From a Purple Pope to Iron Mike - John Scott has a new show opening Thursday night, King Street Toronto 6pm

Media Alert: The official opening of the DARK COMMANDER – THE ART OF JOHN SCOTT.  Thursday night, 6pm. Nicholas Metivier Gallery. King St

From a purple pope to Iron Mike - an exhibition of new works by Governor General Award winning artist John Scott.

The media are invited to join Toronto’s art community for the opening of this important Canadian art exhibition. Opening runs 6-8pm. The artist will attend. Blog followers welcome too.

What & When:

Opening reception – Thursday September 11 - with artist, Canadian art buyers, Toronto’s art community, musicians and actors. Scott’s new work to be unveiled. Brief speeches at 7.00pm. Event 6-8pm.  The show will continue through to October 11.

Where:

N I C H O L A S  M E T I V I E R  G A L L E R Y  

451 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 1K4 T 416 205 9000

Why:

This fall marks two important milestones in Scott’s distinguished career; his fifth solo exhibition opens in September at Nicholas Metivier Gallery and his first comprehensive survey exhibition, Dark Commander – The Art of John Scott, opens in October at the Faulconer Gallery in Iowa.

The title of the exhibition, Dark Star - an object composed of dark energy that outwardly resembles a black hole – is a nod to Scott’s long-time fascination with space and science. The oxymoron also references the sinister side of our notions about heroes. In his drawing and canvas of Iron Mike, (Mike Tyson), Scott highlights the vulnerability of this fallen athletic giant. Tyson’s boxing gloves are lowered and he dons bunny ears, (a trademark symbol of Scotts’ representing humans’ likeness to scared animals). These, as with many other works in this exhibition, are poignant examples of Scott’s everlasting creativity and timeless voice.

The exhibition will also include two recently released lithographs. The prints were published by Scott and Nicholas Metivier Gallery and printed at Open Studio in Toronto.

Scott was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1950. In 2000, Scott was awarded the inaugural Governor General’s Award in Visual Arts and Media. He has exhibited extensively across Canada for the past 30 years and is collected by almost every major institution in the country including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Scott’s work is also held in numerous museum and private collections outside of Canada including the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Scott is currently an instructor at OCAD University where he has taught for the last 15 years.

How:  

      

All media are welcome to cover the event

Media Contacts

Stephen Weir

Phone 416-489-5868

Cell: 416-801-3101

Email: Stephen@stephenweir.com

JOHN SCOTT - NEW ART FROM DISTINGUISHED TORONTO ARTIST

John Scott is a Governor General Award winner, a teacher at OCAD, a lover of Science Fiction and an artist of international fame. I am helping with his upcoming show - Dark Star - at the Nicholas Metievier Gallery

Dark Star, is an exhibition of new works by John Scott. The exhibition will open on September 11 and will be on view through October 11 with a reception for the artist on Thursday, September 11 from 6– 8 PM.

John Scott, Innocent Pope, 2014, oil on canvas, 81 x 53 inches

This fall marks two important milestones in Scott’s distinguished career; his fifth solo exhibition opens in September at Nicholas Metivier Gallery and his first comprehensive survey exhibition, Dark Commander – The Art of John Scott, opens in October at the Faulconer Gallery in Iowa. The survey will include over 60 drawings, canvases and sculptures from the early 1970s to present day including a re-fabrication of Europe, a seminal sculpture by Scott exhibited at The Powerplant in Toronto in 1991. Daniel Strong, Associate Director and Curator at the Faulconer Gallery, discovered Scott’s work in 2010 at Nicholas Metivier Gallery’s booth at Pulse art fair, New York. He has been at the helm of organizing Scott’s survey exhibition and promoting his work in the United States ever since.

Over the last 40 years, Scott has developed a devout following for his raw-edge drawings about the dark, often callous, world we live in. The work’s appeal lies in Scott’s disarmingly childlike visual language that is embedded with remarkably sharp intelligence, insight and wit. In preparation for his exhibition at Faulconer Gallery, Scott sifted through his archive of earlier works. This process inspired Scott to revisit some of his most iconic images about war, technology and the human condition. In his latest body of work, Scott uses these timeless themes and revitalizes them with contemporary subjects. Perhaps the most compelling of these new characters is Innocent Pope, Scott’s wheelchair rendition of Francis Bacon’s visceral interpretation of Diego Velázquez’s painting, Portrait of Pope Innocent X.

The title of the exhibition, Dark Star - an object composed of dark energy that outwardly resembles a black hole – is a nod to Scott’s long-time fascination with space and science. The oxymoron also references the sinister side of our notions about heroes. In his drawing and canvas of Iron Mike, (Mike Tyson), Scott highlights the vulnerability of this fallen athletic giant. Tyson’s boxing gloves are lowered and he dons bunny ears, (a trademark symbol of Scotts’ representing humans’ likeness to scared animals). These, as with many other works in this exhibition, are poignant examples of Scott’s everlasting creativity and timeless voice.

Iron Mike - John Scott

The exhibition will also include two recently released lithographs. The prints were published by Scott and Nicholas Metivier Gallery and printed at Open Studio in Toronto. The images - a two-headed figure, (The Disappointed Gaze), and a bunny in armour, (Imperious Rabbit) - were resurrected after first appearing in Scott’s artist issue of General Idea’s publication, FILE Megazine, in 1985.

Scott was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1950. In 2000, Scott was awarded the inaugural Governor General’s Award in Visual Arts and Media. He has exhibited extensively across Canada for the past 30 years and is collected by almost every major institution in the country including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Scott’s work is also held in numerous museum and private collections outside of Canada including the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Scott is currently an instructor at OCAD University where he has taught for the last 15 years.

BAD NEWS FROM CITY HALL FOR TROUBLED AFRICAN FESTIVAL

Toronto African Film and Music Festival Says that Toronto Council Is on the verge of shutting down this weekend's events on Toronto Plaza Hotel's Wilson St grounds

Statement issued a few minutes ago by festival spokesman Paris Rogers

As an organization, we make a special appeal to our supporters and those within the GTA community to help us see this Vision become a reality. As of yesterday, the City

Council has been trying to take measures to impede our festival by refusing to endorse this event as they assume the event will be similar to previous allegedly offending event that took place on the same grounds (1677 Wilson Ave, Toronto Plaza Hotel grounds) over a month ago. The Toronto African Film & Music Festival has no affiliations or connections with any other events in the City and therefore is being discriminated against solely because of it’s assumed demographic.

TAFMF is a multicultural festival that encourages and fosters diversity of all cultures and ethnicities. Further, City Council is using the obscure excuse of improper zoning to punish our event partner, the Toronto Plaza Hotel, and effectively legislate them out of the entertainment event business, regardless of the nature of any future event, indefinitely. This is wrong. This is unfair. This is anti-business and contrary to the City’s goal to become a larger hub for the music industry. Lastly, it is unbecoming of a city that prides itself as a ‘summer festival city’.

Previously issued Press Release:

Toronto, Ontario – August 26th, 2014 – Returning for its fourth year, the Toronto African Film and Music Festival (TAFMF) comes alive showcasing films, musical artists, food and fashion from over 50 countries from August 27 to 31st.

This year’s festival will screen 3 world premier films & feature 15 musical acts, 3 fashion shows, and 30 marketplace vendors celebrating the rich & diverse cultural mosaic that is Africa. This Year’s festival starts on August 27 with the opening of our Film Festival at the Royal Cinema, 608 College St, just west of Bathurst in Toronto Tickets are $15 in advance $20 at the door. There will be a combination of World Premiers and North America Premiers to enjoy.

From Aug 29th to Aug 31st, we are pleased to announce our three day music festival, allowing families to experience the very best in local & international African talents as well as emerging artists. This year promises to be our biggest yet, with entertainment for the whole family. Prices are $15 Adult, $12 Student/Senior, and $5 for children 12 and under.

We are excited to announce a new addition to our music festival, TAFMF will be hosting a Family Day on Friday, August 29th, sponsored by CVR Entertainment Empire, with bouncy castles, music and a carnival atmosphere for the whole family from 12 noon until 9 pm!

For Interviews contact Paris Roger, Executive Director att 647-852-4072 Call Paris Roger, Executive Director at 647-852-4072 494 Mortimer Ave, Suite 102, East York, M4J 2G7

SUBWAY SYSTEM IN TORONTO WILL FEATURE CARNIVAL ARTISTS

Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean

Kicks off Caribbean Carnival Toronto Arts Line Up

 

 

Toronto – July 23, 2014 –Join PATTISON Onestop, Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival and Third Space Art Projects at the launch and sneak peek screening of images from the public exhibition of Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean on Thursday July 24th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at BAND Gallery and Cultural Space.

 

Curated by Pamela Edmonds and Sally Frater of Third Space Art Projects, Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean highlights the work of 11 artists with cultural ties to the Caribbean: Nicole Awai, Sandra Brewster, Charles Campbell, Delio Delgado, Polibio Díaz, Zachary Fabri, Jérôme Havre, Karyn Olivier, Sheena Rose, Wayne Salmon, and Natalie Wood.

 

Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean brings the Caribbean Carnival to local and international visitors, as well as millions of commuters. Confluence will be presented every 10 minutes on PATTISON Onestop subway platform screens across Toronto from July 25 – August 29, as well as on 2 PATTISON billboards along the Gardiner Expressway from July 21 – August 3. The project will also appear on shopping malls screens across Canada until the end of August.

 

Drawing inspiration from the geographical term that references the meeting of two or more bodies of water, the artists in Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean address myriad subjectivities and concerns yet all in some manner or form embody the notion of movement. The artists have roots in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Martinique. Their works touch on themes such as hybridity, the performative, migration and transformation, highlighting the notion of a space that is always in flux, refracting and shifting to illuminate new perspectives.

 

Confluence: Shifting Perspectives of the Caribbean is a co-presentation of PATTISON Onestop and Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival, and was commissioned as part of PATTISON’s ongoing Art in Transit programme.

 

Sneak Peek Screening and Launch – Thursday, July 24th, 2014

BAND Gallery and Cultural Space

1 Lansdowne Avenue, 2nd Floor (Queen St. West/Lansdowne Ave)

6:00pm – 8:00pm; remarks begin at 7pm

 

For more information please visit: www.artintransit.ca

 

 

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About Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival - www.torontocaribbeancarnival.com

The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, and revelry as well as visual and performing arts. It has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Carnival is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, Steel Pan and Brass Bands. The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America’s largest outdoor festival.

 

Third Space Art Projects

Third Space Art Projects is a Canadian-based curatorial collective co-founded by Pamela Edmonds and Sally Frater. It is a forum for the promotion, presentation and development of multidisciplinary contemporary art projects that engage transcultural and diasporic communities, with a particular focus on visual cultures of the Black Atlantic. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Third-Space-Art-Projects/317921244898640

 

PATTISON Onestop – www.pattisononestop.com  @onestopmedia

PATTISON Onestop, a division of PATTISON Outdoor Advertising, Canada’s largest Out-of-Home advertising company serving 200 markets coast-to-coast, is a world leader in the development and operation of Digital Out-of-Home Media (DOOH) for mass transit, mall, retail, hospitality, residential, office, and outdoor environments. Art in Transit represents PATTISON Onestop’s ongoing arts and culture programme.

 

Art in Transit – www.artintransit.ca  @ArtTransit

Art in Transit represents PATTISON Onestop’s ongoing arts and culture programme, presenting thought-provoking projects that enhance our shared environment and transport commuters, shoppers and city-dwellers, if only momentarily, out of their daily routines.

 

For more information contact:

Marie Nazar, Arts Publicist, PATTISON Onestop – 416-762-7702 or mnazar@idirect.ca

 

 

 

 

 

NEW COURIER / MAIL ADDRESS

STEPHEN WEIR
Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com 
109 Castlefield Avenue, Toronto, ON
CANADA. M4R 1G5
Tel: 416-489-5868 | cell: 416-801-3101 
www.stephenweir.com twitter: sweirweir   

UPDATED: Toronto Caribbean Carnival - Media Preview for Junior Parade on July 2nd

90 kids in costume at Wednesday's launch, Rathika and Raymond too

The Junior Carnival Parade Moving Back to Malvern

Media Launch/Preview on July 2, 2014

TORONTO, ON - The media is invited to join Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival's CEO Denise Herrera-Jackson, local MPPs, city of Toronto councillors, Scotiabank representatives and members of the Caribbean Canadian community for the releasing of information about this year's RELOCATED Junior Carnival/Family Day. The colourful 11.30 am media preview will be held at the soon-to-be-opened Malvern Family Resource Centre (90 Littles Rd).

The Festival Management Committee, members of the Toronto Mas Band Association and The Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes will be releasing key information about this year's Children's Parade and Carnival. Starring in the media preview with be 90 children in costumes (with signed model releases) from nine mas camps and will be showing their new Mas dance moves for the first time! There will also be Junior Calypso singers, a dance group and steelpan performances.

For the past two years, the Parade and Family Day has been staged in Downsview Park. However, since this summer the roads and bridge that the children danced along are slated to be closed for reconstruction, the parade is coming to the Malvern community. On Saturday July 19^th, over 1,500 children in Mas costume will be taking to the streets between Malvern and Neilson Park south of Finch and Neilson Road for the annual parade.

Who: 90 children in mas costumes.
Jr steel pan orchestra (OSA), Jr calypso singers (OCPA)

MC Calypso star - Dick Lochan
Spokespeople from the Junior Carnival Parade, An MP and a city councillor and Scotiabank will speak at the press launch.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:  

MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Scarborough Rouge River Riding

Councillor Raymond Cho Ward 42 Scarborough-Rouge River

Scotiabank branch manager  Michael Lawrence 

CEO Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Denise Herrera-Jackson

When: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: 90 Littles Road (east of Morningside Ave and Sewells Rd)
What: The children will hold a short parade along Littles Road into the new Malvern Family Resource Centre. Parking available

For more information about the programs and events, please visit the festival's official website at www.torontocaribbeancarnival.com. The Festival Office is located at 19 Waterman Avenue.
Contact info: Tel: 416-391-5608; Email: info@torontocaribbeancarnival.com.

About Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival

The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, and revelry as well as visual and performing arts. It has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Carnival is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, Steel Pan and Brass Bands. The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America's largest outdoor festival.

Corporate sponsors of this year's festival include: Scotiabank, OLG, The Toronto Star, CTV, CP-24, Virgin Radio, The Canadian Federal Government, The Province of Ontario, City of Toronto, Tourism Toronto, The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Liberty Grand.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through Bright Future, our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level across six pillars: health, education, social services, arts and culture, environment and sports. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average some $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world. Visit us atwww.scotiabank.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• For media inquires:
  
  Stephen Weir Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival Publicist
  Phone 416-489-5868
  Cell: 416-801-3101
  Email: Stephen@stephenweir.com
  
  Diana HartScotiabank, Public, Corporate & Government Affairs
  Phone: 416-866-7238
  Cell: 647-821-3849
  Email: diana.hart@scotiabank.com