TIAF 2012

TIAF 2012

 

A kid in a candy store every time I am visiting Toronto International art Fair (TIAF),

 I am always happy to peruse  this hugely popular  show, and this year  between Oct 25-29, 2012 was the same .

I have to say that the Asian infusion was  weak, the small pieces of Y Kussama , some calligraphy , mechanical and aerial installations,  video installation ...did not do it for me.

 

The abstract expressionist movement was well represented (Kline,  Motherwell, Frankenthaler, Bush, Riopelle, Molinari,Cahen, Ferron, Burdois...) , the representational too( Hokney,McCarthy, Kanevsky, Close,...), so what is to complain about? Not much ,except maybe for the fact that "thick paying for showing "galleries ,should push the envelope further, by  taking risks and educating the buyers with "new blood" artists, and not concentrating on making a buck today, neglecting the tomorrow.

 

Emerging artists should be promoted more, and galleries should take more risks vis- a- vis thick budgets. A nice mix is always welcomed.

                                          A gorgeous piece   from the estate of  Oscar Kahen

                                                  at Garanville Gallery from Vancouver, Canada

Here are the galleries that impressed this year with "new blood" works of emerging artists :

1.Parisian Laundry from Montreal, Canada  http://www.parisianlaundry.com/fr

2. Newbacher Shor Contemporary from  Toronto , Canada http://neubachershor.com/

 3. Galerie Dominique Bouffard  from Montreal, Canada http://www.galeriedominiquebouffard.com/index.php?section=1

 4.Monte Clark Gallery from Vancouver, Canada  http://www.monteclarkgallery.com/

5. Gallery J Cacciola , New York, USA  http://www.jcacciolagallery.com/

6.Projects Gallery from Philadelphia/ Miami, USA http://www.projectsgallery.com/

                       A wonderful William Ronald at Area Gallery from Hamilton, Canada

And here is the heavy artillery of old , respected galleries who always show well established beautiful abstract art:

1.Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto, Canada  http://rukajgallery.com/

2.Miriam Schiell Fine Art from Toronto, Canada  http://www.miriamshiell.com/

3.Galerie BAC from Montreal, Canada http://www.galeriebac.com/

4.Granville Fine Art from Vancouver, Canada http://www.granvillefineart.com/

 5. John Martin Gallery from London, UK  http://www.jmlondon.com/

6. Galley Graff , from Montreal, Canada http://www.graff.ca/

 7. Messum Fine Art , from London, UK http://www.messums.com/

8. Galleries Claude Laffite , from Montreal , Canada http://www.lafitte.com/

 

All in all, four hours of enchantment, for only $20 I will say a very small price for happiness , this show was a must see !!

 

 

Summer Ends

Summer Ends

 

There is a feel of accomplishment at  the end of every summer: trees bearing  juicy fruits, the heavy  seeds from flowers  falling on the ground, tanned kids going back to a new year of school, silver feathered birds preparing their youngsters for the long flies , and artists coming  back from their holidays , with new ideas and new works in toes for galleries and fall vernisages.

Looking around at well rested people who just came back from exotic ,rejuvenating vacations I am guessing  where about did they get  their honey tan , which beaches  were they sunbathing on.

My day light is getting shorter in the studio, evenings are fast grabbing the skies, and the storage area gets thicker with new works. The same as La Fontaine's hard working ants, the giddy squirrels and other hibernating creatures, who are filling their places with food for winter times, I have my own treasures tucked in , in the vaults of my studio, my new works , bursting with energy and waiting to be shared with the art world.

 

                           "Drama Queen " 2012 Series by Bianka Guna at Nuit Blanche Sep 29 ,2012

My "Drama Queen" water colour series  painted between June and  August 2012  and the "Asymptote" acrylic series painted from September to  October 2012 months, are all aligned and ready to be seen on pristine white walls in galleries.

 Nuit Blanche  2012 was a great opportunity to showcase "Drama Queen" series and the first public reaction was encouraging. Everybody told me the title suits the bold colour choices, and they wished they used the title themselves .

     Bianka Guna's  Studio at Nuit Blanche 2012 ,  The Distillery Historic District ,Toronto        

One has to love a fruitful and beautiful passing summer  , as many good memories are floating in the realms of our minds !!

Media Echoes Our "Abstract Expression" Show in Vaughan

Media Echoes Our Abstract Expression Show

I am happy to see that the media is covering our show in Vaughan.

First we had an article in The Liberal of Vaughan  , last week and now the second article just got published yesterday in Jewish Tribune.

We are going to be also featured in a short movie on Rogers TV Cable Chanel 63, after filming on premises of City Hall of Vaughan, on24 of August 2012.

Here is the second article by Suri Epstein.

JEWISH TRIBUNE

Arts and Culture /Aug 14^th 2012

By  Suri Epstein

VAUGHAN – The Symbolic Language of Abstract Expressionism :Reflections on  Jewish Heritage is quite a mouthful, but it does a good job of featuring the work of three Toronto artists who explore their relationships with Judaism in their paintings.

                         "Kaleidoscopic Days” by Bianka Guna , Acrylic on Canvas , 40”x 60”

Bianka Guna’s paintings, bursting with primary colours and bold forms, are the work of an artist who grew up behind the Iron Curtain.

“I was raised in Communist Romania; the daughter of a Holocaust-survivor mother,” she said. “We were not allowed to go to any synagogue or be religious. For me, being a Jew is more about surviving and telling the story of the past to the future.”

Guna spent many years in Israel after emigrating from Romania and this is where she draws much of her artistic inspiration.

“All my art is related to my experiences in Israel,” she said. The influences of Israeli music, culture and Mediterranean all crystallize in her paintings.

“It’s really obvious that there are no rabbis dancing in my paintings,” she said with a laugh. “I think we carry our traditions and roots where we’re coming from.”

Guna painted the series in the show, Kaleidoscopic Days, to the music of Israeli jazz singing sensation Noa. She describes this series as “pieces of feelings about music, about the colours, about the forms and the shape.”

Rachel Ovadia’s paintings, Creations I and II, Blessings, and Meditation reflect a spiritual journey into the secrets of the soul.

“My entire creativity is based on a principle of a Kabalistic philosophy,” she said. “What I’m trying to achieve is a purity of spirit, thought and desire.”

Meditation is a peaceful image done in a palette of blues.

“It's about a moment of silence and one’s ability to gather one’s purity of spirits,” she said.

Ovadia is particularly fascinated by Hebrew letters. “My background is linguistic,” she said. “The Hebrew language is utterly unique; each letter is not only linguistic but also has a numerical message.”

Traces of those letters can be found on the cool tones of Ovadia’s paintings.

“Those letters are very interesting in the sense they provide us with not only a linguistic meaning, but deals with the consciousness of the universe and its profundity of meaning.”

The paintings of artist Rina Gottesman are rich in warm tones and include her writings that she weaves into the images on the canvas.

“I make them ambiguous on purpose,” she said. “I want to engage the viewer. Not giving it true form gives everyone the opportunities to put their own feeling and experiences into it.”

Setting Sun and Desert Moon, as well as Did You Know take their inspiration from the magnificence of Israel’s topography and the vitality of Jerusalem – “even though you look at the picture and may not recognize the Magen David,” Gottesman said. “It informs me and it’s my soul.”

The show continues until Sept. 7, 2012. For more information, contact Sharon Gaum-Kuchar, Arts Coordinator, Sharon.kuchar@vaughan.ca

The Symbolic Language of Abstract Expression Reflections on Jewish Heritage

The Symbolic Language of Abstract Expression Reflections on Jewish Heritage

Three Non-Objective Artists Show

Rina Gottesman,Bianka Guna, and Rachel Ovadia 

at the City Hall of Vaughan July 20th -September 7th 2012

When Sharon Gaum Kuchar ,the Arts Coordinator  for the Recreation and Culture Department at the  City of Vaughan , called me a few months ago to ask me if I wanted to participate into an abstract expressionist ,three artists group show, at the City Hall of Vaughan ,I answered immediately, "Yes".

                                                The New City Hall of Vaughan Building , 2012

 First because I am truly admiring the works of the other two artists, Rina Gottesman and Rachel Ovadia , second because of the brand new venue, a state of the art public building less than two years old, and most importantly , third, the fact that I collaborated in the past with Sharon, and she is a very knowledgeable and relentless  working advocate for the arts. I knew we will be in the most capable hands.

I met Sharon almost ten years ago , before  she  took over the job in Vaughan,before  leaving the Chief Curator  position,  at Varley Art Gallery in Unionville,  and she instilled  her enthusiasm and love for art in every possible way  :organizing local juried shows and festivals, creating a faculty for community centers art classes, acquiring works for the city corporation to adorn public buildings( libraries, city halls, community centers...), implementing a great system for renting historical restored buildings to non-profit art organizations and local artists , helping young students to collaborate with experienced ones through special coaching programs and shows.

The three of us, Rina , Rachael and me, were previous winners of the Vaughan Juried Art Exhibition Art Integration Project , in separate years, and the three of us were between the happy artists to have our works hung in public spaces in Vaughan City .My piece "Barcodes 101" is now displayed in the public library of the city.

                      "Barcodes 101" by Bianka Guna ,Acrylic on Three (triptych) Canvases , 60"x90"

For this new show " The Symbolic Language of Abstract Expression Reflections on Jewish Heritage",  Sharon indicated that she needed to hung a body of work related to our Jewish roots  , and I instantly remembered my " Kaleidoscopic Days" series.

A body of 17 works painted five months earlier , during the winter of 2011,"Kaleidoscopic Days"  were   showing , earlier  this year, in February 2012 ,in a solo show at Balzac's Cafe , in The Distillery  District in Toronto , where I have my studio, and sold a few , but still had enough  of them for the three artists exhibit.

She loved them instantly, choosing a grouping of five, all different sizes, from 40"x60"  to 36"x 18" for a more interesting look. I stated that these works were painted in my studio in November - December 2011 , while listening to   Nini Ahinoam (known by international world of music as Noa),the first lady of the Israeli Jazz.  

 "Kaleidoscopic Days 107  "  one of the five works in situ  by Bianka Guna , Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x18"

Soon , after the dates for the show were decided, July 20- Sept 8, 2012, Sharon sent us a beautiful catalogue and press kit , with our statements and she came to pick the works from all three of us with great care,  personally .

On the opening day , Friday  July 20, 2012, I went to the City Hall of Vaughan in the afternoon and met there good artists friends who wanted to see the show. I had high hopes , and the show was indeed spectacular! Everybody loved the way Sharon hung together the pieces.

                   Show is installed, at the  City Hall of Vaughan , for the period of July-September 2012

It is a true pleasure and an honor to work with you , Sharon! 

 Rina and Rachel are dream partners for a non- objective show!

 Lady Luck finally stepped on our street!

                                                                                                                                                         

The World Tour 2012 Sketchbook Project Toronto Stop

The World Tour 2012 Sketchbook Project

Toronto Stop ,July 19-22 , 2012 at The  Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West

I first heard about the sketchbook project (http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject2012/ ), based in Brooklyn New York, US in 2008 on an artist/ gallery website , ARTMESH, based in Berlin , Germany from a calligrapher ,friend living in Melbourne, Australia.  Speaking on going global, here we have it , smile !

My first participation (http://www.arthousecoop.com/portfolio_pieces/11824 ) in 2009 with the " One Million Little...Trips" , a sketchbook - diary about my weekly trips to art related sites in Toronto ( galleries, museums, public  spaces, parks...)and it was a fun project .

The catalyst between my sketches through the 36 pages of my sketchbook , were small tags , receipts from museums, parking payments or public transport tickets I paid to get from place to place during my visits .

In 2011 I sent in my second participation(http://www.arthousecoop.com/submission_images/35659 ), " Monochromatic" , a more " me kind" of work, one with black and white acrylic drawings, on gessoed paper : 36 pages of abstract reflections about monochromatic sketches .

                                    

                                      "Monochromatic" 2012 Sketchbook by Bianka Guna (one of the 36 pages )

This more elaborate booklet is traveling , with other 7500 sketchbooks ,through big cities in the USA ( New York, Chicago, St .Luis , Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami) ,Canada( Vancouver, Toronto), UK ( London)and Australia ( Melbourne) in The World Tour 2012 Sketchbook Project.

I am following the tour on line and, finally,  last weekend The World Tour 2012 Sketchbook Project arrived in Toronto, and was hosted by The Gladstone Hotel , on 1214 Queen Street , on the second floor.

This hub of the latest artsy events in Toronto, was certainly the "it" place for  

                                   The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, On, July 19 th , 2012 Sketchbook Project Stop

 the tour. Music bands, interior design shows, juried art shows, burlesque  theater , you can find it all at Gladstone.

I visited with my daughter on the opening day, Thursday evening, July 19^th 2012 , and it was very well attended from the first minutes of the first hour.

                                                                          The Library Card

The young organizers from Brooklyn who are traveling with the books , documenting ( photos, YouTube movies...) certainly did a great job: they arranged the books, created  stations for searching on line, brought us the booklets , and created stations for sitting and reading, or drawing , or buying small souvenirs from the event, all in good taste and orderly manner.

We were handed four books at a time, my daughter took out my book and I searched for the ones of my artists friends from around the world. It was such an enlightening experience to see what other artists did with their small booklets. I found in the library the booklet of my  friend from New Mexico , US  artist extarordinaire ,Cassandra Gordon-Harris and was so happy to see her beautiful drawings in "flesh".

                                                          Moi with Cassandra's Sketchbook

                       

 There is no end to human creativity when it comes to sketchbooks : some made harmonicas from them, some wrapped them in plushy textiles, some cut them into folding cards, or they constructed small boxes and envelops...They were writing, drawing, collaging, assembling , or using calligraphy , for a totally original look, working wonders with words, poems, inks, pastels, watercolour paint, acrylic paint, classic or digitally manipulated photography.

When we left , a couple of hours later, it was just to make space to other many visitors waiting their turn, the magic was certainly working , a very pleasant experience and a memory  to cherish for a long time!!!

The Best 10% at TOAE 2012

Toronto  Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) 2012

The  Best 10%

A scorching weekend ( + 37C) in Toronto couldn't stop me from visiting friends at TOAE this year , and I was  there first hour  Friday 6th of August , to take all inn before the big wave of  heat .

Just observed that this year were less artists in the show, and happy to report that the cutsy, crafty are slowly but surely disappearing, good riddance!!!I am all in for quality over quantity, and even happier to see that some of my most admired artists in Ontario were in the show.

Some of my studio neighbors in the Case Goods Warehouse were showing , also met new painters and  art schools graduates , students or winners of local government grants.

All in all ,a pleasant morning, and if I wasn't so busy last weekend , I wanted to visit again , but there are only so many hours in a day .

                                                        Friday July 6th 2012 at TOAE , Toronto , On

 So here's my  best 10%  , these are  the works I admired the most this year at TOAE:

1 . Oil Painting

 Chris Knights   www.christopherknights.com

Julia Wandepolder   www.juliawandepolder.com

2. Encaustic

David Brown   www.encausticcollage.com

Su Sheedy      www.susheedy.com

3. Drawing

Thelia Sander Shelton  ( on paper) www.theliashelton.com

 Monique McCabe  ( on maylar) (no website- student ) 

Jeremy Leung ( on paper) www.jeremyleung.com

4. Collage

Tatyana Abel    www.tatyanaabel.weebly.com

5. Sculpture

Ross Bonfanti   www.rossbonfanti.com

Tracey Martin ( sculpture and knitting)  www.traceymartinartist.ca

Steven White  www.stevenwhite.com

Debbie Evans Schlums  www.debbiebanksschlums.com

7.Ceramics and Glass

Christopher Reid Flock  www.studioreid.com

8. Mixed Media

Clint Griffin www.clintgriffin.wordpress.com

9. Acrylic Painting

9.a Abstract Surrealist

Jaber Lutfi ( Montreal) www.jaberlufti.com

9.b Abstract Expressionist

Frank Mayer    www.frankmayerart.com

Leanne Lang    www.leannelangpaintings.com

Paul Boddum   www.paulboddum.com

Bill Philipovich  www.philipovich.com

Ehrling White  www.ehringwhite.com

9.c Acrylic Figurative

Adrienne Dagg   www.adriennedagg.com

Derek Stefanuk   www.derekstefanuk.com

Peter Barelowski  www.peterbarelowski.com

9.d Acrylic Landscape

Mark Resmer   www.markresmer.com

Very sad to say that not even one of the Watercolour artists in the show made my list, and I love the medium ,the works were mediocre and the subject matter too expected , nothing original.

I am very curious to see if any of my chosen artists will make it into the juried show in January

 2013 .Meantime I loved the show, this was a must see Toronto!!!!

The Sad Exit

The Sad Exit

There are people in our lives, who “die” for us, long before they literally do so. First their presence is becoming scarce, then when you meet them the conversations dim, the time you are spending with them on the phone  thins out and the conversations are diluting to almost nothing...until one day, that's it , there is nothing more to be done : they are gone !!!

Some of the reasons this can happen are slipping our hands, like being too far away , or you are moving on in your career or adding members to your family , having new kids or having successful kids when they have failure ones, changing professions, being an only child and being the caretaker for your aging parents....

One of the reasons for losing a friend, is when they are divorcing or becoming widowers. When they suddenly become singles, first you try to continue meeting them with your partner, the way it was done before, but your spouse is slightly getting "bored" to have no "male" interaction so you start meeting your  friend alone , but , after a while, then you feel like you betray your companion by letting them " out of the loop".

But the saddest thing, and it just happened to me a couple of months ago, is when they become ill themselves and they start to act different. You want to "be there" for them , but somehow you are left outside , as immediate members of the family, kids, brothers and sisters , get involved helping them , and you cannot reach them anymore. Calls are not answered, e- mails are ignored, your messages are not replayed .What's to do? Their program is changed, they don't work, they have different schedules, and the treatments leave them frail for gatherings, events. They don't call to say happy birthday, you cannot invite them to your joyous events, as you don't reach them and anyway it's superfluous to be happy when someone isn’t. You don't want to be a pest.A few months later, you are eventually told that they had surgery, or a long chemotherapy series of treatments, but they are tired to meet you, or have some common activities. They resent you not being there for them, when they needed you, you feel you were left out of the loop...It's not the same as before, it's the end of your friendship.

Nothing lasts forever , but sometimes ties are cut at moments when you least expected, life is taking you by surprise !

                                  "Drama Queen" 2012 Series, W/C on W/C paper by Bianka Guna 30"x30"