Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Background

A year or so ago those 'in the know' at the Drake Hotel asked me to curate a show for them. I was naturally intrigued, the self-proclaimed "hot bed for culture" has transformed the Queen West corridor from modest bohemia to fashion forward, all in a few short years.

As I was considering the direction of the show, my brother mentioned seeing a series of commercials for condo developments, advertising their close proximity to the Drake. I, in turn, made a crack about what that commercial might have looked like 5 years earlier, before the Drake's cultural overhall, when it was a flophouse. This point was lost on my brother, he had no idea of the Drake's former incarnation. Which got me thinking about the power of images - to influence where one chooses to live, creating expectations of new places, sway how we choose the objects we surround ourselves with.

Looking The Other Way was born out of these questions. The show remains open ended, with no intention of defining 'answers'. More like walking around and letting it roll around in your mind, like a mint on your tongue.

A marvelous group of artists are featured in this show from Denmark, Germany, USA and Canada, including:

Thomas Bangsted
Isabelle Hayeur
Søren Lose
Sergei Sviatchenko
Jesper Just
Penelope Umbrico

Check back soon for images from the show, info on the artists involved and upcoming events.