The only exception to this is the Untapped Emerging Artists section, which is a juried competition. There are gems to be found however in the massive fair which at points feels like getting lost in an Ikea marketplace, so make your way through the high heel traffic and take note of these artists below.
These are my picks for 5 artists not to miss at this year's fair.
Head down to the "Untapped Emerging Artists" section and you will find these beautiful subtle plays on texture, structure, and shadow by Colleen McCarten (booth U-18). Using fabric and neatly woven into paper with a bit of paint, she creates these monochromatic op-art inspired pieces that have this feeling of brooding folk mysticism.
Dainesha Nugent-Palache's staged portraits (U-7) in urban living situations feel like snapshots of a deadpan woman lost in a dystopian Toronto. She exaggerates certain stereotypical representations of femininity that seems to be a friendly nod to Renee Cox's feminist work but with less anger and more pastiche.
Meghan Farbridge's small, delicate drawings and watercolours (426) have this sweet, teen-dreamy feel complete with innocence and a slight psychedelia. A current ESA student, she is still very young but shows a lot of potential at this early point in her creative development. The colourful "Dream of Tongues" was one of my highlights from the entire fair.
Peter Chan's (418) misty, meditative paintings feel like long, friendly hugs in oil paint. Inspired by Bernini's sculpture Ecstasy of St Teresa, the faces or figures with hands around them that he paints feel intimate but not invasive. The execution and colour scheme he uses have an eerie glow to them that reminds a bit of Kris Knight, but feels more naïve in a good way.
With so much over-stylized, glossy, uber varnished works at the fair, it was a breath of fresh air to see George Boyer's (134) relaxed, contemplative landscapes. Not every artist needs to be avant-garde, and his work definitely feels like something you may have seen before -- but it's still intriguing to look at. His "Vista Dome," taken while on the Trans Canada Railway, feels nostalgic without being too overdone, like Canadian-realism without the cheesy cottage feel.
The Artist Project runs from Feb 19-22 at the Better Living Centre at the Exhibition place. For more information go to theartistproject.com
Writing by Irene Dongas / Photos by Natta Summerky
by Staff via blogTO
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