The TORONTO AFORDABLE ART FAIR, presented by the TORONTO ART EXPO, April 19th to 22nd 2012 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Expo has been Toronto's Affordable Art Fair and this year will highlight Canadian and International galleries and invited juried artists presenting unique acquisition opportunities to collectors, beginning and seasoned as well as to corporate and designer representatives and also to attending gallerists seeking the avant-garde. Works from $200.00 to under $10,000.00(75% of work displayed under $10,000.00) Art to love for a lifetime and to see grow in value. Affordable originals from masters, past and contemporary will be available for sale alongside the best contemporary artists on the continent and from around the world. The eyes of the art world will once again be focused on Toronto in April 2012.

www.torontoaffordableartfair.com
www.torontoartexpo.com
info@torontoartexpo.com
info@torontoaffordableartfair.com
416-265-6988

THE TORONTO AFFORDABLE ART FAIR
APRIL 19-22 2012
METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE 

Presented by the Toronto Art Expo, going into its tenth anniversary edition, the show that has brought unparalleled opportunities for artists and in the last few years, attracting major world galleries and publishing houses exhibiting, will once again occupy Toronto's premier art venue, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in the Spring of 2012.This year the Expo will present as its major focus the Toronto Affordable Art Fair. We have observed over the years that even in "high end" art shows that up to 90% of participants present 80% or more of their works priced under $10,000.00 and often much below that level.( Note: booths will be required to offer 75% of their works at under 10,000.00) Dealers know that in a visited market they need to make the sale on the floor and thus offer works of outstanding value to all manner of collectors, whether first time or seasoned and savvy investor at prices that the buyer does not feel they need to have consultancy, which buyer knows what they like, are educated, with disposable income and are capable of negotiating the transaction by themselves. They are able to appreciate what is good art, what competitive pricing is and what they want to purchase directly when they see it. The Toronto Affordable Art Fair will fill all these needs. Do not miss this opportunity to be part of the most unique and elegant art fair in Canada, combined with renowned marketing support to promote your art business through sales and contacts.

"The Toronto Art Expo presents one of North America's most elevated platforms for doing the business of art, we were most impressed by their organization and promotional passion."-Masterpiece Publishing.

"The 2011 show was my best yet, the sales just keep coming"-James Lane, Artist

"I wish to thank .....the Toronto Art Expo, for their expertise and excellent organizational skills, in promoting Canadian Artists by creating a venue which attracts art lovers, connoisseurs, curators, and International interest and favour". Gary Barnhart-Sculptor
See http://www.torontoartexpo.com/2011/virtualgallerypages11/barnhart.html for full blog.

Jury and price guarantee deadline Sept. 15th 2011.

Please note this year for Independents a limited number of 5 x 15 foot booths at very accessible prices.

For more information call 416-265-6988 or toll free 1-866-228-4238
www.torontoartexpo.com info@torontoartexpo.com
www.torontoaffordableartfair.com info@torontoaffordableartfair.com

For four days (March 1-4, 2012), artists from a variety of geographic and creative backgrounds will converge and connect with patrons looking to get a glimpse of tomorrow's Art Stars. From seasoned collectors and first time art buyers, to gallerists and interior designers, The Artist Project offers visitors a rare opportunity to meet and purchase work directly from over 200 Canadian and International artists. This face-to-face approach allows patrons to experience the thrill of discovering new talent and take home a great story along with their artwork.

Be sure to check out special programming such as Art Chats, seminars hosted by art experts and Art Walks, docent-led tours giving visitors an insider's view on trends in the art world.


ART CHATS
This year's fascinating talks led by leading art professionals in Toronto are:

"The Multiple Faces of Art Collecting"
Magda Gonzalez-Mora, International Curator
Friday, March 2, 7:00-8:00pm

International curator, Magda Gonzalez-Mora, will discuss her experiences collecting and curating art for both private and public collections. She will explore the driving forces and influences behind many of these collections and the differences between personal, corporate, museum and gallery collections. She will offer guidance on how to start building an art collection, how to "educate your eye", and how to make it an experience not just a purchase.

"The Shining: Light and Dark in Contemporary Art"
Betty Ann Jordan, Arts Writer and Tour Leader
Saturday March 3, 3:00-4:00pm

Certain works of art radiate light as an expression of the life force and others demonstrate the creative richness of darkness. While exploring the symbolic and psychological possibilities of illumination and darkness, this richly illustrated talk will present Canadian and International works ranging from 2-D photographs and paintings to spectacular large-scale, immersive installations. These examples provide a context for luminous works by selected TAP 2012 artists.

"The Art Detectives"
By Joshua Knelman, award-winning journalist and author of Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art
Saturday, March 3, 6:00-7:00pm

A fun and educational tour of art theft cases collected from a very specialized group of art detectives across the world, including FBI agents, Scotland Yard agents, the LAPD and officers in Montreal. These are the stories and lessons of their case files. There are only a handful of dedicated detectives in the English-language world keeping track of the global black market in stolen art, and their investigations demonstrate how that black market works and interconnects on a global level.

"Richard Rhodes & the Artists: Adventures in Photography"
Richard Rhodes, Editor, Canadian Art
Sunday, March 4, 1:00 –2:00pm

Richard Rhodes, editor of Canadian Art magazine, will host a lively panel of artists from the show. Canadian Art is a prestigious, award-winning, quarterly magazine showcasing the best of contemporary Canadian and historical visual art. Richard will interview four photographers from the show and give you an inside look into their artistic motivations and inspirations.

"The Social Side: Getting Involved in the Art World"
Paul Butler, Artist
Sunday, March 4, 3:00-4:00pm

Multi-disciplinary artist, Paul Butler, will touch upon his history – from art school to his self-run gallery; his touring experimental studio, the "Collage Party"; reverse pedagogy, and his post-graduate studies – all independent, artist initiated projects. He will talk about how to get involved and volunteer in art communities, even if you aren't a professional artist, and the benefits of holding memberships within the art world.

Click here for more info on Art chats.

ART WALKS
Docents take visitors on an informative exploration of the show where they will meet the artists and ask the questions that visitors never think to ask! Art Walks are complimentary with admission and last approximately 30 minutes.

Tour times:
Friday, March 2nd - 2:30, 4:30
Saturday, March 3rd & Sunday, March 4th - 12:30, 2:30, 4:30

Click here for info on Art Walks



For tickets, special offers and more info, visit www.theartistprojecttoronto.com
Join us on Facebook & Twitter

TAP 2012 artist: Andrew King

The Artist Project is excited to announce its NEW ARTISTS for the 2012 edition of the show!
Now in its 5th year, The Artist Project will showcase original art from over 200 carefully juried independent contemporary artists.
 
Discover all mediums, including installation and video art. Experience special features, art chats and docent led tours.
A rendezvous for art collectors, dealers, curators and enthusiasts, visitors will have the unique opportunity to see and purchase works directly from the artists.
 
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTIST GALLERY
 

TAP 2012 artist: Patrick Lajoie

Show details:
The Artist Project, March 1-4, 2012
Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place, Toronto
 
Opening Night Preview Party – March 1st, 7-10pm
*a portion of Opening Night ticket sales will be donated to Canadian Art Foundation
 
For tickets and more information, visit www.theartistprojecttoronto.com.
Follow us on Twitter & Facebook.
 
Contact: claire@mmpicanada.com
 
About the Artist Project:
The Artist Project is a meeting ground for artists, art collectors, dealers and enthusiasts and produced by MMPI. As one of the largest trade show producers in the world, MMPI is committed to the continued development and enhancement of the art world through collaboration and partnership. As international purveyors of fine art, craft, and design exhibitions, our experienced staff of art fair coordinators are credited with Art Chicago™, Volta, The Armory Show, and NEXT. MMPI Canada is also responsible for Art Toronto, the One of a Kind Shows, Interior Design Show and IIDEX/NeoCon Canada.

Be on the frontline to market your work at the Toronto Fine Arts festival in the atmosphere of the historically unique Fort York Armoury centrally located in the midst of downtown Toronto 's many large lakeshore condominium developments.

Toronto Fine Arts is a juried show devoted to the promotion of artists, providing Toronto's most affordable and professional opportunity to showcase, promote and sell their work in a high-class, gallery-like setting. The Fort York Armoury is easily accessible both by car (with lots of parking nearby) and public transportation, the TTC stops right outside its doors at the Exhibition Grounds.

To qualify for the show, complete the application form. Acceptance to the show will be based on your portfolio of images that you submit as well as your experience as an artist. The Toronto Fine Arts accepts original art only, no reproductions will be allowed.

Your booth price includes:
White 8' hardwall booth
Artist's profile & images on the dedicated Toronto Fine Arts website
Exhibitor badge
Unlimited Opening Night passes to provide your clients free access to your work
Inclusion in the Toronto Fine Arts guide brochure

Available Booth sizes and prices:
5'x10' $1195
5'x15' $1650
10'x15' $2160
10'x20' $2865 (two artists can share this size)
other sizes upon request, please contact the TFA office

Jurying deadline: Monday, Sept. 12th, 2011

Contact information:
Email: info@torontofinearts.com
Telephone: 647 932-8212

For more information visit our website at: www.torontofinearts.com

Liv Bonli, Tumble, 2011, Pen and Ink on paper, 67" x 58"

Liv Bonli
debris
February 15 to March 3, 2012

Reception: Saturday February 11, 7 to 9 pm

debris features a selection of drawings that have emerged from Liv Bonli's ongoing interest in the interplay between architectural wreckage and architectural construction. Using the imagery of remnant building materials, this series of work explores the generative capacity of building, the looming potential of sudden collapse and the tension that exists between the two.

Line Gallery
Line Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting and documenting contemporary Canadian drawing. The gallery exhibits emerging and established artists practicing in drawing and also supports artist talks, interviews and maintains online records of the exhibitions with the goal of documenting Canadian drawing.

Contact: Amanda Burk
(705) 476-7471
info@linegallery.ca

Line Gallery
897 Main Street West
North Bay, Ontario, P1B 2V8
705 476 7471
info@linegallery.ca
www.linegallery.ca

Gallery Hours
Wednesday to Friday - noon to 6 pm
Saturday - noon to 4 pm
or by appointment

Woven Images of Afghanistan II - A Rug Sale

Textile Museum of Canada
Launch and opening reception Wednesday February 15, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

The Textile Museum of Canada's Volunteer Association is hosting a reception, exhibition and sale of Afghan rugs to benefit the Museum's collections. The sale runs from Wednesday February 15, 5 pm to Saturday February 18, 4 pm, or while rugs last.

Chosen for their exquisite craftsmanship, forty-eight Oriental rugs that depict the countryside and cities of Afghanistan have been handpicked by textile expert and collector, Max Allen. A founding curator of the TMC, Max Allen has generously donated all forty-eight rugs so that these collectors' items can be sold at unbeatable prices.

Please join us at the Textile Museum of Canada for this unique opportunity.

Sale Hours:
Wednesday February 15, 5:00 -7:00 pm
Thursday February 16, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday February 17, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday February 18, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Please note the sale will close early if rugs sell out.

Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Avenue
Toronto ON M5G 2H5
t. 416-599-5321
e. info@textilemuseum.ca
w. www.textilemuseum.ca

ART SQUARE GALLERY presents:

Manuela Stefan: 'WHITE - Power and Grace'
A visual essay on equine elegance

Opening reception: February 16, 2012 (7pm-10pm)
Address: 334 Dundas St West, Toronto
Exhibition dates: February 14-27, 2012

This exhibition features a collection of large black and white fine art prints on canvas which capture the mystical beauty of the white horses in the French region of Camargue.

About the artist:
Manuela Stefan is a Toronto based photographer with a deep passion for telling life stories through evocative images. The Romanian-Canadian artist began her professional photographic career in 2005 after leaving the corporate world behind. Since then, she has captured people and places locally and abroad using the lens to fashion a meaningful dialogue between her creative spirit and the surroundings.

While looking for new avenues of creative expression, Manuela discovered the magical beauty of the equine world. Following a trip to the Rhone's delta in the South of France, she returned with an impressive collection of images of the exquisite legendary white horses of the Camargue region.

Manuela has previously exhibited at The Art Square Gallery, Toronto (2005), The Loft Gallery, Clarksburg (2011) and Leonardo Galleries, Toronto (2007 and 2012).
'WHITE - Power and Grace' is her first solo exhibition.
Manuela continues to follow her dream, participating in a planned 4-day horse drive taking place in Montana in May 2012.

Art Square Gallery
334 Dundas St West, Toronto ON, M5T 1G5
(across from the AGO)
Hours: 9am-11pm
Ph: 416.894.6456
email: leyla@art-square.ca
www.artsquaregallery.ca

Contact information:
Manuela Stefan
www.gracefulhorses.com
info@gracefulhorses.com
Ph: 416.924.7457
Twitter: @GracefulHorses
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manuela-Stefan-Photography/26485706843

Patrick Mahon
Water and Tower

The Katzman Kamen Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition by Patrick Mahon, titled Water and Tower. The exhibit runs from February 14 to March 4, 2011. An official opening will be held on Saturday, February 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. with Patrick Mahon present.

Patrick Mahon's new wall-based and floor-dependent printed sculptures extend the artist's longstanding commitment to intersecting art and design, decoration and expression, and the singular with the multiple. Invoking water as both a natural and socially inscribed material, and towers as paradigms of human enterprise, the artist has set about creating works where structure and flow, solids and liquids, interplay to produce provocative new forms. Mahon's materially intense objects, printed on wood in deep hues and with subtle references to the grid, are mounted on plexiglas such that they appear to float off the wall. Other pieces run across the floor in surprising and poetic configurations.

Mahon's interest in describing "a liquid with a line" is longstanding, and the presence of fluid passages and architecture-inspired approaches is not new to the artist. Here it is renewed with fresh and often urgent conviction. In preparation for this work, Mahon recently travelled in India, where he photographed water towers, often in areas where the 2004 tsunami had devastated the countryside. He was also a participant last year in a residency in Boussan, France, where he installed Chateau d'eau (Water Tower), a purpose-built, patterned sculpture.

Patrick Mahon's work is embedded with historical narratives and modern "texts" but is, fundamentally, a contemporary expression that invokes the tensions, contradictions and visual intrigues of the present moment.




Barbara Balfour
The slightly sad color of early winter P.M.

The Katzman Kamen Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition by Barbara Balfour, titled The slightly sad color of early winter P.M. The exhibit runs from February 14 to March 4, 2011. An official opening will be held on Saturday, February 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. with Barbara Balfour present.

Barbara Balfour's new body of work, The slightly sad color of early winter P.M., grew out of her experience with David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. A few pages into the thousand-page novel, she was so overwhelmed by Wallace's vocabulary that she began to make note of certain words. A pattern evolved: she collected words and phrases that intrigued her, and then made notes on her collection. In addition to idiosyncratic spelling and phrases, she discovered outright fabrication of certain words and terms.

A list of the vocabulary drawn from Infinite Jest could engender various specific word lists, relating to tennis or pharmaceutical drugs, for example. One such spinoff list, of the colours mentioned by Wallace, led to From DFW – qualified colours. In addition to a preponderance of instances of the word black, usually regarding depressive moods, Balfour noted idiosyncratic references to colours, qualified by adjectives or short descriptions. Examples such as "anachronistic white," "mature-eggplant-skin purple," and "the slightly sad color of early winter P.M." give a sense of David Foster Wallace's nuanced colour references, which encompass the succinct, elliptical and even cryptic.

Looking over her collection of colour references from Infinite Jest, Balfour imagined what each colour would look like and began mixing printing inks. She then made "pulls" (a printmaking term used to describe the process for testing the tone and luminosity of a mixed ink on paper prior to printing) of each colour, exemplifying the imagery in David Foster Wallace's language. Creating a playful dance between the written word and the imagined colour, each group of seven "pulls" are delicately displayed, encased like specimens, records of Balfour's journey through Infinite Jest.


The exhibition runs from February 14th to March 4th
Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For further information, please contact:
Marianne Katzman at (416) 504-9515 or info@katzmankamengallery.com
Katzman Kamen Gallery, 80 Spadina Ave., Suite #406, Toronto, ON M5V 2J4
http://www.katzmankamengallery.com/

CRAM International

24 kt.
Matt Harley

February 10 - 28, 2012
Reception: Friday, Feb 17th, 7 - 11 pm



Pure 24 carat gold surrounds itself with a permanent electrostatic field at just the right frequency to annihilate all bacteria that come within its boundaries (leaving a corona of untouched culture around golden objects placed in the centre of infected Petri dishes). Among the metals, gold has the rare ability to resist oxidization, making it impervious to corrosion and discoloration under normal atmospheric conditions. Because of its seeming incorruptibility, the earliest civilizations, oceans apart, independently followed the cultural pattern of ascribing a spiritual value to gold, followed by a commercial value some hundreds of years later. In one period in medieval Japan gold was restricted to objects and decorations for the Emperor (descended from the spiritual founder of Shinto) or the interior of the Emperor's palace, as well discreetly symbolic decorations on the sword hilts of certain Samurai warriors. Similar restrictions are seen in cultures during various periods, again on all continents.

Gold also has its dark side. The chemical process of extracting gold now in use, as opposed to the ancient smelting methods, leaves behind arsenic trioxide, one of the deadliest agents know to mankind – a couple of milligrams shuts down the nervous system in seconds.

Now that advanced art is a branch of philosophy, the role of the would-be "advanced artist" becomes that of an artist/philosopher. Naturally, nothing less than brilliance is the aspirant's goal. The thought of merely illustrating existing philosophical propositions leads inevitably to the question of how to include the intuitive and unexplainable quality inhabiting the most sublime artworks, where form and feeling exist in total integration, a perfect blend of object and concept making it possible to communicate a philosophical understanding without the necessity of linguistic explanation.

Given the non-linear nature of such a goal, every decision regarding every detail of a given artwork now includes not only its aesthetic implications and potentialities but also its intellectual, ethical, moral, poetic, and spiritual plus, most difficult to achieve, its emotional implications, the 'je ne sais quoi' behind the near-universal agreement on the greatest masterpieces from all cultures and periods. The now-beleaguered artist needs to think about absolutely every detail and begins researching those aspects above plus related fields of study in order to make the most informed decisions possible. These extend from the form the work takes in the physical world to its less tangible aspects such as the title or the list of materials - especially the list of materials.

Consider the poetry of: ink, watercolor, 24 carat gold, a carboard toilet paper tube.

The exhibition is comprised of paintings in watercolor, ink, gouche, enamel, on construction grade plywood with 24 kt gold leaf, and works on paper and post-consumer cardboard with gold leaf.



The CRAMplex
24 James Street, 2nd floor
St. Catharines, Ontario
CANADA L2R 4T8

GALLERY HOURS: by appointment & when the sandwich board is out
between The Office Tap & Grill and Christophers Magazine and Cigar Store

CRAM International is a growing concern...

Contact:
Tobey C. Anderson
info@cramart.ca
cramart.ca
905.380.3910

CRAM International is an artist collective operating Canada's smallest alternative multi-purpose art facility. Organized on a benevolent dictatorial management model, CRAM Gallery is funded by collective members, sponsors, patrons, partners, and the director. Since 2006, CRAM has encouraged and promoted local investment in original art and advocated for local contemporary artists.

Since 2007 CRAM International has been in a unique and growing relationship of cultural exchange with the artists of Taller Cultural "Luis Diaz Oduardo" in Santiago de Cuba that has artists from both counties participating in exhibitions, mural events, print projects, and artist residencies. CRAM International is the sole Canadian representative of the artists in the Cuban Artist Exchange and maintains a selection of original Cuban prints and paintings.

Initiated in 2009, CRAM Press is Niagara's only professional print workshop. CRAM Press works with artists to publish Original Print Editions and Original Limited Edition Artist Bookworks.

The Disco Gallery is Niagara's underground art boutique and micro gallery with a focus on emerging artists, unorthodox mediums, and inspired events since December 2009. We are located in the CRAMplex at 24 James Street and are partners in crime with Cram International. Please feel free to circulate this information widely. For further info, interviews, or photos, please reply via email or call Marinko at (905) 937-3021.