Out of Site 2017: Contemporary Art
& Music on Queen St. West
September 30, 2017 from 8pm to 4am (during Nuit Blanche)
The Queen St. West B.I.A. is pleased to announce its 9th annual all-night
exhibition of art and music by Canadian independent artists during Nuit Blanche.
Out of Site 2017 is curated by Earl Miller and will consider the theme of “play,” featuring artwork by outstanding Canadian
independent artists and collectives.
Commissioned
Works:
1. Donna Akrey, Public Art / Nonument. A public sculpture
installation in which the word “sorry” is spelled out in large letters.
Installed in a parking lot, these letters are intermittently carried around
Queen Street West by performers.
2. Leah Bartlett, Dogs Playing Poker. A
participatory theatrical recreation of the famed kitsch “dogs playing poker”
painting.
3. Keith Cole. All The
Things That Go Unnoticed That Want To Be Noticed. A performative walking tour of the Queen
Street West area that not only entertains but also raises engaging questions
about this urban space. Among many other
things, the performance seeks answers from the neighbourhood’s past to some of
today’s pressing social questions.
4. Maya Ben David, Snake Girl’s Hyperbolic Time Chamber. A performance comprising a revenge-based
wrestling narrative where she plays a snake that will battle Nazi scientists
to be freed from a giant transparent bubble.
5. Anitra Hamilton, Cock Robin. A photo collage
of a robin atop a grenade provides a commentary on the inherent violence of
nature and how that violence often underlies beauty and innocence.
6. Laura Kikauka, The-Never-Ending-Red-Carpet. A tribute and
parody of fashion, addressing the infamous adage, “One person’s definition of
good taste is another one’s bad taste.” Kikauka will create wearable garments,
“MODified redi-mades” with found objects.
Nuit
Blanche Independent Projects:
Studio F Minus, Disturbing Graffiti. Exploring the use of light as a medium for
public art in an urban setting, CITYLights Toronto will create a site-specific installation
to illuminate features, public art, and buildings in Graffiti Alley.
Harley Valentine, Future writing exercises on Terrazzo
Tower. Valentine engages with
the Cordian element of Terrazzo Tower, rearranging the sculptural
piece within its unique urban/pastoral setting.
Cherish Violet Blood, Kitakio'sinnooniks.
A theatrical parody on evening entertainment for roaming insomniacs
alike broadcast live from Campbell House Museum over 12 hours.
Programming includes audience interviews, invited guests, a midnight tea party,
live music, and film screenings.
Several
venues along Queen St. West will also be participating with additional art and
have applied for extended hours of alcohol service until 4 AM: Nocturne, Bovine
Club, Barchef, The Rivoli, Horseshoe Tavern, Wild Wing, and Queen Mother Café.
Art and
Entertainment thrive on vibrant Queen West, the historic area that has
spearheaded Toronto’s trendsetting culture, and bourgeoning subcultures, for
decades. Known for its mixture of
fashion shops, galleries and indie music bars, Queen West is a major shopping district
while retaining its unconventional roots, and is a world-renowned hub day and
night.
For further
information please contact:
Earl Miller, Curator, earledwinmiller@gmail.com
Spencer Sutherland, Queen St West B.I.A., spencer@queenstwestbia.ca