March Art Guide - Toronto

Toronto's Roncesvalles area is home to some of the city's most exciting and inspiring galleries and shops. There is a creative, artisan spirit to businesses like Blacksmith Cycle and restaurants like Branca which gives the neighbourhood its idiosyncratic cool.

Two great exhibitions currently on view on Morrow Avenue should make for a nice afternoon stroll. Come on, the weather's not that bad these days!

I.

Exhibition : Susanna Heller 2018
Artist: Susanna Heller
Venue: Olga Korper Gallery
Dates: Until March 17th, 2018

Described as abstract streetscapes of walks taken through New York City, these canvases by Brooklyn-based Heller positively hum with energy. Incorporating the sights and sounds of Manhattan and the outer boroughs, the works interpret visual elements—such as river barges and scaffolding—as well as abstract ones, like weather and music. As a former New Yorker, this was definitely one of the most energizing shows I've seen in some time.

II.

Exhibition : Distant Realms
Artist: Ed Zelenak
Venue: Christopher Cutts Gallery
Dates: Until March 17th, 2018

There is a naïve quality to the celestial wall works in Ed Zelenak’s latest show, one that belies the universal ideas considered therein. Using the circle as a jumping-off point to explore ideas of eternity, “completeness” and connectivity, Zelenak’s sculptures, hand-formed from copper, gouache, acrylic sheets and wooden panels, are at once complex and calming. 

Take a tour in Toronto to discover more!

February Art Guide - Lisbon

Recommendations of what to see in the Lisbon art scene this month by our local guide, Kasia. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: “Revisão da Matéria Dada II”
Artist: various artists
Venue: Galeria Graça Brandao 
Dates: Until February 24th, 2018

This group exhibition is a continuation of ‘Revisão da Matéria Dada I’, which reflects years of work on the part of the gallery owner - José Mário Brandão. It includes older and lesser known works of the presented artists. Together with the first edition of the exhibition, which was on display during December and January, it creates a general overview of the gallery’s collection of artworks and more than 30 years of activity in the Portuguese art scene. If you are looking for a good introduction to the Portuguese visual culture and contemporary art scene it is definitely worth visting.

Revisão da Matéria Dada II, Galeria Graça Brandão

II.

Exhibition: Partir a Louça
Artist: Vasco Araújo
Venue: Galeria João Esteves de Oliveira 
Dates: Until March 2nd, 2018

Galeria João Esteves de Oliveira is specialized in presenting artworks made on paper. It’s a unique strategy within Lisbon’s galleries. The exhibition ‘Partir a Louça’, which can be translated as ‘Break the dishes’ is a solo show by Vasco Araújo, who is one of the most know mid-career Portuguese artists.The exhibition refers to an archeologic project, which aimed to reconstruct objects from thr XVIII and XIX centuries. Each of the drawings are accompanied by extracts from Susan Sontag's book– ‘Regarding the Pain of Others’.

Vasco Araújo, Galeria João Esteves de Oliveira, Armorial Family, 2008

III.

Exhibition: Mazagran
Artist: Manuel Tainha
Venue: Galeria Belo-Galsterer
Dates: Until March 29th, 2018

Galeria Belo-Galsterer presents the first solo exhibition by young Portuguese painter, Manuel Tainha. His works are based on personal experiences and are characteristic for his use of bleach in the creation process. The mix of textile and chemical ingredients, combined with sewing and hand-made panels for canvases, makes an intens first impression, but after a while, a viewer can begin to observe all the details and gentle shapes, which gives us a clear opportunity to use our imagination.

Manuel Tainha, Mazagran, Galeria Belo-Galsterer

Take a tour in Lisbon to explore more!

Effortless Communication at Magasin III Jaffa

Magasin III Jaffa and its inaugural exhibition zerubbabel, a solo show of Haim Steinbach’s work, is all about communication. With the creation of this new space there is the clear connective communication which now exists between Stockholm, where the Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art is located, and Tel Aviv. However, there are myriad more nuanced conversations created by this architecturally innovative space and its preliminary show.   

Installation view of zerubbabel. Image by Youval Hai

“The area where Magasin III Jaffa is located has a rich and mixed history and we are very much looking forward to contributing to it and engaging with new audiences,” explained Karmit Galili, the General Manager of Magasin III Jaffa. Galili’s words are not a hollow promise. In fact, they are the entire premise on which the gallery has been established. David Neuman has expertly curated zerubbabel so that it can be viewed at night or day, from inside or outside. Dialogue between these dichotomies reveals itself through the gallery’s commentary on curation.

Magasin III Jaffa establishes associations between reading and seeing, ancient and contemporary, the gallery and the street, as well as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Bordering Jaffa’s flea market it is located in the epicenter of these three major religions in a neighborhood that embraces religious, economic and cultural diversity. The ancient street outside becomes a continuation of the exhibition in this contemporary European-owned space. Steinbach’s hallelujah (2017) is a vinyl decal of the word Supreme (a New York based cult skater brand) in Arabic, tucked into an alley parallel to the gallery. hallelujah and the piece navajo red blur the boundaries between gallery and street while fostering a relationship between the two.

Image by Noam Preisman

“The promise of vernacular - in color, catch phrases, ad copy, figures of speech - makes communication seem effortless,” the gallery team explained. The collective fluency and social consciousness are challenged by Steinbach’s work, which subverts the original context of language by creating new associations for means of identification.

Notions of identification are explored in a series of works displaying Pantone colors on tin boxes and wall paintings. Pantone is known for the innovative system of identification it created to organize every shade, tone, and hue of the rainbow. Shuffling through Pantone paint swatches one notices different color codes are suggested for mixing to create a guide of which color communicates well with another. tuttifrutti (2016) creates a dialogue with other works in the gallery, like pantonecoolgray10 (2016) and with the scene just outside the large gallery windows. tuttifrutti unintentionally draws out the color from a neighboring apartments' shades and the font of a nearby falafel shop’s sign. It works inside and outside the gallery creating effortless communication.

Street view of Magasin III Jaffa. Image by Youval Hai

Magasin III claims to believe “in the ability of art to challenge and inspire people and society,” and with this exhibition they’ve successfully manifested their mission in the Middle East. From Stockholm to Jaffa and many destinations in between, the gallery promises to foster a forum for communication.
 

zerubbabel is open at Magasin III Jaffa until May 19th, 2018.

Below are photos from Oh So Arty tours at Magasin III Jaffa. Take a tour with us!

February Art Guide - Bilbao

February is art month in Spain. ARCO art fair in Madrid is the main event, happening from the 20th to the 25th and it is an unmissable opportunity for galleries and museums all over the country to stand out and benefit from some of the momentum it creates. This year, the gallery Carreras Mugica will represent Bilbao at the capital, while those art spaces within the city are making their first statements of 2018.

I.

Exhibition: Bruce Davidson
Venue: Sala Rekalde
Dates: Until May 6th, 2018

Bruce Davidson’s retrospective brings to light a broad selection of his personal projects, which are often years-long exercises on photography and human relations. He did these projects independently, financially supported by his “real job” as a freelance photographer for LIFE magazine and other commissions. His work brings a deeply touching insight into several overlooked social situations mainly across the US, but also in England, Sicily and Spain.

Gangs, rural life, elderly lifestyles… the characters represented look straight into the eye of the photographer, telling us that Bruce Davidson has gained his trust, and that he is not a stranger or a passer-by, but an actual opportunity to make their voice heard.

“If I am looking for a story at all, it is in my relationship to the subject - the story that tells me, rather than that I tell.” Bruce Davidson.

Coney Island, New York, 1959 © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos

II.

Exhibition: Beyond Black
Artists: Francis Bacon, Luis Feito, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Joan Miró, Robert Motherwell, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly.
Venue: Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Dates: Until February 26th, 2018

February is the last chance to visit this heterogeneous mix of colour prints, featuring the work of early Japanese printmakers alongside Cy Twombly’s example of mixed technique, and XXth century Miró’s experimental use of printed pigments, among many others. This show follows up and collaborates with FIG Bilbao, the international print fair that celebrated its 7th edition last November. By focusing on a particular technique, the exhibition allows an inspiring and light transversal view on art history and suggests that contagiousness (or trend) does have a role in an artist’s choice of technique.

Works by Cy Twombly & Robert Motherwell at Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

III.

Exhibition: Censorship (CENSURAS-ZENTSURAK)
Artist: Agustín Ibarrola
Venue: Bizkaia Aretoa
Dates: Until February 28th, 2018

Two themes among the work of Agustin Ibarrola are curated and placed in one of the two exhibition rooms: ‘Censuras’ (censorship in Spanish) displays the anti-regime prints, posters and collages of the artist done and hidden during the dictatorship period in the country. ‘Zentsurak’ (censorship in Basque) displays a number of works on another delicate subject, the anti terrorist fight against ETA. Two difficult topics full of ideological implications, that are treated with precision and adequacy through art.

Encapuchados, 2017 © Agustín Ibarrola

Take a tour with Maria in Bilbao to discover more!

header image: Allen Jones at Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

February Art Guide - Milan

Recommendations of what to see in the Milan art scene this month by our local guide, Sara Cattaneo. Discover even more on a private tour.

I. 

Exhibition: Stephan Balkenhol
Artist: Stephan Balkenhol
Venue: Monica De Cardenas Galleria
Dates: Until March 10th, 2018

Galleria Monica De Cardenas presents a solo show of Stephan Balkenhol, one of the most interesting contemporary sculptors. The works of Balkenhol are made using an ancient technique: he brings out his figures by gouging them out of a tree trunk. The artist makes neutral figures; the absence of any distinctive sign aims to honour every man.
A beautiful exhibition of one of the most fascinating sculptors around.

Courtesy Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Milano
credit Andrea Rossetti

II. 

Exhibition: Memoria
Artist: James Nachtwey
Venue: Palazzo Reale
Dates: Until March 4th, 2018

Palazzo Reale hosts the first stage of the international tour of Memoria (Memory), a solo show which contains a large selection of James Nachtwey’s works. Nachtwey, who is universally considered the successor of Robert Capa, presents two hundred images taken from the most significant reportages made in his thirty-five year career. 
A rare exhibition that allows us to reflect on war through the eyes of the one of the major contemporary American photographers.

III. 

Exhibition: The Measures of Memory
Artists: Alejandro Cesarco
Venue: Galleria Raffaella Cortese
Dates: Until March 2nd, 2018

In this solo exhibitions, Cesarco reflects on the possibilities of memory through different methods of investigation. The artist uses a framed archival ink-jet print and 8mm film transferred to digital in order to immerse the viewer in a melancholic universe, where he reflects on the different relationships that bind us to others and the role of the memory in these connections.
An intimate exhibition that gives us the opportunity to empathize with the artist and reread in his stories a bit of ours.

Courtesy of the artist and Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Milano
Credit Lorenzo Palmieri

Take an art tour in Milan to discover more!