Visit the L.A. art scene – in Toronto

This week the art world will be flocking to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for Canada’s leading international contemporary and modern art fair. Art Toronto takes place October 27–30 (with a special preview in benefit of the AGO on October 26) and is a unique opportunity to meet and mingle with artists, curators as well as fellow art lovers as you discover amazing new works.

This year, you can experience the west coast without ever leaving the city via the FOCUS: Los Angeles project, which is bringing the art scene of Los Angeles to Toronto with a special curated section of the fair highlighting artists, galleries and projects – all from L.A.

According to The New York Times, Los Angeles has redefined itself over the last few years as a major centre for artistic production and curatorial vision. What is it precisely about L.A., its history, values and physicality that draws artists, curators and gallerists to it today? Independent curator and writer Santiago Vernetti will try to answer that question at Art Toronto through a group exhibition called And The Sky is Grey, bringing together works by L.A.'s most exciting art practitioners to new audiences. The show, open to all Art Toronto ticket holders, features works by Christopher Coy, Karen Lofgren, Grant Levy-Lucero, Christopher Richmond, Nicolas Grenier, Jake Longstreth and others.

We asked Santiago Vernetti about his vision for the exhibition:

“This group exhibition features works by artists whose practices have been shaped by the city of Los Angeles and its complex cultural history. Each work, in its own way, challenges the assertion that Los Angeles is a place that can be reduced to an image. Indeed, Los Angeles is a city with a perpetual image crisis. It has come to mean many things to many different people… Perhaps it is this very tension that draws artists, curators and gallerists to it today. As you move through the exhibition, you are encouraged to think about the deep-rooted image of Los Angeles you yourself have constructed in your mind. Consider the endless advertising and affectation that has likely coloured your view. Then allow yourself to remember that the skies in Los Angeles can also be grey.”

Additionally, a number of projects by Los Angeles-based artists will be placed throughout the common areas of the art fair, including the FLOAT Museum—a future-facing virtual institution from artists Kate Parsons, Ben Vance and Daniel Lisi—an art bar and installation by Adam Stamp, recent sculptures by Josh Callaghan, a pop-up micro-cinema showcasing some of Los Angeles’s most experimental moving image art practices, and so much more!

If you don’t want to miss outstanding art, be sure to visit Art Toronto from October 27–30. We even have a special price this year for AGO Members. Or see it first at the Opening Night Preview fundraiser for the AGO on October 26.

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