Dear Art

Hot Potato Pass It On

2010-08-04T12:57:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,47 is 17 months old!For our Sweet 16 we celebrated Dennis Lin’s no. 1-60, and for our 17th we’re taking a new direction!Since the garage doors rolled up in April 2009, 47 has been used as an alternative exhibition space for large-scale sculptural and installation-based works. 47 was initiated not only to challenge artists, allowing it to affect their practices, but also to question

Big News

2010-07-30T17:36:00.001-05:00

Today was the last "official" day to see Dennis Lin's No. 1-60 but tomorrow is the de-installation and everyone is welcome to stop by and see how it's done! This Monday we've got some big news from everyone at 47! It's HUGE and we're really excited about it and can't wait to share it with everyone. If you're hoping for a hint, it's not going to happen you'll have to wait until Monday. Stay tuned

Gallery Views

2010-07-23T14:47:00.006-05:00

Recently I had some time to take a few shots of the gallery and Dennis' work. Below are some of the highlights. I hope you enjoy and feel free to stop by and take some photos of your own. Don't forget, Dennis' work is only up for one more week! For more images CLICK HERE. -SLTC

Photo Show

2010-07-23T12:45:00.003-05:00

The images documenting the Vice Photo Show at the gallery were finally developed. Say what you will, but I like the fact that they're dark, grainy and under exposed. I'll let the images speak for themselves but I think that they pretty accurately captured the vibe that night. -SLTC

Kuntskammer/Wunderkammer

2010-07-17T12:47:00.009-05:00

We love our artists and enjoy supporting all of their endeavours.If you liked Philippe Blanchard's psychedelic piece Quest for Fire, then you should go see the 10th Annual Emerging Artists Exhibition "Kuntskammer/Wunderkammer" at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre. Philippe will be presenting a piece called Cave Rave which looks every bit as trippy as as his contribution to the "Ancestral

What's Luke Painter up to?

2010-07-17T12:15:00.005-05:00

Luke is one of five Contemporary Artists representing Canada at the 2010 Biennial of the Americas. Here's a little snippet of the "You Are Here" exhibition at Plus Gallery in Denver: Artists:Luke PainterAndrew RucklidgeAlex McLeodDouglas WalkerBrendon Tang (recent finalist for the Sobey Art Award) Nice one Luke! Way to represent Canada! 47 is always here to cheer you on. =FY

Summer Heat

2010-07-16T12:49:00.004-05:00

Ola, To officially welcome summer we recently hosted an exhibit with Vice Canada for their annual Photo Show. It was a really great turn out and the crowd didn't get too rowdy, despite the overflow into the ally (sorry neighbours!). The art was well received by visitors and displayed a good mix of emerging Canadian talent. The underlying theme was summer which went hand in hand with the weather.

Day After

2010-07-02T17:52:00.007-05:00

Hey Canada, Happy 143rd! I hope it was full of fun and fireworks! Most of today was spent getting used to the social networking tools we use, setting up new ones, and trying to make it as easy as possible to communicate ideas through them. If you have an older copy of Vice (last issue I think) look for A A Bronson. If not, watch this great conversation with him on VBS.tv: http://www.vbs.tv/watch

New Seed

2010-06-25T16:39:00.003-05:00

Hey! I'm Sean, one of the many new faces floating around the gallery. In contrast to all the chaos that is downtown, it's been a fairly quite day. What better way to start a new chapter than to sit and watch Dennis Lin's n° 1-60 sway in the wind? Today's my first day in the gallery and it's the first chance I've had to really interact with, and appreciate the work on a more personal level. So

Shapeshifters

2010-06-21T14:10:00.005-05:00

Hello Everybody,Here's a little cross promotion for one of our artists. Philippe Blanchard (who created the trippy animated installation Quest for Fire from last months show Ancestral Visions) is curating a screening of animated films this Saturday at 8pm at Xpace.If you loved Quest for Fire (and I know you did), go see Shapeshifters. And don't forget to stop by 47 on your way there. We're

writing and reading about art

2010-06-20T14:51:00.000-05:00

have you seen this? R.M. Vaughan talks about his experience with no. 1-60 in his July 19th Article in the Globe and Mail, if you happened to miss the paper copy take a read online! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/rm-vaughan/a-wondrous-monstrous-hymn-to-hardwood/article1609446/ - M.A.S.

Perfect Forms

2010-06-18T21:42:00.003-05:00

I've heard so many reactions to the current exhibition, no. 1-60. Some people are struck by the mortality evoked by the piece; others its testament to the life of the tree. Formally, it has been compared to a hanging carcass, a dinosaur skeleton and an undersea creature (my first thought was a petrified shish kabob - probably the least eloquent of the lot).I've always thought of art as existing

I like it because...

2010-06-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Today is my first full day minding the gallery from open to close, it is also my first day living with the work of Dennis Lin, n° 1 - 60 which runs till July 30th. So far it's been a refreshing experience. This has come, however, not only from the work itself but from the visitors who have come in the gallery and expressed (very honestly) their first impression of the piece. A gentlemen who

Ship o' Fools

2010-06-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see this. At this moment, there is a thirty-foot salvaged Chinese junk in Trinity Bellwoods park, with a meticulously detailed interior that deals with the theme of aimless wandering. I love it when art goes far enough to actually create an ulterior world, instead of just suggesting it. Reminds me of Luke Painter's model house that was in Gallery 47 last

If a tree falls in the forest, I want to hear it..

2010-06-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

When I think of the materials I usually live with - white paper, plastic on electronics, faux wood flooring.. I realize now that I never pay attention to any of these. They are reduced so as to avoid giving any indication of themselves. The blurred out frames that I pass through. I think this unconsciously makes people tired; always looking past the place and substance they are currently in.

The third lands at 47

2010-05-30T18:01:00.000-05:00

(The third new and fantastic intern that is). Hey guys! Megan here, I'm the second Social Media Intern to be starting my journey at 47 and I'm very excited to be here. My first few hours at the gallery have been coloured with watching Luke Painter and his band of friends carry out (unassembled for the most part) his work from Ancestral Vision. I'm completely impressed. It seems pretty special

Ambient Intimacy

2010-05-28T18:09:00.001-05:00

A Twitter how-to manual introduced me to the term 'ambient intimacy.' It is probably the first time I've considered an internet term to be poetic. It describes the state of being connected from a distance in a very personal way. Not just having an idea of where a person is and what they are doing, but holding lightly on to another's experience. Always touching by underground wires. I think that

Vision Quest: Interview with Luke Painter and Philippe Blanchard

2010-05-28T17:01:00.005-05:00

What happens when art embarks on a technologically aided vision quest to inquire into its roots and future possibilities? Well, you get Ancestral Vision – an animated, psychedelic exhibition on display here at 47 throughout the month of May. Artists Luke Painter and Philippe Blanchard have re-mixed old and new media in their refreshing, lighthearted take on memory and perception. An oversized

Hello

2010-05-28T16:54:00.002-05:00

I'm Farah, the new curatorial intern. I'll be picking up the torch where Erin left off. (btw: Erin if you're reading this, I hope you're having a great time and seeing some inspiring art in Europe!)I'm be here on Saturdays, so come by and chat with me about art.=FY

Why, hello there

2010-05-21T17:21:00.001-05:00

Hello all, My name is Curtis. I'm the new intern. Supremely digging the mellow vibe of this place. It reminds me of my old attic, where I would open the ceiling hatch, and birds would fly in and watch me paint. No birds here, yet. Looking forward to meeting all of you, - CM

Pushing Paper, a bit later

2010-05-05T20:51:00.007-05:00

I have come to learn that I need to stack up my desires one by one, or risk the lag time between now and what's next. Surely that will catch up with me one day, but right now I've got my money on a one-way ticket.Almost one week since our show closed, and not any closer to some validating afterthought. To ask our viewers to stay in the present for a moment, maybe that's all I might ask of

A viewer's desire to record his presence at In Turn Pushing Paper

2010-04-25T15:38:00.001-05:00

Photo courtesy of myflick.org/photos/J_P_D

47 Presents

2010-04-23T07:38:00.005-05:00

Opening - Thursday April 22-25 2010Performance - Monday April 26 2010Finale - Tuesday April 27-30 201047’s Interns, the emerging curator Erin Trezise and artist Megan Blandford-Lewis, explore shadow as a mark-making medium while commenting on their roles as interns, in the three part exhibition In-Turn: Pushing Paper. Investigating memory and the ways in which traces of the self can be left

Don't complain, don't explain

2010-04-17T21:21:00.015-05:00

I have been reading about Marina Abramović and her performance based retrospective The Artist is Present, at MoMA. Watch a live feed here of a new original piece she performs now until May 31.© 2010 Marina AbramovićCourtesy the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkPhoto by Scott RuddAnd I was reminded of Lernert and Sander's video How To Explain It To My Parents,

My Turn

2010-04-10T16:07:00.005-05:00

Most of my Saturdays at 47 begin by schlepping in some chopped wood from the yard. Nestled in the corner gallery office I start a fire in our woodburning stove. Sometimes Dennis, one of 47s directors, will already have it going for me, but today I am alone. Now sitting next to the silent flames and ready to write, my hands are dirty, soot covers my pale pink nails. Not exactly the gallerina image

"so you could almost tell how many people are in the room"

2010-03-29T09:34:00.007-05:00

Cage: Well the most important piece is my silent piece, 4'33".Montague: That's very interesting. Why?Cage: Because you don't need it in order to hear it.Montague: Just a minute, let me think about that a moment.Cage: You have it all the time. And it can change your mind, making it open to things outside it. It is continually changing. It's never the same twice. In fact, and Thoreau knew this, and

undoing the days

2010-03-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

'Gregor' designed by Patrick FreyDear Art,One month until In Turn. Making things to become undone. Folding, filing, marking, stamping, here it all comes.

p.s.

2010-03-15T15:21:00.007-05:00

Jordan McKenziebodydrawingperformanceprocessspaceSimply marvelous.www.jordanmckenzie.co.ukphoto courtesy of www.liveartwork.com

Drulptures

2010-03-15T10:14:00.005-05:00

A wonderful word from Luanne Martineau to describe her three-dimensional felt assemblages. "Hanger and Dangler" by Luanne Martineau (courtesy of Vancouver Art Gallery and www.cbc.ca)"Portrait" 2006, left. "Parasite Buttress" 2005, right by Luanne Martineau (Courtesy Trépanier Baer Gallery and www.canadianart.ca)From visiting her current show at the Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal the other

InTurn

2010-03-15T10:11:00.002-05:00

Only 39 days until our first exhibit at 47! Watch out world - the countdown begins!

Cognitive Landscape 1

2010-03-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

Interior landscapes on my mind, David Bruce's silent video is strangely peaceful in tandem with the sound of the rain today.

Of Many

2010-03-13T17:32:00.005-05:00

Just as the ground has begun its spring thaw, Jackie covered 47 with an ice-like layer of white. Cracking gracefully at first, the delicacy of the handmade surface has gone the way of winter itself, slowly retreating. The rather sudden deterioration reveals a map-like surface, continents and islands coming to fruition. Something satisfies me as I crunch over the floor to and from the door to the

Hello Sunshine

2010-03-06T16:47:00.005-05:00

18 visitors today. And it seems that Murray Whyte and I have the same glasses.

International Intern

2010-03-05T21:53:00.029-05:00

Yesterday I played hookey.I also played the press card. Free sandwiches and hanging out with Robert Gober, a pretty alright Thursday.A border hop away, and I arrived at the Burchfield Penney in Buffalo NY for the retrospective Heat Waves in a Swamp: The Paintings of Charles Burchfield. Quick lunch with the curator Gober, and then he drew us in from room to room. I fell in line, pen scribbling

Aging Art pt 2

2010-02-26T12:48:00.004-05:00

Just an afterthought and a small indulgence, my fav Commute Home.

Aging Art

2010-02-26T00:46:00.011-05:00

Found street side and promptly carted home on my bicycle handlebars last summer, three large rusted metal rings now hang on my white bedroom walls. Not an artist, and too broke to buy anything, I just like the crumbling burnt texture of the rust.My Mother who knows of, and perhaps fueled, my love of all things old and beat up, passed along this article A Rough Idea from the National Post. She

lines and spaces

2010-02-23T17:07:00.006-05:00

Dear Art,While reading about Monica Gryzmala, (an installation artist that creates energetic drawings in gallery spaces using different types of tape) I came across a phrase used by Paul Klee: “a line is a point taken for a walk.” How beautiful!Here are two photographs of Gryzmala’s work.image courtesy of www.re-tile.com image courtesy of www.thedrawingroom.org.ukE.T: N.B. At the end of her

roses are red, violets are blue

2010-02-15T19:48:00.004-05:00

Dear Art,Today is family day. Yesterday was Valentines day. As I sat at a still and quiet 47, fluffy thoughts of love, affection and family were far from my mind. Facing Dennis Lin's no. 1-60, it was death I was thinking about, not love. As I day dream of an evening filled with cards, roses, and a home cooked dinner, staring at me is a dead tree. However much this installation wows me, and

If a tree falls in the gallery

2010-02-13T18:48:00.017-05:00

Last Friday afternoon as final prep occurred for n° 1-60 I was given the task of dusting each of the sixty wooden slices. While the roar of the vacuum consumed the space I spent a good hour contemplating each knot.Later overhead at the opening, a woman states that she saw this installation as a process of renewal, transitioning from old to new and apparently giving the tree new life. For some

207.5

2010-02-07T16:48:00.005-05:00

Dear ArtI am an intern at 47.I am an artist.I've lived in Toronto for 207.5 days.Dear Art,Who are you?MBL x

Wish You Were Here

2010-02-06T12:39:00.008-05:00

February begins with a ritual spring forecast from Wiarton Willie, alongside a Lunar launch, and equally as sacred, the beginning of a new Blog. Occurring almost simultaneously as the yearly rodent prediction and the gallery's new calendar, the creation of Dear Art might too reveal the future for us Interns of 47.So it is here on Milky Way, amidst the morning-after debris of the year opener n° 1-

Lunar Launch New Years Party!

2010-02-05T01:36:00.000-05:00