this St. Clair West neighbourhood is ready to emerge from deep water into the open.
Artists participating in Body of Water:
Seeve Savoy -Where’s the Moon? - Olive oil and pigment on paper
Mondo Lulu - Stormy Horizons - Acrylic on canvas,
Kevin O’Byrne - Blue #2 Installation - Plaster, dry & wet pigments, glass powder
Kathleen Vaughan – Melusine - Textile assemblage
Jane Turrittin - Spirit Swimming - Alabaster
Gwyneth Fatemi - Water Spirit - Paper collage and ink
Elizabeth Greisman - Fishy Bridal Wear - bridal gown, paint
Karen Wold - Any Fresher We’d be Swimming - fabrics, beads
Francine Mornard - Two Fish - Paper, acrylic, wood and metal armature
Nomi Drory - Interior with Diver and Shark - Oil on canvas
Taira Liceaga - Floating Starfish – handpainted ricepaper over wire armature
Rose di Zio – Life in a Drop of Pond Water – machine appliqued and quilted
Lily Contento – Isabella Valaney Crawford - Glass, wood, water & flowers
Nancy Carnivale - Some Things Fishy
Leonardo Tamburri - Andrea vs the Horizon - digital print
Kim Mah and Maria Mah - Humpback Whale - Papier mâché
Judy Adler - Cheaper than Waterfront Property - Stained glass
Alex Moyle - The Contents of Jonah’s Belly - Photos of sculpture
Luigi Ziani - Fished In -
Tamara Steinberg - Rainbow Fish - installation
Giovanna Peel – Untitled - Ink drawings and collages
Schuster Gindin - Brownie Starflash
Shannon Bramer - Two Fish in a Hurry - Drawing and text
Abigail Elwood - Amazing Amazonian Adventures…. - Fish Tale text
Shannon Bramer - Excerpts from Fishing - book
Nano Valverde - Excerpts from Water Wars - musical composition
Malik - Excerpts from Water Wars - performance
Click here for gallery of images from Opening Night
Contributed by Peggy Lampotang
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