The Artist Project returns to Toronto on April 21-24, 2022, bringing together 200 Canadian independent artists showcasing their work under one roof. Hosted at the Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place, the annual art fair invites visitors to meet artists, learning the stories behind their artworks with opportunities to buy directly from them and support the next generation of culture in Canada.

Attracting curators, gallerists, designers, seasoned collectors and first-time art buyers, Artist Project creates a shoppable gallery-style experience that invites the public to discover up and coming talent. The event programming will include interactive installations, an emerging artist competition and, for the first time, a live fashion show featuring local fashion designers in collaboration with Fashion Art Toronto.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW – BUZZ DISCOVERIES

 

Entrance Installation

This year, Artist Project has chosen Nathan Eugene Carson to create an entrance installation consisting of a 40 foot long salon of hanging artwork. The art form will morph and change as patrons can purchase Carson’s art directly from the installation while new works are added, creating a dynamic experience for all who pass through the doors. Carson is a Canadian Artist from Hamilton, Ontario who draws and paints works on paper, populated with richly pigmented figures and animals, often presented in fields of black. Inspired by life growing and transforming around him, Carson translates personal observation into visual sensation.

Live Fashion Show by Fashion Art Toronto

Unique to this year’s Artist Project, Fashion Art Toronto will debut works from two emerging designers during a live fashion show on Thursday April 21, at 7:00 PM. The chosen designers will include Ayimach, led by Artistic Director Jason Baerg, who uses cultural references of Indigenous materials and pallets and Meesh, by Micheline Wedderburn. A member of the Black Designers of Canada, Wedderburn creates works by repurposing vintage fabrics and textiles.

OCAD University Career Launcher Program

The Career Launcher program presented by OCAD University provides professional exhibition space to a graduating student. Toronto-based, new media artist, and co-founder of two Ontario based QTBIPOC collectives, Kasra Goodarznezhad has been selected to showcase his body of work, “Evolving Maps: A Collective Memory”. Using hand-drawn maps submitted by the QTBIPOC community which represent places that they could not pass through due to displacement, exile, barriers, destruction, or border mobility, the work aims to explore methodologies and new ways of recording information about physical space. Collected using an AI system and turned into 3D landscapes, the work depicts an imagined future for the oppressed, or a map of a place or a memory where they feel safe.

Untapped Emerging Artists Competition

The Untapped Emerging Artists Competition is dedicated to supporting the development of students, new graduates, and self-taught artists. The juried competition has awarded eight emerging artists the opportunity to exhibit their work free of charge in this feature section of the fair including painter Alexander Notarangelo, textiles artist Olivia Mae Sinclair and collage artist Sui Ling Selina Yung. The program aims to provide a platform for emerging artists to launch their artwork and make connections within the world of contemporary art.

DeSerres Artist Prize

For the first time, one lucky artist will win a dedicated material pack by DeSerres in the first annual DeSerres Artist Prize. The selected winner will be chosen by a body of juries from Artist Project and DeSerres, and will be announced via social media on Friday April, 22 2022.

The Artist Project – April 21 to 24, 2022, Queen Elizabeth Building, Toronto CNE Grounds

Stay up to date on their Facebook Event Page. Grab your tickets here. Day and Weekend Passes available.

 

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.