The Artist Project returns to the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place, in Toronto, April 13-16, 2023 as a one-stop shop for creativity, art shopping, and entertainment. There are over 250 independent artists showcasing their latest creations in booth-style shops, along with large creative installations, unique performances, bars, food trucks, and fashion. This year, several new initiatives have been implemented to encourage creative fun and maximize your experience. This exhibition is known for bringing together some of the best independent artist talent, making it easy for future art collectors to select and buy original works of art.

Opening Night  

On Thursday, April 13th, Artist Project opens its doors with one-night only experiences. From 6pm to 10pm, visitors with opening night tickets will be the first to purchase art as well as celebrate the opening with food and beverages.  

Fashion Art Toronto will turn the market hallways into a runway with an over-the-top fashion show. Models will be dressed in designer pieces available for sale in the new F.A.T Boutique, new to the market this year.  

Local favorite Rose Aura will be available onsite performing her aura photography and aura readings. For a small fee, guests can get their portrait taken with a specialized camera that shows aura energy levels followed by a custom aura reading to determine personal vibes.  

Guests will be encouraged to dance the night away with two DJ set experiences. DJ Pogi will play hip hop and R&B tracks from 6 pm- 8pm and DJ Rob Judges will spin old skool 70’s house tracks and familiar tunes from 8pm – 10pm.  

Artist Spotlight 

London, UK-based household surrealist artist, Helga Stentzel. Helga received “food art creator of the year” award in 2020 and has collaborated with Amazon, BBC, Honda and O2, among others. She held multiple group exhibitions in New York and London, and a personal exhibition in Seoul. Stentzel is an alumnus of Central St. Martins, the famed art school that produced Damian Hirst, Tracey Emin and more. 

Toronto-based artist, Gina D’Aloisio utilizes interdisciplinary sculpture and installation, her primary material focuses are hyperreal mold making and found objects. During the pandemic, she started using Tik Tok to exhibit her work. She received 22.7 million views on a single video featuring one of her sculptures. Since then she has been featured in The New York Times and Art Insider.  

Free Creative Experiences  

New to this year’s show is the inclusion of immersive creative experiences. Brooklyn-based performance artist, Dr. Lisa Levy headlines the fair, with her critically acclaimed free psychologist sessions where guests can sit down for individual “counselling” sessions and are given an artistic script for their grievances. Interviewing as an unlicensed therapist gives Dr. Lisa the opportunity to use her humour to help people reveal themselves. Many times, she helps people bring consciousness to their own truths, that they themselves may not have thought about before. 

Interdisciplinary Brooklyn-based artist Ryan Bock, BOCKHAUS, will make his Canadian debut with a playable larger-than-life chess game titled Ode to Duchamp: A Liar. The chess set is 12ft by 12ft with chess sculptures made from found reclaimed furniture, each piece is up to 4ft tall. Visitors can sign up on site to play 1:1 for free to determine who has the best strategic game. 

Chow Project  

Artist Project tasked local food trucks to come up with a creative dish to sell at this year’s market. This new culinary experience will give visitors an opportunity to try exclusive meals from two different trucks.  

Delight Bite will take a spin on combining Mexican and Persian cuisines with a Koobideh Kebab Taco. The Koobideh Kebab is a Persian favorite, made with a combination of ground beef and ground lamb, topped with grilled tomatoes, parsley, fried onion and sumac, one of the most popular spices in the Middle East. 

Curbside Dogs will be taking a quarter pound hot dog (beef, veggie, chicken) and instead of the traditional toppings, adventurous visitors can select from three different options. Option 1, features a hot dog served with peanut butter, jam and crumbled captain crunch. Option 2, is served with garlic cheese mashed potatoes, chilly and topped with crumble Cheetos. Option 3 is served with chocolate dip bacon, candied  brussel sprouts smothered with Canadian maple syrup.  

Open-aisle Installations  

Keep your eyes open and explore 10 large-scale installations while walking the fair. Visitors are able to engage with a neon light installation by Bruno Billio. No Fun will be displaying their Wavy sculpture as well as setting up a No Fun Boutique in the market.  

Icons Aisle  

In this new initiative, several established artists are presenting one individual work in a sellable group show at Icons Aisle. These artists are internationally recognized and have an elevated price point and prestige level to their work. Select artists include Tessar Lo, Lizz Aston and Andy deCola.   

DeSerres Studio  

For families with children, DeSerres, Canada’s fine arts destination, is offering free drop-in art stations with supplies for children that want to create their own artwork. DeSerres will also be demonstrating some of their most popular products in a series of expert-led classes all weekend, perfect for those interested in starting their own creative practice.  

Living Algae Sculpture  

For fans of the HBO series “The Last of Us”, multidisciplinary artist and environmental activist Vladimir Kanic is bringing his living algae sculptures to the show. The four sculptures, including a new piece, fill a 10 x 30ft exhibition space. Kanic is the winner of the OCAD Artist Project 2023 Career Launcher prize and while the living algae may not cause zombies, it may cause selfies.  

Hour of Operations  

Thursday, April 13, 6 – 10 PM (Opening Night Preview) 

Friday, April 14, 12 – 8 PM 

Saturday, April 15, 12 – 8 PM 

Sunday, April 16, 12 – 6 PM 

Tickets

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Adult (ages 18+)  $20 

Senior (ages 65+)  $17 

Student (with valid Student ID)  $17 

Youth (ages 13 – 17)  $17 

Child (ages 12 and under)  FREE 

Passes 

Collector’s Pass $35 Allows access and re-entry any day of the show.  Includes access to the Opening Night Preview on Thursday. Ticket is not transferable and must be accompanied by ID matching the name on the ticket. Opening Night Preview*  $25 Valid  Only Thursday, April 13, 2023.  

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.