Akin artists Sara Pearson and Kira Varvanina at the Toronto Design Offsite Festival

The 8th annual Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) has begun with over a hundred design exhibitions and events happing at all over Toronto until January 21, 2018. We invite you to check out the TO DO schedule of events and explore the festival this week. 

Don't miss 'Rugs!' featuring new work by Akin Dupont artist Sara Pearson and 'Le Grand Mobile' featuring intricately made wooden creations by Akin Dupont artist Kira Varvanina. 

MADE presents Rugs!

Prospector Rug by Sara Pearson of Akin Dupont in collaboration with designer Lis Eeuwes

Location: MADE Design, 70 Geary Avenue
Exhibition Dates: January 16-20, 2018
Opening Reception: Sat, Jan 20, 5-8PM

MADE is committed to innovative design made on a small scale in Canada to the highest quality. 

This is the first collaboration between artist Sara Pearson and designer Liz Eeuwes. Their creation combines elements of Sara’s gemstone paintings and colour palette, with the rich texture and sculptural design.

Sara Pearson is a Toronto based interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationship between materials and the natural world, using the optical phenomena that exist within cut gemstones as inspiration in her paintings. She also works with found materials, bronze, marble, clay, cement, and terra-skin paper to compose her sculptures and installations and has shown with Project Gallery in Toronto. 

Liz Eeuwes is a materials-led designer with a focus on small batch and custom produced rugs and accessories. Working in partnership with international artisan craftsmen, her home collections marry modern designs and colour stories with the rich heritage of traditional weaving. Her past collections have included themes of placemaking, scale, and our connection to Canadian iconography.

Le Grande Mobile at Mini Mioche

Wooden mobile by Kira Varvanina

Location: Mini Mioche Store, 795 Queen Street West
Exhibition Dates: January 15-21, 2018

“Le Grand Mobile” is an artistic exploration of the idea of the “mobile” as not merely a children’s toy but a hanging artwork, which derives its movement from air or touch. “Le Grand Mobile” window installation is inspired by the sculptures of Alexander Calder – the creator of the modern mobile. Kira Varvanina's intricately made wooden creations, in particular Geometric Mobiles, are suspended from the ceiling and form discrete movable parts. The overall sculpture moves with air and motors creating a non-static presence.

Kira Varvanina is the owner and creator of Miloshka Handmade, a design brand specializing in unique lasercut nursery mobiles, clocks & wall décor. 

Akin members selected as Artist Project 2018 UNTAPPED Emerging Artists

Akin would like to Congratulate Monique Resnick of Akin Lansdowne and Kayla Polan of Akin Dupont for being selected as UNTAPPED Emerging Artists at the 2018 Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair. Monique and Kayla were selected along with 18 other artists including former Akin member Raquel De Silva. The UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition is a juried competition that awards 20 emerging artists from all mediums an opportunity to exhibit at a professional-level art fair for free.

UNTAPPED Emerging Artists benefit from a dedicated feature space at The Artist Project. This program aims to provide a platform for young artists to launch their artwork to a public audience, make connections within the arts industry and gain experience in the contemporary art world.

About Kayla Polan
Calgary-born, Toronto based artist Kayla Polan is a multidisciplinary artist working across traditional and new media. She graduated with Distinction from the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a BFA major in Drawing & Painting. Her practice melds feminism and popular culture to investigate contemporary ideas about sexuality, fetishism, domesticity, queer identity, autobiography, and consumer culture through painting, sculpture, printmaking, and performance. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Spark Box Studio Emerging Artist Award. Her work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions in Canada and Europe. www.kaylapolan.com

About Monique Resnick
Monique Resnick is a visual artist based in Toronto. Her approach to art involves viewing the subject matter from a literal 20, 000 ft. Specifically she uses Google Earth imagery to assess and depict the relationship between the land and those who occupy it. By taking this approach the viewer is able to evaluate the discrepancies fuelled by conspicuous consumption. From population density to the degree of resources required to manicure lawns, she forces the viewer to acknowledge that which they may not have otherwise been exposed to. A graduate of McGill University and OCAD U, Monique has exhibited in numerous juried shows throughout Ontario. She currently maintains a studio practice at Akin Collective. www.moniqueresnick.com

About The Artist Project
The Artist Project is a four day contemporary art fair happening at the Better Living Centre. From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. This is a unique opportunity to meet and buy art directly from artists. www.theartistproject.com

SHOW SCHEDULE:
Thursday February 22: Opening Night Party  7-10 PM
Friday February 23: 11 AM-10 PM
Saturday February 24: 11 AM-8 PM
Sunday February 25 11 AM-6 PM

Akin Welcomes New Studio Manager Janet Hinkle!

Akin is excited to announce that we have a new staff member! Janet Hinkle of Hinkleville Handmade is now a part of the Akin team and will be managing the Akin Ossington studios. Welcome Janet! 

Janet is a small batch ceramicist and has had a studio with Akin since 2015. Originally at Akin Dufferin, Janet moved to Akin Ossington when the location opened in July 2017.  She is very excited to expand her role within the Akin community and is looking forward to new opportunities to learn and collaborate with other creatives.

Janet's colourful, small-batch ceramic line Hinkleville Handmade has been charming people since it's inception in 2015 with delightful ceramic vessels, decorations, jewelry and more which are sold in stores, online and at events and markets around Ontario. Her work is heartwarming, whimsical and memorable.

You can view more of her work at www.hinklevillehandmade.com and contact her with inquiries about Akin Ossington by emailing janet@akincollective.com

Embroidery 101 Workshop with Claire Davis of Akin Lansdowne - January 18

The Centre for Women & Trans People Collective at Ryerson University presents Embroidery 101, a workshop facilitated by Claire Davis of Akin Lansdowne. This even is a part of Resistance Through Community Building, an Art & Self-Care Night happening on January 18 at the Ryerson Student Centre. It will be an evening of events focusing on centering self-care and love, reclaiming our agency, and community love. Arts & Self-Care Night aims to create a space that prioritizes women and trans people’s experiences. Light snacks will be provided!

About Claire Davis
Claire is an embroider and textile artist. She is constantly taking in images from her environment and dreaming up ways to translate them into stitching. Claire draws a lot of inspiration from other femmes in her community and their interpretation of the world – Claire’s work commonly explores what it means to take up space as a queer woman, survivor and activist. 

About The Centre for Women and Trans People
The Centre for Women and Trans People is an Equity Service Centre of the Ryerson Students' Union and the Continuing Education Students' Association of Ryerson (CESAR). Their services include an extensive resource centre with books, pamphlets, videos, workshops, campaigns, events, free condoms, pads and tampons, a microwave, and above all a safe space for self-identified women to sit down and relax! Men are allowed to use our resources and take part in what we do, but must knock before entering the Centre due to the sensitivity of issues that are being discussed. 

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne present Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne presents Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎ (WAHC) from January 24 - April 21, 2018. The exhibition Balikbayan features a visual timeline of the 150+ year history of caregiving in Canada by racialized women, and Balikbayan boxes that contain migration and labour stories. Opens to the public on January 24th, 2017. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, February 9th, 7 – 9 pm; artists will be in attendance. 

Learn more about the work of Kwentong Bayan with a slide talk and exhibition walkthrough conducted by Althea and Jo on Saturday February 10. Click here for more information. 

About the Exhibition:
In the Filipino language, “balik” means “to return” and “bayan” can mean “country, place, home, or town”.

Since the 70’s, the labour export policy of the Philippine government has forced Overseas Filipino Workers to work abroad to provide for their families. An average of 6,000 workers leave the Philippines each day. One way they maintain a connection with their loved ones is to send home balikbayan boxes home packed with items that symbolize their labour and care.

BALIKBAYAN will transform WAHC into a gathering place to listen to migrant worker stories. In a series of gatherings, workers from Hamilton and Toronto will participate in a healing soup circle, create storytelling wearables, and plant native seeds. At each gathering, folks can create their own pasalubong (gifts) to take home and share with others.

This exhibition will be accompanied by an exhibition essay by Zenee Maceda, Labour Activist and National Representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada.

The Workers Arts and Heritage Centre will also offer additional programming alongside BALIKBAYAN over the winter season, including two PA Day camps, a comic jam for ages 12 and up and much more. Click here for more information.

About the Kwentong Bayan Collective:
Kwentong Bayan is a collective of two Toronto-based artists, Althea Balmes of Akin Lansdowne and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo. Their artistic mandate is to explore a critical and intersectional approach to community-based art, labour, and education.

Althea Balmes is an artist-educator rooted in community work. She uses her strong connection to her culture and her place as a diasporic Canadian woman of colour to inspire her work and as a way to connect to others. Althea is pursuing a Master of Information degree in User Experience Design at the University of Toronto.

Jo SiMalaya Alcampo is an interdisciplinary artist whose art practice includes community storytelling, interactive installations, and electroacoustic soundscapes. Jo volunteers with Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization (CCESO) – an organization that support migrant caregivers and is a member of the Kapwa Collective – a mutual support group of Filipinx Canadian artists, critical thinkers, and healers bridging narratives between the Indigenous and the Diasporic.

About the Workers Art and Heritage Centre:
Founded in 1991, the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre is a national museum dedicated to celebrating the historic and contemporary cultural contributions of Canada's working people through both the arts and a wide range of interpretive exhibitions. wahc-museum.ca

Come Up to my Room at the Gladstone featuring artists An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont

Come Up to My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual 4-day alternative design exhibition happening this year on January 18-21. There will be art, design, installations and events happening in all areas of the hotel curated by Jana Macalik and Christophe Jivraj with Lukus Toane featuring dozens of artists including An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont.

Each year CUTMR provides artists and designers the opportunity to take risks, to push their ideas, to evoke meaning not just function. The event was conceived in 2004 as a vehicle for experimentation and interaction within the fields of art and design. Acting as counterpoint to the Interior Design Show and giving rise to the more recent Toronto Design Offsite Festival, CUTMR has since become a cornerstone of the Toronto alternative design scene.

This year, CUTMR 2018 explores how people interact with art and design. Is it a shared experience mediated by an artist or designer? Or is it an individual response triggered by personal experience? Or is it all of the above? We hope you decide to check out the event and investigate for yourself! Don't forget to to visit the second floor where Akin artist's An Dy and Kendra Yee will be showing work in the north corridor, and in room 214. 

AN DY | 2ND FLOOR NORTH CORRIDOR: 

'These Pixels are TOO sweet' by An Dy

An Dy is putting Pixels on trial, calling on a variety of media to challenge and affirm the way we consume art and media. Imagery will include motifs taken from virtual interfaces such as the adobe suite programs, and contrast them with traditional forms such as the human figure. Allowing for a slower way to interpret these spaces, An Dy's work postures as stand in’s for the stimulation we receive through our screens at a time where we are both consumed by social media and alienated from it. 

An Dy is a Toronto born artist, graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in April 2017 with a BFA. These Pixels are Too Sweet explores the language of painting as a way to reflect the oversaturated experience he had growing up navigating the structures of the digital world.

SISTER CO-RESISTER | ROOM 214:

Sister Co-Resister is Pamila Matharu, Karen Azoulay, Nedda Baba, Yan Wen Chang, Marianne Ibrahim, Zahra Komeylian, Maanii Oakes, Kalpna Patel, and Akin Dupont artist Kendra Yee.

This project is a marker for the absence of intersectional feminisms’ in contemporary visual culture. It sets out to examine the labour around making and holding space - an often-repeated evocation in contemporary artistic and social discourse. In the art historical canon, the feminine has been relegated to interior, domestic spaces for the past two centuries. The social parallel has been to isolate feminist discourse within biological, ethnic, and class-bound markers. While the experiences of institutionalized misogyny and erasure, the women, femmes, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming artists in this installation intersect- profound discontinuities and contentious disagreements abound. The language of solidarity between these intersections is very much a work in progress- with approximate markers holding space for terms that can encompass the vastness of a marginalized existence. The result is a space in permanent flux- containing the messy shards and jagged edges of solidarity in a state of continual evolution. Shattered nerves, furtive pride, salvaged homelands, nostalgia and itinerant spaces of care populate this room. Its inhabitants are late-invited guests, squatters even, at a conversation whose terms have been pre-defined. They speak in languages that have been misappropriated and distorted, vulnerable to misinterpretation and co-optation. Their loud din echoes in passages and labyrinthine hallways, leading to a protected space where their incitements can breathe. 

KENDRA YEE is a Toronto-based artist and designer. She focuses on recreating the speculative world that exists within her head, combining these landscapes with cultural elements discovered throughout local neighbourhoods. 

EXHIBITION HOURS:
THURS, JAN 18: 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19: 11AM - 10PM
SAT, JAN 20: 11AM - 10PM + Opening Reception 7-10PM
(after 6pm, entry is dependent on capacity - online ticket holders who arrive after this time may not get in if venue is already full)
SUN, JAN 21: 11AM - 5PM

SPECIAL EVENTS:
THURS, JAN 18 | EXHIBITION PREVIEW | 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19 | STUDENT DAY - $5 STUDENT TICKETS WITH VALID STUDENT ID ONLY
SAT, JAN 20 | OPENING RECEPTION | 7-10PM
SAT, JAN 20 | LOVE DESIGN PARTY | 10PM - LATE
SUN, JAN 21 | TSA IDEAS FORUM | 1-3PM

'Pretty Bird' by Chris Harms at the Akin Vitrine Galleries

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 programming in two Vitrine Galleries, one a recent addition to our St. Clair studios and our original location at our Dupont studios. These miniature galleries will feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

We are excited to welcome the new year by featuring new work by returning artist, Chris Harms! 

Chris is a self taught artist living and working in Toronto. He is an Akin Dupont member whose artwork explores the relationship between our city’s constant state of construction and its citizens. Chris creates vibrant sculptures with plexiglass, objects seen and unseen, that shape our world and envision the future.

Venturing into the bizarre and humorous, this installation, ‘Pretty Bird’ combines two mundane objects, made with a minimal aesthetic, to create a playful, laughable environment. 

‘Pretty Bird' 
Plexiglass, found materials
Variable Dimensions

Exhibition runs for the month of January in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

‘Pretty Bird’ will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of February at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

To contact the artist: chrshrms@me.com
www.chris-harms.com
Instagram: @chrshrms

Akin artist Quinn Rockliff featured in The Body Issue of NOW Toronto Magazine

“My art practice is about nudity, self-love and female empowerment...every time I draw my body I’m reclaiming it, and to do that for other women is really important. It feels radical to shamelessly love my body as a woman, and political to share it online.”

— Quinn Rockliff for NOW Magazine

Akin Lansdowne artist Quinn Rockliff talks about her art practice, self love, body positivity and more in a segment called Love Your Body in The Body Issue of NOW Magazine.

Quinn Rockliff's art practice is centred around nudity, self love, and empowerment. Her current project is about women celebrating their bodies as she recreates nude selfies in ink and watercolour. Her Master's thesis in OCAD University's Digital Futures Program focuses on a similar theme and aims to combat shame and power loss through art by challenging the stigma attached to taking and sharing a nude selfie. Quinn is driven to explore how theory and practice can meet in the middle, how her own experience can be reworked into a tool for learning and teaching through example. Find out more about Quinn and see examples of her work at www.quinnrockliff.com

NOW is a Toronto news and entertainment magazine published in print and online weekly.

Storefront Gallery on the Danforth: Rebekah Andrade

Akin Dufferin member Rebekah Andrade has enough work to fill a small store. And so she has. Filling it with her paintings in a last-minute turn of events, she has transformed the empty storefront, formerly a shoestore at 348 Danforth Ave, into a small gallery full of bright beautiful art for the next ten days. 

The venue, owned by Thomas Walsh a local businessman, was only going to be empty for a short period but within a matter of days Rebekah had a working title (taken from a recent piece in the show) and complete collection ready. '' It was a challenge'', she says, ''but I'm so happy I did it!'' Rebekah says the titles of her paintings arise from a self-reflective and humorous take on life, with pieces like We Drank We Laughed and So Tender And Delicate. 

Coming from Northern BC, Rebekah Andrade finished her BA at Emily Carr in 2012 and has since exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her most recent formal exhibition, a group show, is still up at Sussex Contemporary in Ottawa. Check out her pop-up featuring IT WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU and chat with Rebekah until January 31, most days (except christmas) 11-7 pm at 348 Danforth Ave. 

Artwork by Akin Ossington Artist Amy McNeill at Volta Espresso until December 31

Amy McNeill is a Toronto-based artist who just recently went full-time when she joined Akin Ossington in August with her company Little Potje Ceramics. Amy is a ceramic artist but writes and creates paintings as well. Limited edition signed prints, original paintings and a limited selection of Little Potje Ceramics are now available for sale at Volta Espresso until Dec. 31, 2017. 

Volta Espresso
Open everyday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
866 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G3

Amy is motivated strongly by her personal experience of losing loved ones who made their livings as makers. Every pot, bowl and vessel she throws is dedicated to her family who raised her to have a strong work ethic and dedication to quality craftsmanship. 

In her fine art, Amy meditates on issues of fertility and reproduction. Trying to decipher what it means to be human rather than female, she's found that it's an identity mixture hard to separate and isolate at the best of times. 

Amy also enjoys writing arts and life pieces for news outlets, and working with small businesses as a copywriter and content strategist. She spends her spare time sailing, skiing and making terrible jokes at which her friends and family rarely laugh.

"All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member Bernadette Peets in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Introducing our Akin Vitrine Gallery December exhibition, “All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets.

“I have been thinking a lot about how recent immigrants and in particular refugees who come to Canada feel about us, this country and in particular what their experience is of our landscapes. 

Is Canadian society the open, warm and friendly culture that we like to think it is for these newcomers? Is our pristine landscape available to them? Does it represent a refuge or is it viewed as threatening due to its vastness and unknown dangers?

I often use wild animals in my shadow boxes to represent the vulnerability of the human characters in the narrative. In this case, the deer with the bullseye carries the symbol of the 'hunted' while at the same time acting as a warning to these individuals. The orange screen across the front is meant to slightly obscure the scene so that the viewer must look even closer to be able to see it completely. The screen says "All Are Welcome" but also acts as a barrier or an enclosure reminiscent of a refugee camp. The scenes on the side walls remind us of the origins of the travellers and the reflective surface creates a way for all of the scenes and characters to merge.

I think that we still need to go some distance in our understanding of how these newcomers may be feeling in their new reality and how we might bridge the gap between viewing them as 'other' and more as part of our communities.” 

Bernadette was born in Toronto where she currently lives and works. Her studio is in the Akin Collective at 1485 Dupont Street. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996 where she majored in Drawing, Painting and Art History. She lived in Florence Italy for two years (1987–88 & 1994–95) where she continued to study Art History and develop her craft as a painter.

She has explored many themes over the past 20 years of her art practice and while she has mainly used painting as her medium she has also included three dimensional installation work as well as other pictorial devices that include shadow boxes, photographs, drawing and printmaking.

Her subjects of interest have been rooted in her political, social and aesthetic ideals. Whether she is using her work as a platform for a discussion on topics as diverse as the female body image to issues relating to the Indigenous Nations in Canada, her approach is always connected to her strong sense of design, colour and technical precision.

Craft is important to her as an effective means of communication. She believes that having a high quality of execution in her work facilitates a more effective communication of her intent.

‘All Are Welcome' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner.

The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: bernadettepeets1@gmail.com

www.bernadettepeets.com
Instagram: @b_peets
#AkinVitrine

Support Akin Projects 2018 Programming Schedule this #givingtuesday

Today, Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, you can help support our city's artists.

Your contributions to Akin Projects provide vital funding for our ambitious programming calendar of activities and initiatives. Throughout the year our community work, workshops, exhibitions and educational programs provide free or low-cost opportunities and services for artists and creatives across the city- including paying professional artist fees to Canadian artists.

Akin Fundraiser T-Shirts designed by Billy Franklin of Akin Dupont and Cierra Frances of Akin Sunrise

This #GivingTuesday we ask you to consider supporting our community programming by donating or making a contribution through a purchase in our fundraising online shop! We have limited edition artist designed fundraiser T-Shirts for sale ($20 each, see below!) as well as amazing deals on our artist made colouring books, 'Akin' enamel lapel pins and our Benefit Edition Prints!

Akin Projects would like to extend a huge thank you to those of you who supported our programming initiatives throughout 2017. To everyone who attended an event, bought Akin merchandise, or donated funds to our non-profit: your support means the world to us! 

We hope to see you at the  Akin Holiday Party on December 16 at Akin Lansdowne from 12-5pm where you can drop off a donation to our clothing drive, pick up merchandise and artist's work (and have a couple of mugs of mulled wine).

Click Here to Visit the Online Shop

Click Here to Donate Now

Click Here to RSVP to the Akin Holiday Party

Interested in supporting Akin and our community programs in other ways? Learn more here or get in touch by emailing michael@akincollective.com

Thank you!
Love, Akin

In the Round opening reception this Thursday

Graven Feather presents In the Round V opening this Thursday from 7-10pm at 906 Queen St West. Featuring hundreds of new original works by local and international artists including Rebekah Andrade, ClayGirl Ceramics and Erin Candela of Akin Dufferin. Laura Elliot, Julianne Ess, and Jen Pilles of Akin Lansdowne. Bernadette Peets of Akin Dupont and Renee Castonguay of Akin Sunrise. 

In The Round is an open call art exhibition that encourages artists to work in any medium yet on the same platform. Each artist is given three 6" rounds on which to create their work. The result is a collection of work which is varied and each piece is spectacular in it's uniqueness. The rounds will be sold directly off the wall so for the best view of the show be sure to arrive early!

Exhibition Runs Thursday, November 16th - Sunday November 26th

About Graven Feather:
Established in 2011, Graven Feather is an arts space committed to working with emerging artists. Starting 2017 we made a big change from our West Queen West location.  We have started a nomadic year and will be leading events and workshops throughout the city.  We have also launched residencies and classes from our new cozy studio in the Junction Triangle.  

Stop Thinking, Start Working: On Pattern, Repetition, Obsession, and Letting Go

If you find yourself in Oshawa in the next month, swing into the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and check out this solo show by Akin alumni Colleen McCarten. The show opens tomorrow and runs until December 3. There will be a reception is on Friday December 1, 7-9 pm and Colleen will be giving an artist talk on Saturday December 2, from 1-3 pm. 

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Looking at the journey of the line, in regards to the similarities between thread/textile techniques and drawing, this show will explore the technical aspect of textile construction as well as the relationship that happens between minimalism and the handmade; emphasizing the techniques and textures that come through allowing and embracing ‘mistakes’.

The pieces in this show will take inspiration from minimalism, op art, and the digital age, but using traditional textile construction techniques such as weaving and sewing. This show will consist of fabric sculptures and drawings that have been created in tandem with each other in an exploratory sense and they will look at how a subtle shift in material or technique can have drastic changes to the end result of the piece.

About Colleen: 
Colleen McCarten (formerly a member of both Akin Dufferin and Akin Dupont) is an emerging Toronto-based artist whose work is based primarily in textile, weaving, sewing and other fibre-based practices, as well as drawing and collage. She uses these techniques to examine the legacy of 20th Century art movements such as Op Art, Minimalism and hard-edged abstraction. McCarten holds a Bachelors of Material Design from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCADU), and is the recipient of the Material Art and Design Medal for her graduating year. Her work has been exhibited in group shows at Harbourfront Centre and the Textile Museum of Canada, and she has received awards for her textile-based practice, including the “Best in Fibre” award at the 2014 iteration of the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. She has also produced artworks for commercial and retail clients, including Simons, and will be exhibiting in Angell Gallery’s Project Space this summer.

TRACE - works by OCAD University’s Interdisciplinary Art, Media, and Design candidates

TRACE is happening at The OCAD Graduate Gallery (205 Richmond Street West). There is a reception on November 16 from 5-9pm with catered refreshments where you can meet, chat, and mingle with the curators and artists. We hope you can make it!

“A trace may be small—a hint to the existence of something, a residue we can’t ignore. It is the beginning of a process, to subvert assumptions and discover intentions. It is the evidence that an investigation is taking place—revealing the hidden and acknowledging the ghosted. The absence of presence is where the trace reveals itself.”

Curated by the Criticism and Curatorial Practice first year program (including Jeff Tallon of Akin Sunrise), TRACE brings together the works of OCAD University’s Interdisciplinary Art, Media, and Design candidates to explore the contingent experience of presence as trace evades the ‘real,’ pointing to its constitutive outside: the unreal. Trace, a sign for everything elusive, has no site, but rather is change of site marked by its erasure, making it disappear in its appearance.

Featuring Artists:
Sarah Carlson
Lingxiang Wu
Vanessa Jackson
Tal Sofia Braniss
Ellen Snowball
Randa Reda
Philip Sparks
Kirstie McCallum
Coco Guzman
Shannon Lee
Adrienne Matheuszik
Lida Shanehchiyan
Kristi Poole-Adler
Dori Vanderheyden

Curated By:
Elizabeth Claire Handley-Derry
Liz Ikiriko
Erica Jane Cristobal
Panya Clark Espinal
Jeff Tallon
Keiko Hart

“for a moment it all comes together (and you’re the only one)” - New work by Katrina Jurjans at Artscape Youngplace

“ “Evocative of a contemporary Bonnard or Vuillard, these colourful acrylics are weighed heavily with patterns - backgrounds or depictions of printed textiles which enter fictional space. They challenge the two-dimensional versus, and illusioning dimension. The relationships are ambiguous, and often appear steeped in nostalgia or even existential angst, sometimes flesh-and-blood but sometimes ghostly outlines of people gone but remembered.””

— Joshua Heuman, Curator of Education and Public Programs at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery

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You are invited join us on November 16 from 6-9pm at Artscape Youngplace in the Third Floor Hallway Gallery for the opening reception of “for a moment it all comes together (and you’re the only one)” a solo exhibition of new work by Akin Lansdowne artist. 

This is Katrina's first solo show, and part of the Best of Student prize she was awarded at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE), which includes this solo exhibition at Artscape Youngplace as well as a residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point. This summer Katrina was a double award winner at TOAE; she also won the Best of Painting award!

Katrina’s paintings rely on the visual language of colour, pattern, layering and spatial tension to explore intimate relationships and ideas of loss, memory, love, grief, instability and transition. Formed by blurring these concepts, her work breaks free from a fixed meaning, instead becoming a layered solidification of thoughts and feelings.

The exhibition will be taking place from November 13th - 24th, with the opening reception remaining on November 16th from 6pm - 9pm. 

'Buckshot Deli and Diner' by Katie Sadie this month in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Akin Vitrine Gallery is excited to present November’s exhibition, “Buckshot Deli and Diner’ by Akin St. Clair member, Katie Sadie! 

“The Buckshot Deli and Diner is set in the Sonoran desert, in the town of Niland, California, just about 4.5 miles from Slab City. Slab City is a place where people learn to live off the grid and choose to be left alone. There is no official electricity there and many of the residents use generators or solar panels. Peter, sits quietly reading the paper, and the couple nearest to the television do not acknowledge its existence above. The Buckshot Deli and Diner’s atmosphere felt like a by product of the vast desert surroundings and the way that nearby residents choose to live.”

Katie Sadie is a graduate of the Applied Photography program at Sheridan College. She was recently announced as a winner of the Flash Forward Emerging Photographers Competition presented by The Magenta Foundation, 2017. Katie’s current personal practice has involved using primarily colour negative film. Her work is inspired by the great photographers of the past and the  people she surrounds herself with in the present. Katie aims to question ideals and start conversations by covering a wide variety of topics through documentary photography. 

'Buckshot Deli and Diner' 
Shot using a Pentax 6x7, 120mm film
Niland, California, 2016.

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. 

The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: gbstudiotoronto@gmail.com

www.katiesadie.com
Instagram: @katiesadiephoto
#AkinVitrine

Akin at 2/edition Toronto International Art Book Fair

Akin is thrilled to be participating in 2/edition Toronto International Art Book Fair from October 27-20, 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (222 Bremner Blvd). We will be there with a large selection of art books, art prints, zines, art multiples and more created by a diverse range of our talented studio artists.

Featuring work by the following Akin artists: 

Adria Mirabelli - www.adriamirabelli.com
Amy McNeill - www.amymcneill.ca
Brittany Carmichael - www.brittanycarmichael.com
ClayGirl Ceramics - www.claygirl.ca
Emma Dolan (Desert Pets Press) - www.desertpetspress.com
Jerry Rugg - www.jerryrugg.com
Jen Pilles - www.jenpilles.com
Jessica Thalmann - www.jessicathalmann.com
Kayla Polan - www.kaylapolan.com
Laura Kay Keeling - www.itnvrstops.com
Mark Liam Smith - www.markliamsmith.com
Michelle McGeean - www.michellemcgeean.com
Monique Resnick - www.moniqueresnick.com
Nicole Krstin - www.nicolekrstin.com
Pansy Ass Ceramics - www.pansyassceramics.com
Rebecca Jane Houston - www.rebeccajanehouston.carbonmade.com
Sophie Berg - www.sophiecberg.com
Sophia Burke - www.sophiaburke.ca

Edition is dedicated to the promotion of art book publishing in all forms, while building an appreciation for artworks produced in editions of more than one. A stimulating and engaging series of talks, panels and special exhibitions will also be presented throughout the weekend in conjunction with the fair’s programming partners. The event is happening alongside Art Toronto, Canada’s international contemporary and modern art fair.

FAIR HOURS
October 27, 2017  12-8pm
October 28, 2017  12-8pm
October 29, 2017  12-6pm
October 30, 2017  12-6pm

Admission to Edition Toronto is free and the event is family friendly. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is fully accessible facility. For more information visit www.editiontoronto.com

Akin Artist Designed Fundraiser T-Shirts: Available now for pre-order!

Introducing two new limited edition t-shirts designed by artists Billy Franklin of Akin Dupont and Cierra Frances Akin Sunrise. Available in five sizes and made of high Quality 100% soft spun cotton, the sale of these shirts will go to support our not-for-profit organization Akin Projects. Available for pre-order now in our online shop at www.akinprojects.bigcartel.com
 

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Akin X Billy Franklin

Focusing on hard lines, bold colours and clean typography, Billy’s work is easily recognizable. He is influenced by late 90’s skateboard graphics and cartoons from his childhood. Franklin’s work is humorous and witty, sure to draw in his audience with his clever perspective.

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Akin X Cierra Frances

Cierra Frances is an interdisciplinary, Toronto-based artist and arts administrator whose work consists of various explorations of material and techniques in painting, drawing and printmaking. Her artist practice focuses on biracial identity and "Eurasian" culture found through her Filipino ancestry. Her research is deeply rooted in Filipino History dating back to Spanish Colonialism to current days and addresses subconscious colourism in Asian culture.

These limited edition shirts will also be available for purchase or pick-up at Edition Toronto the second annual Toronto international art book fair October 27–30, 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Use code EDITIONPICKUP to pick up at Edition and avoid the shipping fee.

Special requests or questions? Email michael@akincollective.com
Thank you to Peace And Cotton Inc. for their help with this special project.

Amanda Wand and the Akin Vitrine Gallery

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is excited to present new work by Dufferin studio artist, Amanda Wand! This work will be on view for the month of October.

Amanda Wand’s new work, Emotional Acceptance, is a true representation of allowing and accepting all emotions. No emotions are good nor bad, they just are. She wants to provide a space for people to feel reassured that everyone is battling their emotions in different ways and that is what creates a beautiful social human experience. She uses the gallery space to bring together people who are mindful of social justice, and who can benefit from artwork that provides healing, inspiration, and empowerment. This show is about honestly accepting how you feel and taking the time to appreciate your feelings and how they shape you as a human being.

Mando, also known as Amanda Wand, is a Toronto based abstract artist. She allows herself to be guided by what she’s feeling, creating pieces that are imbued with emotion. The process of each piece is of utmost importance to Mando, as she wants the artwork to represent the wide range of human emotions we all possess. She finds inspiration in communicating the difficulties of processing social inequality in the world. 

Using her artwork as a reminder for everyone that it is imperative that we pause, reflect, and allow ourselves to express our emotions in order to move forward. Her artwork is the most honest representation of herself and she hopes to inspire moments of introspection in others as she finds the process of creation as a form of survival.

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner.

The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: mando@mandoandtheworld.com

website: www.mandoandtheworld.com
instagram: @mandoandtheworld
#AkinVitrine