Canada’s leading contemporary glass art dealer Sandra Ainsley, recently opened CHIHULY at Sandra Ainsley Gallery showcasing an exhibition of never-before-seen pieces from world-renowned American glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly. Presenting in Ainsley’s newly renovated warehouse gallery space, Chihuly curated the show himself that includes a selection of large installations, pedestal pieces, chandeliers, and wall pieces, among others.
A true visionary in Toronto’s gallery scene, Sandra is the longest standing Dale Chihuly dealer worldwide and has been working with him for almost 30 years. Bringing the artist to Canada for the first time in 1989, Sandra introduced Toronto to the artist with an exhibition in the Financial District’s Exchange Tower. This exhibition marks yet another milestone and is Sandra’s sixth Dale Chihuly show at her gallery.
One #insidenkpr’s favourite pieces is the show is Chihuly’s Ocean Wave Chandelier, The piece is so beautifully structured with so much character & fragility, conveying all the emotions of the ocean!
Scroll down for more pieces from the exhibition.
Silvered Blanket Cylinder
Southern Sun and Coral Persian Set with Black Sand Lip Wraps
Rotolo
Ikebana Drawing
White Persian Tower
Ocean Wave Chandelier
Rose Trumpet Fiori
Blue Reeds on Logs
Topaz and Aqua Persian Sconce Wall
CHIHULY at Sandra Ainsley Gallery is on until November 12th. We highly recommend a visit!
SANDRA AINSLEY GALLERY
THE WAREHOUSE 100 Sunrise Avenue, Unit 150
Toronto, Ontario Canada M4A 1B3
On September 15thGusto 54 Catering joined forces with Toronto-based artist and performer JessGo (Jess Gorlicky) to bring together food and art through a live art spectacle outside of Gusto 101. Gusto 54 Catering served bites of its Southern Italian inspired menu to the community, while JessGo created two canvasses inspired by food. The King West community was pleasantly surprised as they walked by Gusto 101 to hear live music, were offered delicious food and invited to join in on the fun. Guests were also encouraged to take pictures, share their experience on social and watch the live art spectacle. Not only were the festivities a hit, but Gusto 54 will now be auctioning off the pieces of art in support of #AmatricianaTOto help raise funds for the Italy earthquake relief efforts.
Needless to say, the food was a hit and the art turned out beautiful! Scroll down for behind the scenes images and a video from the event:
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.” ― Ansel Adams
Earlier this week, Scotiabank named Angela Grauerholz as the winner of the 5th annual Scotiabank Photography Award.
As the largest annual peer-nominated and peer-reviewed celebration of excellence in Canadian contemporary photography, the Scotiabank Photography Award includes a $50,000 cash prize, a solo Primary Exhibition at the Ryerson Image Centre during the 2016 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, and a book of the winner’s work to be published and distributed worldwide by renowned art book publisher, Gerhard Steidl.
Angela Grauerholz is known for work that feels as if it were plucked from a dream, with a uniquely personal and philosophical insight that brings an unparalleled depth and presence to her photographs.
Some of Angela’s incredible work…
NKPR is honoured to work with the Scotiabank Photography Award celebrating amazing contemporary Canadian photography and we look forward to seeing Angela’s exhibition next year!
We’re having so much fun this weekend at the second instalment of Love Art Fair in Canada. Open all weekend, Love Art Fair hosts 50+ galleries showcasing affordable, contemporary art including original paintings, artist-made prints, sculptures and photographs…all under one roof!
As lovers of contemporary art ourselves (take one look at the office and you’ll see what we mean), we love celebrating the Toronto art scene and getting to know our local galleries. Take a look at some of the action so far…
Show us your Love Art favourites – Tweet us at @NatashaNKPR!
With Love Art Fair kicking off this weekend, and both Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and Scotiabank Photography Award on the horizon, we’re in full art mode inside NKPR.
While we daydream about our favourite pieces, here are this week’s art highlights…
Love Art Fair
Calling all friends of NKPR: We invite you to join us at the advance private view of Love Art Fair. Be the first to view hundreds of original artworks, enjoy a drink by Gentleman Jack, and experience a live performance by Opera Atelier.
Date: Thursday, April 16 Time: 7:00PM – 10:00PM Location: Heritage Court, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place (entrance off Nunavut Road) RSVP: denise@nkpr.net
Scotiabank Photography Award
Angela Grauerholz is one of the three finalists competing for the 2015 Scotiabank Photography Award, alongside Rafael Goldchain and Isabelle Hayeur. This year’s SPA winner will be announced on May 6.
This photograph by Grauerholz is a gelatin silver print on RC paper. Grauerholz is known for her dense, dreamlike black and white photographs, her iconic images and more recently, her coloured images and alternate methods of photographic production.
Le Bateau 1986 by Angela Grauerholz
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
The New Gods is a collaboration between Montreal-based Josée Pedneault and Mexico City-based Alejandro Garcia Contreras. Through a series of striking large-scale photographs, their project examines fantastical rites of spring that have emerged spontaneously within an isolated village in the mountains of southern Mexico.
The New Gods by Josée Pedneault and Alejandro Garcia Contreras; On display at Typology Projects from May 7 – June 14
What inspires you to buy art? Tweet us at @NatashaNKPR!
Kicking off the art season next week, we wait (not so patiently) for the second instalment of the Love Art Fair; a simple yet inspiring environment for high-quality contemporary art.
Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned vet, this year you’re sure to find inspiration for that piece you’ve been searching for!
Here are some highlights from the upcoming Love Art Fair, Scotiabank Photography Award and the CONTACT Photography Festival…
Love Art Fair
Unicorn by Marjorie Campbell
Alison Milne Gallery
On display at the Thompson Toronto Hotel, April 7-16
Available for purchase at Love Art Fair, April 17-19
This life size sculpture is made of wool, wire, glass marbles, thread, found wood, and gold leaf, by Marjorie Campbell, a fibre artist who resides in Toronto. Inspired by forest and fauna, her work is both realistic and whimsical. She explores the possibilities of felt in a soft and gentle world where life is heightened and magic exists. As wool is pulled and forms are sculpted, alluring and complex worlds emerge, and the persona of the animal reveals itself.
Scotiabank Photography Award
Self-Portrait as Edmund Precelman (Officer) b. Poland, 1890s d. Poland, early 1940s by Rafael Goldchain
Rafael Goldchain is one of the three finalists competing for the 2015 Scotiabank Photography Award, alongside Angela Grauerholz and Isabelle Hayeur. This year’s SPA winner will be announced on May 6.
This photograph is a part of Goldchain’s “I Am My Family”, a collection of digitally altered self-portrait photographs where Goldchain re-enacts familial others through genetic resemblance. Through the conventions of the portrait photograph, these self-portraits suggest that we look at family photographs in order to know ourselves through the photographic trace left by our lost ancestors.
CONTACT Photography Festival
Water Pump With Hoses on Orange by Jimmy Limit
On display at Clint Roenish Gallery from April 30-May 30, and on billboards across Canada from May 1-31.
This photograph is a part of Surplus, Jimmy Limit’s featured exhibition at CONTACT. For his compositions, Jimmy Limit selects objects based on their formal qualities, often avoiding items with clear functions. Inspired by industrial supply catalogues and store flyers, the St. Catharines, Ontario-based artist uses colourful hardware store goods and industrial or domestic wares. He lifts these common objects out of context, alters their appearance, and combines them in strange and compelling ways. His precariously-arranged scenes may only last for a moment, but his seductive images have the deceptive gloss of advertisements. Limit’s photographs conflate function, merchandising, and desire, drawing attention to the complex relationship between product and consumer.
What’s your favourite piece of art? Tweet us at @NatashaNKPR!
One of our favourite cultural events in Toronto is the internationally acclaimed Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Every year it is incredibly inspiring to see all of the amazing art and photography displayed at more than 175 venues throughout the city! During the month of May, an extensive range of exhibitions, public installations, films, lectures, and workshops are presented to more than one million people. To celebrate this year’s theme, “Identity”, we are counting down our top five photos every week!
Steven Beckly, Untitled, 2013Stephen Myers, Passage (du Temps), Normandy, 2012Sayuri – PCI Student, A Casual Morning Walk, 2013Gariné Tcholakian, Village Life, 2010Ryan Emberley, CANDID 1, 2012
One of our favourite cultural events in Toronto is the internationally acclaimed Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Every year it is incredibly inspiring to see all of the amazing art and photography displayed at more than 175 venues throughout the city! During the month of May, an extensive range of exhibitions, public installations, films, lectures, and workshops are presented to more than one million people. To celebrate this year’s theme, “Identity”, we are counting down our top five photos every week!
One of our favourite cultural events in Toronto is the internationally acclaimed Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Every year it is incredibly inspiring to see all of the amazing art and photography displayed at more than 175 venues throughout the city! During the month of May, an extensive range of exhibitions, public installations, films, lectures, and workshops are presented to more than one million people.
To celebrate this year’s theme, “Identity”, we are counting down our top five photos every week!
Rob Hornstra, Adler, Sochi Region
Scott McFarland, Pavilion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Jean Sibelius Square Park, June 10, 2012, Toronto, 2013, Archival inkjet type print, Courtesy of the artist
Love Art Fair is on full-force and we can’t get enough! We’ve seen dozens of breathtaking pieces from a variety of different artists. With all this excitement, it’s hard not to look back on our very first art purchases.
We know that buying art can be an intimidating process if you’re not sure what you’re doing or what you’re looking for. So before you pull out your hair trying to choose something, we’ve rounded up some very helpful tips for first time buyers…
1) Slow Down – Finding the perfect piece of art is not something that should be rushed. Wear comfortable shoes and take your time checking out each and every gallery.
2) Be Prepared – If you’re looking to fill a certain space in your home, know what you’re looking for i.e. what size, which colours, what kind of lighting, etc.
3) Grab a Guide – Upon arrival, pick up a fair guide and take notes on the galleries as you see something you like.
4) Speak Up – If you see something you love, don’t be afraid to ask the artist about it! If it happens to fall outside of your budget, ask if any payment arrangements can be made.
5) Not Speed Dating – After having a look around, take a break to mull over your choices. If you need more time to think about it, Love Art Fair offers free re-entry on another day of the event.
6) Trust Your Instincts – Buying art is about the connection and reaction to a specific piece. Trust your taste and go for the pieces you can’t get enough of!
7) Have Fun! – The best piece of advice is to just have fun! Art is exciting – get involved, chat with artists, or join a workshop.
