Strip Mining for Creative Cities

A new show 'Strip Mining for Creative Cities' opens at the Toronto Free Gallery, (1277 Bloor Street West at Landsdowne) opens this Thursday, January 15. Curated by Heather Haynes & Izida Zorde the description of the show reads like this:

"Strip Mining for Creative Cities explores the processes that strip away neighborhood and community resources and leave behind “facades” to be consumed by the market.

Through the voices of artists, youth, urban geographers and architects, the exhibition critically examines the acts that displace residents, cultural practices and community infrastructure, replacing vital social safety nets with simulacra of pre-existing forms.

Locating this exhibition at Toronto Free Gallery in the Bloor/Lansdowne community, the curators both recognize this neighborhood as contested space threatened by gentrification and work to engage the community in documenting and creating alternatives to the stripped-down Creative City.

Artists: Pavitra Wickramasinghe, Thorben Wieditz and Ute Lehrer, Janis Demkiw, Emily Hogg and Olia Mishchenko, Michal Maciej Bartosik, Janet Wang, Seth Porcello, Douglas Paulson, Elaine Gan, Regent Park Focus, Toronto Video Activist Collective and Pamila Matharu with students from Parkdale Collegiate Institute."

The opening on Thursday will be followed by a party to follow with DJs Dorian & Dorian. The show runs through March 1.

The Toronto Free Gallery and Creative Activism

Last night's opening of the New Toronto Free Gallery space and Creative Activism couldn't have been more of a success: Literally I don't think you could have fit more people in the building (and the beer ran out about 10).

It included work from the Urban Repair Squad, the Movement Movement, exhibits on the absurd failure that amalgamation has been for Toronto, on going car free and more.

The full list of artists (as listed on the event invite) includes

Jennifer Delos Reyes, Yvonne Bambrick, February Group, Maxime Hourani, Deborah Margo, Barbara Menely, Dave Meslin, Markus Miessen & Patricia Reed, The Movement Movement, October Group, Darren O’Donnell & Natalie De Vito, Planning Action, Resident Rising, Neighbourhood Action and East Scarborough Storefront, Kerri Lynn Reeves, Auriane Sokoloski, Streets Are For People!, Nick Tobier, Urban Repair Squad and Elinor Whidden.

It was great to see such a huge turnout in a part of Toronto not normally associated with culture. If Queen West keeps filling up with high priced condos designed to attract people who want to be close to art and culture (and simultaneously drive it away) maybe the Bloor/Landsdown area can absorb some of the refugees.

If you'd still like to attend Creative Activism runs until April 19.

To keep up with coming events at the Toronto Free Gallery visit their website at torontofreegallery.org or join their facebook group. You can also find pics of the renovation of the space at http://flickr.com/photos/yvonnebambrick/sets/72157603749234585/.





for more photos see Flickr