The Artist Project Opening Night Party. Photography by Emily Doyle.
The very first The Artist Project art fair launched seven years ago in Toronto. The idea behind this grand event was to display the multitude of artistic talent in Toronto. Back then, only a handful of artists displayed their work to local art enthusiasts and a couple of art dealers. This year, The Artist Project featured over 250 artists from all backgrounds, artistic and geographic, as they mingled with art buyers, designers, and the thousands of art-loving Torontonians.
On Thursday February 20, The Artist Project kicked off its four-day art fair with a fantastic opening party. Over 500 visitors braved the freezing rain, heavy snowfall, and terrible traffic to the Better Living Centre on the Exhibition Grounds. Once inside, they were greeted by pretty hostesses in adorably retro navy blue dresses and sailor caps that represented the party’s theme, Set Sail. In every aisle and corner of the building, there were countless stands and booths handing out free samples and cocktails to everyone. Throughout the night, visitors lined up for a glass of sparkling wine from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly and vanilla cream filled donuts from the trendy donut shop, Jelly Modern Donuts. Other dishes included blow-torch mackarel on rice from Hapa Izakaya and Buonanotte’s eggplant parmigiana. Guests also had their fill of specialty cocktails from Slava Ultra Premium Vodka in the naval-inspired Art Lounge. To appease thirsty guests, representatives from Slava offered free samples of their vodka for their taste test. To round out the vast selection of treats, Baker Street bakery offered mini Pink Champagne Mousse samples and Peanut Butter and Jam trifles that were a huge hit with the guests.
I’m Only Human by Labscape Studio. Photography by Emily Doyle.
Those who visited the art fair were certainly not disappointed with the exciting new artwork from artists all over Canada. All disciplines and styles of art on display included gorgeous interactive bling art by Richard Emmanuel, reverse painting/photography by Dani Cooperman, and vibrant abstract paintings from sisters Karen and Kate Taylor of the Colourshift Collective. New to this year’s fair was the entrance installation, which examined language of regret through 100 golden letter-shaped balloons. The apologies used in the installation were taken directly from Rob Ford’s series of non-apology apologies. The Magazine Bar was packed with art lovers who discussed the moss graffiti art over cups of coffee. The Why We Ink Exhibit is also new to the art fair this year. The exhibit celebrated those with memorial and survival tattoos for cancer through photography. $5.00 of every $23.00 ticket sold at the Artist Project will be donated to patient and caregiver support services with the Canadian Cancer Society. One of the photographs on display was a black and white photo entitled, Second Skin by Colin Singer. The figure in the photo featured the well-known Canadian model/artist/actor Rick “Zombie Boy” Genest, who survived high-risk brain surgery for a life-threatening tumor at age 15. The play of light and shadow in the picture added a sense of fragility to “Zombie Boy” and highlighted the beauty of his entire tattoo-covered body. Black Line Studios had set up an airbrush tattoo station right next to the exhibit for those who were moved by the pictures.The UNTAPPED Emerging Artists Competition displayed the artwork of twenty different young artists from all over the country. Alea Drain’s intricate and fantastical drawings definitely drew a crowd to her booth. Sony sponsored the photography booth in their Sony 7 Studio, where seven photographers created pieces using the Sony A7 camera.
A close-up of Satellite by Camille Jodoin-Eng. Photography by Emily Doyle.
The Artist Project 2014 was a fantastic night of art, music, and cocktails. This event provided many up-and-coming artists the opportunity to share their incredible talents with dealers, collectors, interior designers, and fellow art lovers. Visit the artistproject.com to learn more about the other programs that were part of this four-day event, such as the guided tours of the fair and the Art Chats with leading art and design experts.
