New Exhibition at the Akin Vitrine Gallery On Now! Theresa Hopkins’ installation Kiddo

Image Description: Artist Theresa Hopkins’ installation, Kiddo, hanging in the Akin Virtine Gallery. A cylindrical round of beads hangs from the ceiling of the gallery. The beads are white with pink clouds, with blue beaded tassels hanging from the bottom. Blue beading across the white and pink sky read “chin up kid’. 

We’re excited to announce a brand new installation at Akin’s Vitrine Gallery! Running until January 30th, Artist Theresa Hopkins’ installation Kiddo will be viewable from the street at Akin St Clair, at 1747 St Clair Ave W. Be sure to swing by and check it out. In the meantime, we reached out to Theresa to learn more about her work and inspirations. 

Theresa Hopkins is a black multi-disciplinary artist and arts organizer living and working in Toronto. She focuses on themes surrounding identity, emotion, and her interactions with the world through her unique lens. Using colourful and tactile materials and subject matter, her work draws on nostalgia juxtaposed with mature themes. Her installation entitled Kiddo, runs from December 1- January 30th. 

Image Description: A photograph of artist Theresa Hopkins standing against a blue background. Theresa has long wavy black hair, blue eyeshadow and wears a white t-shirt. She is facing the camera,  holding a flag with a cartoon  of Roger Hargreaves’ Little Miss Chatterbox.

About the Installation 

‘Kiddo’ represents the vast majority of adults born as millennials who are currently experiencing arrested development, Kidults, and people who are failing to launch. Is there a place in your life you think you “should” be by now? 

What are you curious about right now? What do you do to stimulate curiosity and inspiration? 

Theresa Hopkins: “These days, I’m focusing on play. I believe relationships are garnered and watered through the ability you have to play together. Whatever the capacity. Being “silly” is so important. To get inspired I convene with nature, I make up scenarios with friends, I play children’s games.”

What was your first medium and what's your favourite tool/material right now? 

TH: “One of my first mediums was definitely beads. I used to be obsessed with friendship bracelets and animals made out of pony beads strewn with elastic string. When I was 15 I used to make beaded cuffs and bracelets for friends I used to rave with. It’s funny how I’ve returned back to it now. I guess we are creatures of habit after all.”

Do you have a studio routine?  

TH: “I am definitely someone who has project focused spurts of inspiration. I tend to do many projects at once though so perhaps it’s actually hurting me more than helping me since finishing work takes me a while.”

Image Description: A close-up photos of Artist Theresa Hopkins’ installation, Kiddo, hanging in the Akin Virtine Gallery. The beads are white with pink clouds, with blue beaded tassels hanging from the bottom. Blue beading across the white and pink sky read “chin up kid’. 

Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

Honestly most of art happens away from the canvas. It’s easy to berate yourself for not “working” on your work when I think in actuality, we are constantly working on work by just living our lives. I don’t try to limit myself to only mediums I’m comfortable in. I find it helps me to make art that “doesn’t have a purpose” it’s in those moments when I can really experiment. 

As in regards to self-care I think it’s important to have a healthy community that can be a sounding board for ideas. Take criticism graciously and always ask questions to yourself. Give yourself time and show up for yourself.

Is there an artist you'd like to go back in time to meet? Or someone you'd love to invite to dinner right now? Who is it and what would you ask them about?

TH: “Not really, most of the artists I like are here, now.” 

What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? What brought you to Akin?

TH: “I love having a community around that inspires me. Seeing other artists in different phases of their practice gives me hope for the future of the arts in this city. Working at Akin has given me purpose like no other, and being able to serve a community I’m a part of is extremely fulfilling. 

I joined Akin after a 3 year hiatus of making or showing my artwork. I had convinced myself for a number of years that being in survival mode and putting all my effort into working to pay rent was top priority. I decided one year to make a painting for a friend and needed a place to work. I ended up joining Akin and it’s one of the best decisions I could of made for my practice.”

What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

TH: “Wish I was better at attending art shows, it seems like I only get out when someone I know is involved. I’ve made this a goal of mine for the upcoming seasons!” 

Check out Kiddo at the Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St Clair Ave W, viewable 24/7 from the sidewalk, on till January 30th, 2024. 

See more of Theresa Hopkins’ art @Thopkinsart

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Akin St Clair / Akin Vitrine

 

SEAMLIGHT, New Exhibition by artist Shayla Bond at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

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Image Description: Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight installed inside the Akin Vitrine Gallery, a white box with two thin fluorescent tube lights on the ceiling. Light boxes are mounted on the three walls of the vitrine gallery, symmetrically aligned, each with woven textiles inside, one gray, one yellow, one navy blue.

Here at Akin, we’ve known about Shayla Bond’s incredible craftsmanship and eye for intricate detail for a long time, which is why we’re so excited that her newest exhibition, Seamlight, is up now at The Akin Vitrine Gallery until April 11th! This exhibition is not to be missed.  

The gallery is viewable 24/7 from the sidewalk at 1747 St Clair Ave W, just east of Keele.

We reached out to Shayla to learn more about her process, muses and inspirations. Read the interview below. 

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Shayla Bond is a Canadian process artist who integrates design principles into fibre works to preserve heritage craft techniques within a contemporary framework. Her work explores themes of perfectionism, control, and obsession through aesthetic strategies such as colour, precision, and repetition.

Her exhibit, Seamlight, runs from March 11th to April 11th and features three 12" x 12" sewn textile works elegantly framed and installed, offering a captivating blend of minimalist aesthetics and innovative functionality. 

At first glance, these works appear as solid-coloured textiles. However, they possess a hidden surprise – they can be turned on to emit a soft, mesmerizing glow. This subtle illumination serves a dual purpose: it not only enhances the visual appeal of the pieces but also unveils the concealed craftsmanship typically found on the reverse side of sewn garments and linens. By casting light on the intricate seams and stitches, this installation invites viewers to appreciate the meticulous artistry that goes into creating textile works prompting viewers to reconsider the beauty and artistry inherent in everyday objects.

Image Description: An image of artist Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight. Three light boxes are mounted to a white wall in a vertical line. Inside the frames are woven textiles with a lightsource behind them. The textiles are dark blue, yellow and gray respectively. A cord hangs from the bottom of each lightbox. 

What are you curious about right now? What do you do to stimulate curiosity and inspiration? 

Currently, I'm curious about the ways that pliable materials can be manipulated into solid or 3 dimensional structures.  Continually, I am curious about how I can drive deeper into the art of heritage craft techniques while still creating works that feel visually relevant in today’s aesthetic obsessed world. Simultaneously moving backward and forward in time.

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What was your first medium?

The first medium I can remember using was cheap acrylic paint. My craftsmen mother always had them laying around as she used them in her primitive woodworking. She would cut out shapes from wood and allow me to paint them.

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Do you have a studio routine?

I am in my studio most days from 9-5pm. When I arrive at 7am, I am most prosperous and productive in creating as I am a morning bird. I try to segment the commercial side of my business, creating, and admin work by days, and avoid using those parts of my brain all in one day. One day a week I try to work on grants and exhibition proposals.

Image Description: An image of artist Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight. Three light boxes are mounted to a white wall in a vertical line. Inside the frames are woven textiles with a lightsource behind them. The fabric is illuminated by the light, revealing the seams and accentuating the honeycomb-like shapes of the stitching. A cord hangs from the bottom of each lightbox. 

Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

I begin my day as soon as my eyes open by rolling over in bed and doing ’morning pages’, which is something I took away from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Morning pages are 3 written stream-of-thought pages of journaling that can be a huge guiding force for my day. It helps me focus on priorities top 'wants' before any other thoughts, or worries adulterate my brain. As someone with ADD, it helps me set my intention for the day and when reviewing what I wrote the following day, helps keep me on track with goals.

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Is there an artist you'd like to go back in time to meet? Or someone you'd love to invite to dinner right now? Who is it and what would you ask them about?

This is a hard one. So many talented people who paved the way for craft-based artisans today, blurring the line between fine art and craft. I would love to go back in time and meet Alexander Girard, renowned architect, interior designer, furniture designer, industrial designer, and a textile designer. As someone who feels quite disciplinary in my approach to textiles, I'd like to ask about his design process and cross pollination of mediums, along with some of his values/beliefs. He's known to have had a manifesto that guided his practice.

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What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? 

Being in the studio has multiplied my growth as an artist. Having a space that is dedicated to your practice can be hugely beneficial to your production. There are little distractions that there would be at home, when you arrive, you simply pick back up where you left off the previous day, and you are also offered that sense of validation and confidence so many artists crave and need when claiming, "I am an artist".  It is a tiny world in which your creativity can live in full force.

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What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

I am not good at saying no, and prioritization. I take on too many projects which splits my ability to get better in individual areas and can stunt growth. As someone who tries too hard to be good at everything, I think my answer to this would be that I am actively trying to reframe and be happy with NOT be good at everything - because it's unattainable! 🙃

You can find more of Shayla’s work on her website www.shaylabond.com and on her instagram @bushclass 

Every Day I Wake Up and I'm Still in Tokyo: Artist Tam Phan’s new exhibition at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

We’re excited to introduce a brand new exhibition up in the Akin Vitrine Gallery at 1747 St Clair Ave: ‘Every Day I Wake Up and I'm Still in Tokyo’ by artist Tam Phan!

The exhibition will be up from February 9th - March 9th. The gallery is visible from the street 24/7, if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to drop by and take a look. In the meantime, read on to find out more about Tam’s work and inspirations! 

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Image above: Artist Tam Phan, waring a respirator mask

About the artist: 
Tam Phan is a Vietnamese-Canadian artist based in Toronto who loves working with stained glass. Her practice explores themes of nostalgia, wonder, feeling lost, and identity. Her new installation titled ‘Every Day I Wake Up and I'm Still in Tokyo’ will run from February 9th - March 9th in the Akin Vitrine, and will showcase various stained glass pieces, lite brite toys, and a gifted TTC lightbox. The installation is inspired by her trips to Vietnam and Japan. 

See more work on Tam’s instagram

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Tell us about your exhibition!
Tam: “Everyday I Wake Up and I'm Still in Tokyo was inspired by a trip I went on to Japan and Vietnam in 2023. I felt lost on this trip and it impacted how I viewed myself and my identity. Although unsteady, I felt comfortable with my reading and conversational skills in Vietnam, plus I had family there who made me feel mostly at home. But once I got to Japan I felt lost again, and those feelings were amplified by being physically lost in a place where I couldn't understand anything.

I decided to take lots of pictures of the shop and restaurant signs, and three were my inspiration for the stained glass collection I have in the Vitrine Gallery. Each one is colourful, vibrant, and has Kanji in it, but there's a small feeling of sadness when I look at each of them. I manipulated the colours, design and shapes but ultimately kept most of them true to the original.

Thank you to the Toronto Arts Council who generously supported this project.”

Image above: Artist Tam Phan is standing beside the Akin Vitrine Gallery and looking at it. In the gallery are many colourful pieces of stained glass artwork incluing a large piece featuring a piece of chocolate cake with red cherries on it in front of an orange and blue background.

What was your first medium and what's your favourite tool/material right now? 

Tam: “Just a paper and pencil! I was also obsessed with gel pens.”

Do you have a studio routine? 

Tam: “I am definitely a project-focused artist. My studio mates will not see me for months until I have a new passion project. Then you'll see me in the studio every day, cutting, grinding and foiling like a mad scientist.”

Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

Tam: “Just do it! Go to the studio even if you don't have everything ready. I'm always surprised by how inspiring it can be to just give yourself space in the right environment. I also divide my time at the studio with playing badminton, and I find the two (making art, play badminton) inspire and motivate each other in odd ways.”

What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? What brought you to Akin?

Tam: “There are so many benefits. Even though every morning is a constant battle to get out of the door, once I'm at the studio I feel my creative side break through. The community, having an alternate space for creativity, and for this specific project, every single one of my studio mates helped me from cutting to design to installation or even just a short pep talk. It was incredible and made me so emotional. Everyone wanted me to succeed. 

I signed up for a space at Akin during the pandemic when I desperately needed a change of scenery and a chance to work with my hands. Being at Akin has changed my worldview in many ways.”

What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

Tam: “Not good: meeting deadlines. Want to be good at: meeting deadlines!!”

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Akin would like to thank Tam for your lovely exhibition and participation, we love this installation and can’t wait to see what’s coming in the future! 

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This project was produced with the support of the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council. #poweredbyTAC

New Exhibition at Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery by artist Bernadette Peets

The Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery is excited to announce an exhibition of works by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets. Located at 1485 Dupont Street, on the second floor of the building, this miniature gallery offers a unique viewing experience to visitors in the building.

"Clouds"

"Crane River 4"

"Little Pond"

Images above: Colourful multi-media artworks by Bernadette Peets. Each piece 12”x12”. Titles in order from left to right: “Clouds”, “Crane River 4” and “Little Pond”.

About the Exhibition
In this latest exhibition, Peets invites us to explore her series of "small layered landscapes." These pieces are more than representations of physical spaces; they are windows to the emotions and sensations experienced within them. Created initially en plein air, these artworks were later transformed in her studio with the addition of striking neon plexiglass layers.

The result is these colourful pieces with depth that beckon viewers to engage with the art from various angles and perspectives, much like one would naturally experience in a real landscape. The swift, loose execution of these pieces contrasts beautifully with the deliberate layering, creating a dynamic visual experience that is both stimulating and thought-provoking.

About the Artist
”In my practise of nearly 30 years, I have been constantly searching for ways to express my thoughts, ideas and feelings sincerely and honestly. I am weary of becoming known for my ‘style’ or recurring themes as this would not reflect who I am as a person. I am constantly growing and evolving and my art reflects this as well.

Over the years I have worked with many tools, materials and methods and I have always tried to match the medium with the subject matter as a way to reinforce and strengthen the work.”

Bernadette’s foundation in drawing and painting, coupled with her extensive experience in theatre design, costume, and prop making, has equipped her with a diverse skill set. This versatility allows her to seamlessly blend various materials and techniques, from sculptural works and installations to multi-layered 2D images.

“There is often a subtle message in my work that invites the viewer to invest some time to look beneath the surface and to involve them in a participatory way.”

Visit www.bernadettepeets.com for more of Bernadette’s creative work.

Image Description: Artist Bernadette Peets in her studio working on a painting. Bernadette is holding a paintbrush up to a large canvas which has a work-in-progress painting in bright orange and blue paint. Image couretsy of www.bernadettepeets.com

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About the Gallery
The Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery is a space dedicated to showcasing the diverse talents of Akin Dupont studio members. It's a small window gallery that faces the hallway, offering a novel and accessible way for the public to engage with art. Nestled beside Ink & Water Tattoo, and just down the hall from Franz Kaka Gallery. The building is open to the public from 8am-8pm.

AACT & Asian Heritage Month!

We’re so excited to be in partnership with AACT and their month long programming to celebrate Asian Heritage Month!

To celebrate the 20th Asian Heritage Month in Canada, in May 2022, AACT has an exciting lineup of upcoming exhibitions, workshops, and events. Mark your calendars for a month of free public programming this May for the following dates:

• May 7: Community Care Art Workshop at Tam Cafe

• May 7-30: Gentle Care Exhibition at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

• May 13-22 Travelling Through: Conversation with Elders Exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox

• May 14 as Community Mosaic Art Workshop

• May 27-29 as Nostalgia: In Search of Familiarity at Akin Remote Gallery

Stay tuned for the more details on our social media or learn more at their website link.

Ghostmoth by Claire Correia

Want to add some art viewing to your solstice? Check out our Vitrine Gallery featuring Ghostmoth by Claire Correia (@claire.correia)!

Correia writes, "Although giant cecropia moths still thrive in the woods of Ontario, and I look for them all the time, I’ve only ever seen one. In this artwork, a life-sized silver wire-formed cecropia moth resting on a radiant green leaf mandala forms a symbol of these reclusive and seldom-seen forest creatures.

Presenting the moth as a ghostly form both implies its elusive nature, and also suggests its vulnerability, as the important wild places where these creatures live are threatened by both climate change and blind commercial development.

I’m concerned about longevity in all of my pieces, hoping that the artwork will exist for longer than my lifespan. Many hours are spent on invisible but really important research and process experimentation, on behalf of that poor future conservator who may have to deal with the things I’ve put into the world! Making that piece was like making a magic spell; it felt as though the work was opening doors."

Check it out till January 30th!

Akin Vitrine + Mel Hayes

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin Dupont artist Mel Hayes. Mel's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of July and then 1485 Dupont for the month of August.

Sail Away explores the boundaries of time and the role memories play in shaping your current reality. Inspired by expression “ One eye on the past, one eye on the future”. The piece is composed of multiple layers strategically placed in front of each other to create a larger composition.

Mel Hayes is a multi-disciplinary creative, who pushes the boundaries between visual arts and graphic design. Originally trained as a graphic designer and BDes graduate from the Alberta University of the Arts. Her studies informed her approach to abstract painting, relying on shapes and composition to elevate her ideas.

Sail Away
Mixed media
Dimensions Variable
2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @melhayes.art

#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Mel’s work will be on view for the month of July in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of August. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine St. Clair + Elsie Nisonen

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin River artist Elsie Nisonen. Elsie's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of June and then 1485 Dupont for the month of July.

Consumption is a series of images that explore the idea of Gender, Consumption, Collecting and is also about positive and negative space. By combining the digital aesthetic with handcrafted details, I blur the lines between the digital world and the human hand, gendered stereotypes, the truth vs. folktale. I have photographed old paper dolls that were mouse-eaten as a metaphor for gender confines, consumption and collection. The use of botanicals references work done by women illustrators and photographers during the Victorian era. The curiosity of the Victorians along with their sickening approach to collections, i.e. killing the thing you are studying, invokes the idea of capture, consumption, decay, and death. 

By playing and using old tropes, I have created new visuals to push against patriarchal hegemony. I have used older/fixed icons such as a dress as a frame to re/view the world. 

Elsie Nisonen is a lens-based artist in Toronto. Her works explores light, materiality, humanity, layering, and storytelling. It resides between memory and truth, the liminal spaces where reality and fantasy are intertwined.

Consumption
Mixed media
Dimensions Variable
2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @elsienisonen

#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Elsie’s work will be on view for the month of June in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of July. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine St. Clair + Walter Segers

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin River artist Walter Segers. Walter's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of May and then 1485 Dupont for the month of June.

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR is an installation consisting of a movable doll house @lilliputgallery, still 2D images and 3D altered toys exploring the interaction between location and individuals. Each room in the doll house tells a unique story that reminds us that the future is bright with a vision of LOVE instead of WAR.

Working primarily with dolls such as Ken and Barbie, toy soldiers and toy animals, the battle of nations or battle between cats and dogs becomes intimate instead of combative.

Children use toys to discover their identity, learn cause and effect, explore relationships, and practice skills they will need as adults. Adults on occasion use toys to form and strengthen social bonds, teach, and to remember and reinforce lessons from their youth.

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR is communicating a positive message, a fantasy world that Walter would like to see as being real. Why not make the focus of your life something happy!

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR
Found objects, taxidermy, photography and doll house @lilliputgallery
Site Specific Installation, Dimensions Variable
2019-2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @waltersegers
Website: www.waltersegers.com

#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Walter’s work will be on view for the month of May in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of June. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine Galleries featuring Michelle Rawlings

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin artist Michelle Rawlings. Michelle's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of April and then 1485 Dupont for the month of May.

Experience is an installation made up of 3-dimensional letters displayed at different heights and depths. The word is playfully broken apart causing viewers to pause to decipher what it says as they take in the different forms and planes of the window display. The result is an unexpected visual experience reminding us to stop every once in a while and take in the world around us.

Experience
Paper
Dimensions variable
2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @ms.rawlings
#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Michelle’s work will be on view for the month of April in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of May. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine Galleries featuring Liliana Vera

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin Dupont artist Liliana Vera. Liliana's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of March and then 1485 Dupont for the month of April.

I want to be defined by the things I love,
not the things I hate,
nor the things I am afraid of.

“i found it in the forest” is about the personal journeys we venture into, the idea of the sacred pilgrimage to answer our most pressing questions. It is about the places themselves, places ready to trip us if not prepared, places willing to give but that will take something from us too.

These journeys we must take alone; sometimes dubious but with heightened senses.

I invite you to reflect on the journey you are wandering on and hope you find shelter to rest and continue forward.

Ever since starting on Akin on 2017, I have been working with the theme of “hand portraits” and have found a comfortable space working on wooden panels, since the material respects the details pencil traces while adding a little of its own decisions when mixed with gouache, bleeding colour into different parts of my pieces. But I have curiosity to shift between mediums, and lately have experimented with paper and wire to create black-grey-white small sculptures. I found the Vitrine to be a good opportunity to try something I want: storytelling in maquette form.

I found it in the forest
Sewn paper and text
Dimensions variable
2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @thecatintherain
#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Liliana’s work will be on view for the month of March in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of April. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine Galleries + Kyle Yip

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin Ossington artist Kyle Yip. Kyle's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of February and then 1485 Dupont for the month of March.

“The following body of work are exact replicas of visual art conceived and produced during the rapid-eye movement dream state of the artist. While the purpose of dreams are not completely understood, psychoanalysts believe they are the manifestations of our deepest desires and fears. They are the direct expression of imagination and utilize the most efficient language of symbolism and mythological archetypes.” - Kyle Yip 

In Gestalt therapy, Fritz Perls describes dreams as projections of the parts of ourselves that have been neglected, rejected, or suppressed. Carl Jung added that every person in the dream may represent an aspect of the dreamer, which he called the existential approach to dreams. Perls went to far as to say that even inanimate objects in the dream may represent aspects of the dreamer. Through association, the dreamer would be asked to imagine being an object in the dream and describe its characteristics, bringing into awareness the more disaffected aspects of the dreamer's personality. 

Kyle Yip is an award-winning, internationally recognized, critically acclaimed visual artist based in Toronto. He is known not only for his Juno Award Nominated debut album for best 'Electronic Album of the Year’ from the 45th Annual Juno Awards in 2016, but also his international exhibitions in New York, Vancouver and South Korea.

Sewer
Mixed Media
30 x 22 1/2”
2019

Moonbeam
Mixed Media
30 x 22 1/2”
2019

Pepto-Abysmal
Mixed Media
48 x 36”
2016

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @kylepyip
#Akinvitrine
www.kyleyip.com

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Kyle’s work will be on view for the month of February in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of March. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Akin Vitrine Galleries + Nicole Crozier

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin Ossington artist Nicole Crozier. Nicole’s work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1485 Dupont for the month of November and then 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of December.

Nicole Crozier is a Toronto-based visual artist and arts manager. Her work surrealistically explores the animate potential of accessories and decoration in relation to the female body. She aims to cultivate an aesthetic that is simultaneously seductive and unsettling as a means of investigating the overlap between desire, fantasy, identity, and self-image.

Bordering on the baroque, “Beckon” is a painter’s experimental foray into sculptural installation. The work plays with our magpie-like attraction to bright, reflective objects, promising delights with outstretched, inviting gestures, but from incorporeal hands surreally disassociated from reality. These hands, reminiscent of mannequin models positioned in storefront windows, are slowly being consumed by ornaments once meant to decorate them in a shrine-like ode to the power of the display. “Beckon” insists on seduction while highlighting the dangers of desire, utilizing the disembodied hand as a means of creating a point of association as well as disconnect with the viewer. It simultaneously invites and threatens, beckons and repels, offers promise and yet leads nowhere.

Beckon
Mixed Media
Dimensions Variable
2019

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @nicolebcrozier
#Akinvitrine
www.nicolebcrozier.com

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2019 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin Dupont and Akin St. Clair. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

‘Beckon’ will be on view for the month of November in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of December at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

Akin Vitrine Galleries 2020 Exhibitions - Call for Submissions for Akin Studio Members

Akin is very excited to announce our 2019 Call for Submissions for Akin’s Vitrine Gallery! We are programming for the coming year and looking to fill our monthly exhibitions with a variety of work from our studio members. 

These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with new installations each month. The first Akin Vitrine Gallery launched in 2016 at Akin’s Dupont studios. At the beginning of 2018, the second Vitrine Gallery location launched at the Akin St. Clair studios.

APPLICATION DETAILS:

Deadline to apply: Monday, December 2nd, 2019, 5:00pm

Akin will program 12 exhibitions in 2020, each for a duration of two months. Featured artists will be exhibiting for one month in our Dupont Vitrine location and for the following month in our St. Clair Vitrine location.  

The first month of the exhibition will be at the Akin St. Clair Vitrine gallery location (1747 St. Clair Avenue West), corresponding with a month-long online feature on Instagram. Akin Vitrine Gallery Instagram account: @akinvitrine showcases the current artist in a spotlight interview style, month-long series of posts. Make sure to check out the account for more information, to follow us and support your fellow Akin members!

The second month of the exhibition will be at the Akin Dupont Vitrine gallery location (1485 Dupont St). In addition to this, each featured artist is welcome to organize, host and promote a reception during their exhibition at the Akin St. Clair Studios Vitrine. They will work with the Akin St. Clair studio manager on the logistics for their reception, but be responsible for planning and hosting their reception themselves. 

This call for submissions welcomes fine artists of all mediums, craftspeople, designers and those whose work expands the limits of these mediums to apply; we only ask that your project reads as visual art as opposed to a window display/merchandising. Please note this call is only open to Akin studio members from any of our nine locations.

Akin is a Queer and Trans friendly organization, and we encourage folks who identify as womxn, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and members of sexual minority. Should you desire to, please identify if you are a member of one the these groups.

Submission Details: 

If you are an Akin studio member and would like to submit work for consideration, please email your submission to janet@akincollective.com by December 2nd with the words ‘VITRINE 2020 SUBMISSION’ as the email subject. You must include:

• Project description: due to the timeline of our programming, it is not imperative that you apply with finished work. If you are applying with a concept not yet realized, please provide a description of your project in one paragraph. Sketches for the project or photographs of similar work are preferred.  

• Up to 3 images of the work to be exhibited, or similar if you are applying with a work in progress.  Images must be titled: FULLNAME_TITLE_SIZE_MEDIUM_DATE

• Brief bio/statement (maximum 150 words).

• Contact information – including phone number, website and Instagram username if available.

• Requested month for exhibition - if you have a particular month in which you would prefer to show, please let us know what that month is and why. We will consider all requests but cannot guarantee we can accommodate them all.

Our goal is to curate a cross-section of work, representing a variety of media from all of our studio locations. This does mean that space is limited. We appreciate all of your submissions, and what we can’t accommodate for this project, we will keep in mind for future opportunities. We will respond to submissions via email. 

Thank you from the Akin team.

About the Vitrine spaces:
The miniature galleries feature white walls, floor and ceiling, overhead lighting, electrical access and large window. The Vitrines lend themselves well to 2D hanging work, 3D display and site specific pieces, and are a perfect space to experiment with new materials and to try out new work or installation projects. 

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Erin Candela

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin King alumi, soon to be Akin MOCA artist and staff member Erin Candela. Erin’s work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1485 Dupont for the month of September and then 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of October.

Erin Candela is a Canadian artist originally from northern BC, currently living in Toronto. Often using historical documents such as photographs, public school books, nature encyclopedias and community journals, themes of Memory and identity are frequently present in her drawings. Ideas of North, Canadian landscape, and portentous depictions of wild creatures and characters are also common and contribute to a scattered and ambiguous narrative.

Things Go So Wrong?
Mixed Media
Dimensions Variable
2019

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @candles_
#Akinvitrine
www.erincandela.ca

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2019 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin Dupont and Akin St. Clair. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

‘Things Go So Wrong?’ will be on view for the month of September in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of October at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Laura Kay Keeling

Akin Vitrine Galleries are delighted to welcome Akin Dupont artist, Laura Kay Keeling back into our exhibition spaces for the months of June and July! Working primarily in collage, Laura is bringing one of her prints to life with her installation, Rocks and TV LIVE.

Opening this month on the second floor of 1485 Dupont St, Rocks and TV LIVE will move to 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of July and will be visible at street level on St. Clair West.

“As an artist, I strive to explore and capture the magic that comes from everyday life. From the way the sunshine catches my eye, how the flowers look after it rains, a well groomed front lawn. I try to take moments that sometimes may be overlooked and give them a second chance to be admired. I am obsessed with landscape and how it changes in different regions, how nature’s colour palette is so vibrant and engaging and how we are so fortunate to have such beauty around us in so many different shapes and sizes. I love allowing the viewer to create their own narrative from a captured moment in time and hope my work evokes feelings from the viewer, whatever that may entail such that they can be engaged with the piece. With my 'HOT ROCKS' collage series, I feature interesting and beautiful images found in gemstone field guides which have been cut apart and put back together in a new way. Not only do I love photographing nature, I love allowing it to inspire me and guide my collages to become a new representation of things organically found in nature. My current digital collage series feature sourced imagery from National Geographic Magazines, old field guides and 35mm photos I have taken merged
together to create interesting, vibrant and engaging imagery.”

www.laurakaykeeling.com
Email: laurakay.keeling@gmail.com
Instagram: @laurakaykeeling & @lllllllllllllllllkk

Rocks and TV LIVE
Mixed media
Dimensions variable

For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Rocks and TV LIVE will be on view for the month of June in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of July at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

For more information about Laura’s work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine.

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Sara Pearson

Introducing our April 2019 artist, Sara Pearson. Sara is an Akin Dupont member and her multi medium installation, Wayfinder is on exhibition in the Akin Vitrine Galleries for the months of April and May.

Using material as a narrative tool, Wayfinder is a layered installation of collage imagery. Shimmering mineral watercolour on terraskin paper (made from stone) the overscaled landscape references a desired destination: as we travel through life and forge our path, we set goals, build foundations and envision our future. The floor of the gallery is covered with handmade unfired clay pebbles- impermanent objects that suggest that sometimes/many times the ground shifts, falls away, and we must again find our footing and start in a new direction. Standing on this landslide is a Wayfinder, a sculptural form of ceramic and aluminum mirror, a navigational tool used as a beacon or a landmark to guide us along our new path.

Sara Pearson is a Toronto based artist whose work has centered on the merging of science (geological and gemmological) and a self-reflexive fine arts practice choosing materials and references that relate as elemental to the earth. Through abstracted painting of gemstone refraction and land formation, and sculptural methods of bronze casting, ceramics and assemblage, she has explored concepts such as human value systems, the sublime quality of nature and the journey of transformation. Sara holds a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions with Patel Gallery, and has shown work in Ontario and British Columbia.

Wayfinder
Mineral watercolour on terraskin paper, ceramic, aluminum, and unfired clay.
Dimensions variable
2018

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @_sarapearson_
#Akinvitrine
www.sarapearsonart.com

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2019 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin Dupont and Akin St. Clair. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talents of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

‘Wayfinder’ will be on view for the month of April in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of May at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

For more information about Sara and her work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine
**Sneak peek images of the work located in the event posts!

Akin Vitrine Galleries + 'Flitting' by Verity Griscti

We are excited to announce our latest exhibition into our Akin Vitrine Galleries, ‘Flitting’ by Akin King member Verity Griscti. This is Verity’s second exhibit with the galleries. flitting opens in March at 1485 Dupont St, and will move to 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of April.

Separation, alignment and cohesion. Individual agents adhering to three simple rules can create something complex, elegant and beautiful. flitting is an analogue exploration of the popular artificial life computer algorithm boids. Originally developed in 1986 by computer programmer Craig Reynolds boids is everywhere you’ve never bothered to look. It’s been used to study the flocking behaviour of Starlings and create the computer-generated bat swarms in Batman Returns. It’s the algorithm behind swarm robotics, where groups of small robots or drones are programmed to work in cohesion and it’s automatically programming dozens of internet radio stations at once. But before the algorithm puts all the DJ’s out of work starts dropping bombs on humans let’s look at how pretty it can be.

Verity Griscti is an artist and jill-of-all digital trades based in Toronto. Her studio practice explores generative systems and seriality in both analogue and digital mediums. She’s built numerous websites including the award-winning Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada and has participated in various exhibitions including Maker Festival, The Toronto Outdoor Art Show, and EyeScream’s II & III, the visual arts component of the Scream Literary Festival. Verity received a BFA in Printmaking from OCADu in 2004.

www.veritygriscti.com
Instagram: @veritygriscti
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/verityfaithgriscti

flitting, 2019
acrylic paint on duralar polyester sheets
25” x 40”
Verity Griscti

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2019 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin Dupont and Akin St. Clair. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

‘flitting’ will be on view for the month of March in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of April at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

For more information about Verity’s work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine.

'Fitting' by Verity Griscti - March/April 2019 - Akin Vitrine Gallery Installation.

'Fluid Streets' by Dalia Hassan on view now in the Vitrine Galleries!

We are delighted to introduce our February/March exhibition, Fluid Streets by Akin Lansdowne artist, Dalia Hassan!

Dalia Hassan is visual artist born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. Having grown up in a densely-populated
metropolis, her earlier work adopted the theme of urbanism and city life. Her paintings are often
dominated by the abnormalities of her urban environment with a fantasized setting.

Last Summer Dalia moved to Toronto, and her work has since been transforming into abstraction.
Navigating her way around initially depended on digital maps as she gradually familiarized herself with
the city. In Fluid Street, a series of small paintings, she records the transition from a virtual reference to
conscious imagery etched in memory.

Fluid Streets is on exhibit in the Akin Vitrine Galleries beginning at 1485 Dupont for the month of February and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West in March.

Fluid Streets
Acrylic on canvas board and yarn
Dimensions variable
2019

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @daliahassan.art
www.daliahassan.com
@akinvitrine
#Akinvitrine


Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2019 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin Dupont and Akin St. Clair. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Fluid Streets will be on view for the month of February in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of March at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

For more information about Dalia and her work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine.