Art Toronto brought us together
Twelve artworks by 10 artists acquired at this year's art fair, which continues online through Nov. 7.
Scene from Art Toronto 2021 with works by Virgil Baruchel (Corkin Gallery), image courtesy Art Toronto.
Art Toronto returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last weekend to the collective cheers of the many artists, curators, collectors and dealers who descended upon Toronto. Our hearty congratulations to the Art Toronto team for making this year’s fair such a dynamic, safe and joyful reunion with art. And much like the past 15 consecutive years, the AGO has purchased artwork at Art Toronto, and this year we acquired new and recent work by artists Emmanuel Osahor, Laurence Pilon and Howie Tsui in addition to a portfolio of works on paper, featuring etchings and a giclee print by Graham Gillmore, Angela Grossmann, Attila Richard Lukacs, Derek Root, Vikky Alexander, Rebecca Belmore and Dana Claxton.
Department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora
The AGO’s Department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora has acquired two paintings by the Nigerian-born artist Emmanuel Osahor. Osahor recently completed his MFA at The University of Guelph. These are the first works by Osahor to enter the AGO Collection.
“I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to purchase Emmanuel Osahor's paintings at Art Toronto. These paintings of lush gardens foreground notions of beauty, light and refuge,” says Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora. “His work is indicative of the multiple approaches to artmaking by contemporary African artists in the diaspora.
Modern & Contemporary
The AGO’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art acquired three new works by two artists. Laurence Pilon’s large-scale painting, Hectic Pool (2021), is the first by the Tiohtià:ke-Mooniyang-Montreal artist to enter the Collection. From Vancouver-based, Hong Kong born artist Howie Tsui (Tsui Ho Yan / 徐浩恩) comes two recent works, a lenticular lightbox Parallax Neon (Peach Blossom Island) (2021), and a work on paper White Camel Mountain (scoundrelism) (2018).
“We are very excited to bring works by Laurence Pilon and Howie Tsui into the AGO Collection,” says Xiaoyu Weng, Carol and Morton Rapp Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art. “Both artists are new to our Collection and their work adds significance to the discussions around issues such as diasporic identity, migration, and our shifting relationship with nature. An emerging artist, Pilon’s recent paintings employ an abstract language to propose new perspectives and to destabilize our anthropocentric gaze on nature and landscape. Expressing a kind of diasporic experience grounded in self-organization, Tsui’s animation, drawing and installation practice references the tradition of martial arts fiction as a metaphor for anarchic imagination.”
Prints & Drawings
Begun in 2000, the not-for-profit 85-5 Visual Arts Foundation has twice produced a limited-edition portfolio of prints, the sale of which supports emerging artists in British Columbia. The group was inspired by friend and mentor, the late artist Gordon Smith, who is celebrated for his many generous contributions to the art community. This year’s portfolio contains six copperplate etchings and one giclee print by seven artists: Angela Grossmann, Attila Richard Lukacs, Derek Root, Vikky Alexander, Rebecca Belmore and Dana Claxton. These are the first works by Gilmore, Grossmann, Root, Alexander and Claxton to be added to the AGO Collection of prints and drawings. The portfolio was acquired with funds from The Marjorie & Gerald Bronfman Works on Paper Endowment Fund, 2021.
“This stunning portfolio of limited-edition prints was organized by a group of artists and proceeds from its sale support other emerging artists,” says Alexa Greist, Associate Curator and R. Fraser Elliott Chair, Prints & Drawings. “To see contemporary artists from so many fields explore printmaking as a medium is exciting. This purchase reflects the AGO’s ongoing commitment to support and collect artists from across the country.”
Missed seeing Art Toronto in person? There’s still time to get your art fix. Art Toronto continues online until November 7. Don’t miss artworks from an additional 21 exhibitors and select talks, all available free online here.