year 40

I took another voluntary leave of absence from social media (and my website), but I’m back to break news and show new work. 

First things - SVA! In May I completed my MFA at the School of Visual Arts. While my friends were posting all the wonderful images from our thesis show, end of year gatherings and KAWS’ commencement speech, I was driving my studio from NYC to Toronto. My experience at SVA was perfect - friends made, community built, and practice developed. Even after a summer decompressing, I don’t have the words to describe how much the faculty, classmates, and friends I made during my time there meant to my development as an artist, an educator, and a human being. The chaos of NYC (and the geopolitical landscape) notwithstanding, I did my best to make the most of all the wonders that city has to offer, and I feel satisfied with the extent to which I abused my museum, gallery, and library access. Once again, I congratulate all my friends on a journey well taken and a show worth remembering.

New SVA Master artists.

I have lots of thoughts regarding the specifics of art academia, returning to graduate school a bit older, the relationship I see between New York City and Toronto, and the things I saw, heard, read, and experienced over the course of two years - but that will trickle out in the coming months as I find the language I think it deserves.

Giving my thesis presentation, describing some of the process stages.

Arriving back in Toronto with my eyes open in a new way to the arts, I’ve been thrilled to see what feels like a newly bubbling, thriving scene on the ground. Particularly after being immersed in articles and discussions in NYC about the collapse of the art market, and living through an era in Toronto that saw dozens of my favourite venues shutter and the arts suffer funding defeat after defeat, the promise of what’s to come is extremely welcome. My partner and I flipped sides to the west end of the city, where the Junction neighbourhood is absolutely blowing up. I spent weeks just visiting old galleries, newly relocated fixtures, and brand new artist spaces - mixed use, group studios, galleries, you name it - and barely scratched the surface of what has cropped up.

Passenger Contemporary opening.

Combined with the in progress expansion at the AGO, fresh programming at MoCA, and some growth in fits and starts at the institutional level, it’s a very exciting time to be coming home fresh off a MFA. I’ve included some images from some of the shows that I particularly enjoyed over the summer, including at the newly opened Passenger Contemporary, ADAC 60th Anniversary at Bau Xi, as well as MKG127, General Hardware, and Gallery 1888.

I hope to share some of my post-thesis work in not too long at planned group shows; but I admit it has been nice after the sustained exposure and conversation of an MFA to both take some shelter in the studio and get outside.

- A

Golden hour in the city.