Two Weeks In Autumn at Greener Pastures (1188 Queen West), to November 1. 416-977-7400. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
Two weeks in autumn surveys some of the city’s most vibrant young painters. The exhibition was cobbled together at the last minute, but haste has been kind to this show. It hangs together quite well. Brad Phillips does goth as it should be done – in black. The works are small, simple and riveting. Young Nathan James ‘s canvas is strewn with unicorns and colour blocks and is anchored by a large naked woman in a striking pose.
In Jay Isaac ‘s fantastic, decidedly dark work, human forms emerge from twisted shapes. Chris Rogers manipulates colour gradations to form bright backgrounds that highlight silhouetted fences and forests.
Gallery owner Kineko Ivic’ s unique paintings, with their signature glittery lumps, are scribbled with the names of old-school rap artists like NWA and Flava Flav – like a juvenile tribute.
Overall, the show does feel a bit juvenile, but it’s also an exciting glimpse of the future of painting in Toronto. Snapshot Now at Angell (890 Queen West), to November 22. 416-530-0444. Rating: NNN snapshot now features photo journalistic shots by a bunch of New Yorkers and a woman surnamed London who’s from Los Angeles. The work of Richard Kern, a porn photographer of note, stands out here. It’s sexual, but not because it displays young women in the raw. In one picture a girl flosses another’s teeth with her hair. In another, a girl struggles with a contact lens. It’s these intimacies that we intrude upon, not the nudity.
Slava Mogutin ‘s gritty gay snapshots are less interesting than his bio, which involves intrigue with the Russian government and an official condemnation of his work as “malicious hooliganism with exceptional cynicism and extreme insolence.” Instead of photographing people, Coke O’Neal snaps their medicine cabinets and reprints their contents in a 1:1 ratio.
It’s a good show but a bit predictable, especially if you’ve ever picked up a copy of Vice magazine. Hysteria at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander), from Thursday (October 23) to November 2. 416-975-8555.
the women of the hysteria arts extravaganza aren’t really hysterical. The women’s festival, featuring performance as well as visual arts, uses the word “hysteria” because, say organizers, being hysterical has traditionally been viewed as a female affliction. Interesting that it’s been treated throughout history by a number of -tomy’s and -ations, with a -cism thrown in for good measure: lobotomy, hysterectomy, sensory deprivation, sedation, masturbation, incarceration and exorcism.
More to the point, the 11-day festival features some really interesting artists, including Kirsten Johnson and Taira Liceaga , at the Hysteria Visual Art Gallery. Art With Heart AUCTION 10 at the AGO (317 Dundas West), Monday (October 27), reception 5:30 pm, auction 7 pm. $100. 416-962-4040 ext 231. Free public preview at First Canadian Place Gallery (1 First Canadian Place) to Sunday (October 26). last but furthest from least, the 10th instalment of Art With Heart, the annual art fundraiser for the HIV/AIDS hospice program at Casey House, is scheduled for Monday evening. People can view the work at First Canadian Place until Sunday and, though auctions tend to be mixed bags in terms of quality, there is a lot of top-tier work amidst the 78 lots.
Lot 3 by Stephen Andrews is a tender crayon-rendered depiction of wartime strife lot 11 by Toni Hafkenscheid is a crisp photo of a model orange Beetle sitting in a model driveway in a model town lot 12 by Eldon Garnet is a terrifying macro photo of a swarm of ladybugs lots 31-40 – the emerging artists – are strong almost without exception. There’s a lot to like here.
thmoas@sympatico.ca Four shows bring together diverse artists for very different purposes
