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Lorna Mills and Sally McKay
Digital Media Tree this blog's archive OVVLvverk Lorna Mills: Artworks / Persona Volare / contact Sally McKay: GIFS / cv and contact |
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I've been on the board at Art Metropole for a couple of years now. For anyone who doesn't know, it's an artist-run centre that "specializes in contemporary art in multiple format: artists books, multiples, video, audio, electronic media, and so on." Art Metropole was founded by the Canadian artists' collective General Idea in the early 70s. Ann Dean is the director, and she's been with the institution in various capacities for a long time. Back in the early 90s I took some of my artists' books and flyers to Art Metropole to see if they might sell them on consignment. Ann was one of the first people to show enthusiasm for my work after I left school, and Art Metropole's support gave me tons of confidence. It also gave me a huge opportunity, as Michelle Jacques, curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, saw my stuff there and subsequently gave me a major show in the AGO's Present Tense series.
There are tons of artists like me, working in strange media with queer and quirky concepts, who find interest, enthusiasm and distribution for their work at Art Metropole. Like Michelle, and countless other curators, collectors, writers, editors and artists, I have always gravitated there to browse and chat whenever the art system started to offer too much sameness and I was thirsty for something inspiring, smart and strange. It's also an incredible archive for all kinds of ephemera, posters, videos and books that give a tangible manifestation to the multi-farious history of conceptually-driven art.
Right now, the institution is setting up a second home in Second Life. Artist Ian Murray, (Ian Ah, in SL) is spearheading the project, and there are already artists gathering at the new space from all over the world. There's some reporting on the progress here, and a big opening event coming soon.
Art Metropole is currently publishing a new series of artists' multiples, the FWD Editions. Geoffrey Farmer's "Signs, Statements and Proclamations" launches this Friday. I hope everyone can come! (Friday May 4th @ 7pm - 10pm, 788 King St. West, Toronto)
Geoffrey Farmer, Signs, Statements and
Proclamations [Production Photo]
Below are images from the other artists in the series so far.
Derek Sullivan, Law & Order
(February 2007 - April 2007) [in progress]
Lucy Pullen, Infinite Outfit, Strip 4, 2005
Brian Jungen, Untitled, 2006
Wave 71 2004 Acrylic on board, 36 x 36 in.
Angela Leach : Abstract Repeat Series opens at Wynick Tuck Gallery,
401 Richmond St. W., Suite #128, Toronto on Saturday, May 5th, 2 to 5pm
Anitra Hamilton Retrospective on Parade
Kristan Horton Dr. Strangelove Dr. Strangelove
At the AGYU until June 24, 2007
(earlier posts of Anitra Hamilton's work.)
Expo 67