Image Stories: Comix Otherwise

Guest-curated by OCAD U MFA Criticism and Curatorial Practice students

On March 5, AGO First Thursdays celebrates the comic-art trailblazer Art Spiegelman, the legendary artist at the centre of Art Spiegelman’s CO-MIX: A Retrospective. The night will trace his influence on Toronto’s legendary collaborative comix scenes. Organized by OCAD U’s Criticism and Curatorial Practice students, the night will focus on a new generation of innovative and experimental voices who will transform the gallery through interactive artist projects, live performances and music.

For zine lovers, artist Jason McLean curates a library lounge from his archives of collaborative zines dating from 1990s to the present. Plus, large-scale projections by Fiona Smyth and Alexandra MacKenzie will fill the gallery walls with personal narratives and pulsing digital animations.

Emerging illustrator Ness Lee transports the audience back to their childhoods with her fun cartoon cutouts popping up in unexpected places in the gallery. DJ Donna Lovejoy will keep the party moving in Galleria Italia alongside an interactive art-making station, and Matthew Ryan Smith will give a pop-up talk on the genre of autobiography in art and literature.

And don’t miss Fake Injury Party, Toronto’s three-man artist collective, who will take over the gallery’s fifth floor with a live comic performance.

Plus, more interactive hands-on art-making, pop-up talks with legendary Toronto comic artists and delicious food and drinks abound. Don’t miss it!
 

Follow the #AGO1st hashtag on Twitter and Instagram for updates on AGO First Thursdays.