The Art of Travel

From left: Mike Piergrossi, Brigid Watson, Amrita Chandra

The Art of Travel opened last week, with a reception attended by many gallery friends, some new faces, and the guests of honour - curator Brigid Watson and artist Mike Piergrossi, both who traveled from their homes in the US to attend the opening.

This was the first show where I turned over the curating reins to someone else, and that alone was an interesting experience.  When I first opened the gallery, and for a long time after, I wanted to keep full control of which artists I worked with and how the shows were hung.  I had some requests from other curators, to work together, but it never felt quite right. Perhaps I was too attached to the gallery? Or perhaps I was just having too much fun doing it myself?

Fast forward to November 2009, and it feels great to have trusted someone to come with the vision and execution for the show.  I literally didn't know what would be on the walls until I saw it installed the night before the opening.  Brigid did a great job, pulling together work from 4 artists that studied together in Venice as part of their M.F.A. program at NYU and describing how the vision was inspired by Alain de Botton's book of the same name.

What was interesting to me was hearing her perspective on the responsibility of organizing an exhibition.  A solo show is a lot of work to put together, let alone a group show where you are dealing with multiple people in multiple locations.  This one was no exception, with one work getting lost, then found, artists in different countries and states of chaos, and a curator who was (understandably) ready to pull her hair out at times.  It made me wonder how I've managed to do this for 18 months while holding down another full time job.  I find myself wondering out loud if it's worth it...

The Art of Travel continues till the end of November at tinku gallery.

Commissioning work

I had an inquiry from a friend who was interested in a work from our Elena Popova show that is no longer available. We looked through several other pieces and nothing jumped out at her. At that point I suggested that she may want to consider commissioning a piece since she was keen to buy something from that particular artist.

I remember when I was in my 20s, I had no idea that it was even an option to commission art. I should add here that there are artists who don't work on commissioned pieces, but for the most part, the artists I represent do. When I work with a collector on a commission, it's important to get a good understand of what they are looking for, and to set expectations in terms of the process. The artists I work with charge a premium for their commissions, versus a work of similar size/style that is part of an existing catalogue or exhibition. This is largely due to the additional work required to meet with or speak with the collector, and prepare sketches along the way.

Commissions can be a great route to take when you are looking for an investment piece - i.e. something that you want to keep in your home or family for a lifetime. I love when people commission works to commemorate major milestones like a marriage, new home or anniversary.

In the case of this particular commission, the artist and collector have a personal connection through my relationship with both of them and through some shared sentiments. It is a match made in heaven and I have no doubt that the end result is going to be memorable.

Image: Flow #1, Elena Popova, June 2009

Save the date: The Art of Travel opening Nov. 6th

Mark your calendars for the final exhibition of 2009 at tinku gallery.

The Art of Travel brings together the work of Suzanne Dell 'Orto, Lori Kent, Mike Piergrossi and Brigid Watson – four American artists who lived in Venice for a period in the 1990s. The show is inspired by the Alain de Botton book of the same name, in which he invites his readers to consider the notion of travel as a self-reflexive endeavour. This exhibit explores notions of memory, place and time through interior and exterior experiences that resonate with each artist and inform the way in which they move through the world. Guest curated by Brigid Watson, The Art of Travel will be the first exhibition in Canada for Suzanne Dell 'Orto, Lori Kent and Mike Piergrossi.

The Art of Travel opens on November 6th from 7-9 pm. 3 of the artists will be traveling to Toronto for the opening so you will have a chance to meet them, ask them questions or just tell them what you think! We look forward to seeing you.

Sculptures: John T. Unger

Earlier this year I had a dinner party in the gallery. Yes, right inside the small, 400 sq.ft gallery I put up a dining room table for 12, set beautifully with works from ceramic artist Mary Anne Davis. I invited a diverse group of friends and we ate while passersby peeked in curiously.

After a few drinks, the conversation turned to the question of what is art? A heated debate ensued over whether art needed to be functional or whether functional objects could be considered art.

I was thinking of this when I was looking through the portfolio of John T. Unger, an artist known for his firebowls made from recycled materials. What I realized was that though his work is functional, what he makes are sculptures. The abstract pieces in particular would be at home in a contemporary art gallery, and his more decorative pieces in the sculpture garden of the DeCordova Museum.



It is hard to define what constitutes art and in many ways I think it’s irrelevant, like trying to define love. When I see John’s firebowls I see the statement he is making to the world – partly intentional, partly magic. The connection between his materials and the fires that burn within his sculptures feel primal. John’s artist statement declares that he designs for permanence and that presence comes through in the weight of his minimalist pieces in particular.



There has long been a division in the art world between”fine art” and craft, and there are plenty of artists today working in ways that blur those lines. In my eyes it’s not a bad thing for art to have function, if it helps bring it into people’s lives who may normally shy away from the traditional venues for finding contemporary art.

What do you think? Is art form, function, both, neither? Does it matter?

All images © 2005-2009, John T Unger.

Ed Burtynsky: Oil

I spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in New York City, treating myself to a little getaway with a close friend. When I was last in NYC a couple of months back, I saw two blockbuster museum shows, but this time decided to just pop into a couple of galleries. Not just any galleries though. I went to the mothership, i.e. Gagosian Gallery* in Chelsea to see a piece by Takashi Murakami. It was my first time seeing Murakami's work in person and it didn't disappoint. On the surface, his paintings may appear like Hello Kitty on acid, but his work incorporate elements of Japanese mythology that reveal how carefully certain imagery is chosen. I loved every inch of it.

I also saw some sculptures by German artist Anselm Reyle, who I had never heard of before this weekend, and noted he is relatively young, born in 1970. Sculptures like those in the exhibition can be a bit difficult to access, because they don't have an obvious narrative like much photography or painting. I decided not to read the artist statement or any background information. Instead, I looked at its presence as a whole, and let myself observe what feelings came to the surface, or peeked around the back to see how a piece was installed, and sometimes I just let myself feel puzzled.

After leaving Gagosian, we started walking to our next destination when I happened upon the Ed Burtynsky: Oil exhibition at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, also on West 24th Street. One of my Twitter friends rightly said that Burtynsky is a national treasure, and this latest exhibition only furthered this belief. It's not every day that a photographer can capture images of industrial landscapes, oil sands, machinery and have it give off the aura of a haunting poem.

Some people have Vegas, others have Disneyland, but for me - New York City is a place where I feel like a kid in a candyshop, between the art and the food and the shopping and the architecture. And for that, I gave many thanks this Thanksgiving weekend.

*If you are an art newbie, you may not have heard of Larry Gagosian but he is one of the most famous and successful art dealers in the world.

The Art of Travel

When I was a teen my grandfather used to chuckle that I had fire under my feet, meaning I couldn't stay still. Flash forward 2 decades and not much has changed. In September alone I broke a personal record, traveling 70,000 km in 3 weeks (don't try this at home!)

It's a strange feeling how one can zip from one country to another in a matter of hours. I often feeling like I am in a time machine, not an airplane. Given my love for travel and my love of art, it is fitting that the November show at the gallery is titled The Art of Travel.

Guest curated by Brigid Watson, the show is inspired by the Alain de Botton book of the same name, and features 4 American artists who lived in Venice for a period in the 1990s. This exhibition will show each artist's interpretation of the subject.

I have not yet read the book, but as the air turns crisp and things slow down, I feel the time is right to settle in with some good reading and so this one is next on my list.

I'll get started on it as soon as I return from New York...

Image: Max Trudolubov

Images from Elena Popova: The Eternal & The Everyday

The opening reception for Elena Popova's exhibition at tinku gallery was packed like sardines despite it being a cold rainy night in Toronto. Thank you to all of you who came - it was nice to see so many friends and familiar faces and more than a few new ones. Elena, her husband Luben, together with myself and some mutual friends stayed out till the wee hours of the morning, eating and drinking at my favourite Toronto restaurant.

The gallery will be open for walk-in viewings on Saturday from 12-6 throughout the month of October. We are also taking appointments for private viewings if you prefer to come by at a different time or need a personal consultation.

We have posted images of the work in the show on the gallery site. If you would like any further details on the work, including pricing, please send an email to frontdoor@tinkugallery.com or call 647 293 4089.

I will leave you with a lovely review of the show from The Telegram newspaper in Newfoundland.