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.

Akin Vitrine Galleries featuring 'Forest & Lakes' by Jen Pilles

We are very pleased to welcome in the New Year with new work from Akin King member, Jen Pilles! Forests & Lakes is an exhibition of plein air studies; each work created in nature using a combination of gouache, pencil, watercolour, and ink.

Jen Pilles has been developing her plein-air practice for many years, finding inspiration in the Ontario countryside, and joy in the act of studying the landscape. These works on wood and paper were created in the following locations between 2014 - 2018: Algonquin Park, Bobcaygeon, Bracebridge, Brechin, Dwight, Huntsville, Oastler Lake Provincial Park, Tamworth, Toronto Island, and Warsaw Caves Conservation Area.

Forests & Lakes begins its journey in the Akin Vitrine Galleries beginning at 1485 Dupont for the month of January and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West in February.

Jen Pilles is a freelance illustrator and plein-air artist from Welland, Ontario. She creates charming drawings and colourful illustrations using a combination of mediums including ink, gouache, watercolour and coloured pencil. She creates work for a variety of clients including publishers, public institutions, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, and private clients. Jen holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts with Honours in Illustration from Sheridan College.

Jen has been practicing plein-air painting for over a decade and derives much of her inspiration from travelling and exploring the landscape. The work she creates out in nature informs and inspires her illustration practice. Feeling most at home out in the woods or floating in a lake, Jen is always on the lookout for new locations to draw and paint in the open air.

Forests & Lakes
Media: gouache, watercolour, pencil, ink
Dimensions variable
Dates: 2014 - 2018

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @jenpillestration
#Akinvitrine
www.jenpilles.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.

Forests & Lakes will be on view for the month of January 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 February at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

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

Jen will also be taking over the @akinprojects Instagram account on January 28-30th. Stay tuned for more of her beautiful work and some behind the scenes.

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Carmina Miana

“A vision of an unrecognizable self, made of shredded glitch screens woven into coloured paper, kneeling to its past. The past is all a story. Every time it’s told it’s more real, more meaningful, but less your present life.”

Introducing our December/January artist, Akin King member, Carmina Miana. Her installation ‘Piqued/Peaked’ will be on exhibit in our Akin Vitrine Galleries located at 1485 Dupont and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West over the next two months. 

Carmina Miana is Toronto-based illustrator. Her image making has involved embroidery, quilting, weaving, and resin. Utilizing material meaning, both historical and contextual, and puns wherever applicable, Carmina’s work engages identity, memory formation and the constant presence of failure. Carmina is a graduate of OCADU’s Illustration program, receiving a Bachelor’s of Design (Bdes). She is currently the Social Media Coordinator for the Toronto School of Art. She often collaborates with artists of varying disciplines as a way to skill share and expands her visual language.

Title: Piqued/Peaked
Dimensions: 30x38x50
Medium: Paper, resin

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

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 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.

‘Piqued/Peaked’ will be on view for the month of December 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 January at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

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

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Rebecca Jane Houston

We are excited to feature new work by returning artist and Akin Dupont member, Rebecca Jane Houston. Rebecca’s piece, “Perfect Circle” will be on exhibit in our Vitrine galleries located at 1485 Dupont and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West over the next two months.

Can I draw circles through past and current work? If I line it all up, an accumulation of stuff made over 5 years, is there a thread to draw them together? When I was in my MFA, I spent a lot of time trying to make perfect spheres on the wood lathe. It was a meditative process and more than that it was a claiming of space as a woman in a wood shop through my presence; by taking up space and time at the tools, and doing it in a feminist way that valued process over “expertise”, open experimentation over “mastery”. Of course I only see this in retrospect. In the vitrine you can see the collection of wood spheres made on the lathe in various stages of completion. In 2017, while working on a project making 100 slip cast bowls, something I hadn’t done before, I kept the trimmings by hanging them all over my studio where they dried and many crumbled. The ones left, that survived all the moving and firing and handling, are hanging here in the vitrine as well. Another set of circles, all warped and drooping. Each like a line drawing, but in three dimensions. I was partly successful in making these bowls, it was also somewhat disastrous. Finally, the two ceramic sculptures were made with casts of spheres in clay. This was just another experiment. They were to represent a bubbling up of feeling. I don’t know if it really happened but again I learned something and moved on to the next thing. I have gathered these three collections of circles together to see if there is a meaning that brings me back in circular ways through similar considerations. Or perhaps it’s just a random collection of things. 

Perfect Circle
ceramics, wood, nails
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @rebeccajanehouston
#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 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.

‘Perfect Circles’ 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 Gallery + Yamandu Sztainbok →

Our October/November artist is Akin St.Clair alum, Yamandu Sztainbok. Yama is an illustrator, cartoonist, and essayist. His piece, “No Room” will be on exhibit in our galleries located at 1485 Dupont and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West over the next two months.

NO ROOM is the transcription of a page remembered from a dream, mistakenly bound in the cover of the Time-Life Library of Art: World of Breughel. The story was about carnivorous rooms which feed upon and assimilate the sedentary-type rooms to which we have become accustomed. Throughout the volume were interspersed twelve pages printed in an invisible ink, which, when exposed to air for twelve seconds would absorb the atmosphere of a room. Thus the dream itself contrived to squander chance for me to transcribe the other pages.

NO ROOM
Ink on paper
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @y.smerdis
#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 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 is 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.

NO ROOM will be on view for the month of October 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 November at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

For more information about Yamandu and his work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine.

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Samantha O'Neill →

Akin Vitrine Galleries featuring Samantha O’Neill

We are excited to introduce our September/October Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin Lansdowne alum, Samantha O’Neill! 

Samantha is a Fashion Designer who has combined her love for both Fashion and Art. Specializing in outerwear, she creates art based pieces rather than Ready to Wear. Samantha has been passionate about fashion since her childhood and studied Fashion Business at George Brown College.

‘Twisted Fantasy’ is inspired by the idea that there is a twisted relationship between light and dark. In this work, lightness is conveyed through the use of feminine silhouettes and flowers while darkness is conveyed through the use of dark colours, textures and a certain sense of undone-ness or incomplete-ness. It’s the idea that there is a sense of torture and uncertainty even in our wildest fantasies.

Twisted Fantasy
2018
dimensions available

To contact the artist:
samantha.oneill2@gmail.com
Instagram: @samantha.toronto_
#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 programming in two Vitrine Galleries, one a recent addition to our St. Clair studios, and our original location at our Dupont studios. These miniature galleries will 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.

‘Twisted Fantasy’ 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.

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

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Andrew Kennedy →

We are excited to introduce our Akin Vitrine Gallery artist, Andrew Kennedy. Andrew has been an Akin Dupont member since 2016, and his piece ‘Fighting Alone’ will be on exhibit in our galleries located at 1485 Dupont and 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the months of July and August respectively.

His installation ‘Fighting Alone’ explores issues surrounding human agency, individual dignity, and political demoralization. What might be more important; the group someone belongs to, or their capacity as an individual? Whose job is it to ‘fix’ the problems of our society; is it the citizen or the politician? Can human beings who tend to find meaning in life through their realization as an individual, also find meaning in group responsibility? The viewer is encouraged to bring their own thoughts and beliefs when considering the installation. After all, there are no ‘hard truths’ when contemplating the ephemeral atmosphere surrounding the current human condition.

Andrew V. Kennedy was born in New York, NY, and currently lives and works in the greater Toronto area. He received a BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA in Painting from Brooklyn College. His work has always been centered around the dignity of the individual, and their life in society. Issues of politics, modernity, sociology, and our ‘inner lives’ can also be seen in his work. Kennedy’s exploration of these issues began with simple portraiture; but eventually grew to include the use of text. His work has been exhibited both in New York City, and Toronto, ON.

‘Fighting Alone’ will be on view for the month of July 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 August at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

Akin Show and Tell on June 26 at Akin St Clair

Every month Akin hosts a relaxed and fun ‘Show and Tell for Artists’ at one of the Akin Collective studios or at one of our partner organizations' locations. This is a time for Akin members and other Toronto artists to show completed works or works in progress and get friendly feedback and answers from their peers in a casual studio setting.

Feel free to bring art to share, bring a friend or two, bring snacks or drinks or just bring yourself! Come for the conversation or just to meet other artists and makers. This is FREE public event - everyone is welcome!

The June edition of the Show and Tell is happening at Akin St Clair at 1747 St Clair Ave West. 
 

Accessibility:
This building is all on one floor. Akin St. Clair Studios regrets any barrier to access. If you require more information or are concerned about accessibility barriers please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Akin St. Clair Entrance: The side door has no steps to enter. It is 46 inches wide. The front door is 35 inches wide and has one step.

Inside: When entering from the side door one enters into a hall. Most areas are flat inside. There is a step to get from the back hall to the kitchen. It is still possible to get to the kitchen without using the step by going around to the other entrance to the kitchen.

There is one all genders bathroom. There is one step to get to the bathroom. There is no alternative bathroom or alternative route to the bathroom. The bathroom door is 30 inches wide. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilets are not raised.

Getting here by TTC:
Akin St Clair Studios is accessible on the 512 St. Clair Streetcar Line and by bus, take either Bus 168 from Dundas West Station, or Bus 127 Spadina Station to Keele and St. Clair.

Parking:
There is a private parking lot to the west of the building. It is likely that one will find a parking spot there. If not there is residential parking on Houndslowt Heath Road and other residential streets in the area.

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Kate Drwecka →

We are very excited to present new work by Akin St. Clair member, Kate Drwecka in our Vitrine Galleries for the months of May and June! 

Her installation is based on her most recent project, Becoming: a 31 page printed horror comic, the first in a series of mini comics exploring horror’s ability to process real trauma through representation. The original pages measure roughly 16.75" x 21.25", and the final product is a mini-comic that is 5.5" x 8.5". This installation features some of the original pages, and a recreation of the iconic mirror and monster from the comic. 

Becoming is a story of repression, denial of self, and how that presents itself in our lives. Laila is a woman who lives alone with her past, haunted by a ghastly figure living in her mirror. The reflection calls to Laila's unacknowledged history, begging her to confront her denied history. As Laila continues to refuse her past, the figure in the mirror grows stronger, to eventually manifest outside the mirror. 

Kate Drwecka is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator working and living in Toronto. She grew up in the cold climates of Canada, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in NY. As a small child, Kate wanted to grow up and become Freddie Mercury. She still does.

Currently Kate is working on a series about an all-girl supernatural detective agency, and a series of horror comics. Kate is an original member of the Akin Comic Club and has recently helped organize the Akin Comic Day event. A one-day celebration of comic books, comic making and comic artists! 

Becoming will be on view for the month of May 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 June at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

Kayla Polan in the Akin Vitrine Gallery - March and April 2018

'Romance for Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles?' by Kayla Polan - March / April 2018

We are excited to introduce our Akin Vitrine Gallery March 2018 artist, Akin Dupont member, Kayla Polan!

Calgary-born, Toronto based artist Kayla Polan is a multidisciplinary artist working across traditional and new media. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a BFA major in Drawing & Painting. She will be pursuing her MFA at the University of Waterloo in the fall. Her practice melds feminism and popular culture to investigate contemporary ideas about sexuality, fetishism, domesticity, queer identity, autobiography, and consumer culture through painting, sculpture, printmaking, and performance. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Spark Box Studio Emerging Artist Award. Her work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions in Canada and Europe. 

Exploring themes of consensual BDSM practices, alternative relationship lifestyles, and fetishism, Kayla delves into ideas surrounding chastity in her installation Romance For Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles? In this work she investigates how sexuality is bound with power and inequality in complicated ways. Chastity belts in BDSM may be used to prevent the wearer from engaging in sexual activity without the permission of the dominant, who acts as a key holder. In this romantic picnic scene, Kayla questions how philosophical issues of purity, morality, and innocence have shaped us.

'Romance for Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles?' 
Mixed media (metal, resin, silicone, oil paint, fabric, sculpee) 
2018

Exhibition runs 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.

‘Romance for Two: Key To My Heart or Unlockable Shackles? ’ 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.

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

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

Storefront Gallery on the Danforth: Rebekah Andrade

Akin Dufferin member Rebekah Andrade has enough work to fill a small store. And so she has. Filling it with her paintings in a last-minute turn of events, she has transformed the empty storefront, formerly a shoestore at 348 Danforth Ave, into a small gallery full of bright beautiful art for the next ten days. 

The venue, owned by Thomas Walsh a local businessman, was only going to be empty for a short period but within a matter of days Rebekah had a working title (taken from a recent piece in the show) and complete collection ready. '' It was a challenge'', she says, ''but I'm so happy I did it!'' Rebekah says the titles of her paintings arise from a self-reflective and humorous take on life, with pieces like We Drank We Laughed and So Tender And Delicate. 

Coming from Northern BC, Rebekah Andrade finished her BA at Emily Carr in 2012 and has since exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her most recent formal exhibition, a group show, is still up at Sussex Contemporary in Ottawa. Check out her pop-up featuring IT WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU and chat with Rebekah until January 31, most days (except christmas) 11-7 pm at 348 Danforth Ave. 

"All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member Bernadette Peets in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Introducing our Akin Vitrine Gallery December exhibition, “All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets.

“I have been thinking a lot about how recent immigrants and in particular refugees who come to Canada feel about us, this country and in particular what their experience is of our landscapes. 

Is Canadian society the open, warm and friendly culture that we like to think it is for these newcomers? Is our pristine landscape available to them? Does it represent a refuge or is it viewed as threatening due to its vastness and unknown dangers?

I often use wild animals in my shadow boxes to represent the vulnerability of the human characters in the narrative. In this case, the deer with the bullseye carries the symbol of the 'hunted' while at the same time acting as a warning to these individuals. The orange screen across the front is meant to slightly obscure the scene so that the viewer must look even closer to be able to see it completely. The screen says "All Are Welcome" but also acts as a barrier or an enclosure reminiscent of a refugee camp. The scenes on the side walls remind us of the origins of the travellers and the reflective surface creates a way for all of the scenes and characters to merge.

I think that we still need to go some distance in our understanding of how these newcomers may be feeling in their new reality and how we might bridge the gap between viewing them as 'other' and more as part of our communities.” 

Bernadette was born in Toronto where she currently lives and works. Her studio is in the Akin Collective at 1485 Dupont Street. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996 where she majored in Drawing, Painting and Art History. She lived in Florence Italy for two years (1987–88 & 1994–95) where she continued to study Art History and develop her craft as a painter.

She has explored many themes over the past 20 years of her art practice and while she has mainly used painting as her medium she has also included three dimensional installation work as well as other pictorial devices that include shadow boxes, photographs, drawing and printmaking.

Her subjects of interest have been rooted in her political, social and aesthetic ideals. Whether she is using her work as a platform for a discussion on topics as diverse as the female body image to issues relating to the Indigenous Nations in Canada, her approach is always connected to her strong sense of design, colour and technical precision.

Craft is important to her as an effective means of communication. She believes that having a high quality of execution in her work facilitates a more effective communication of her intent.

‘All Are Welcome' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: bernadettepeets1@gmail.com

www.bernadettepeets.com
Instagram: @b_peets
#AkinVitrine

'Buckshot Deli and Diner' by Katie Sadie this month in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Akin Vitrine Gallery is excited to present November’s exhibition, “Buckshot Deli and Diner’ by Akin St. Clair member, Katie Sadie! 

“The Buckshot Deli and Diner is set in the Sonoran desert, in the town of Niland, California, just about 4.5 miles from Slab City. Slab City is a place where people learn to live off the grid and choose to be left alone. There is no official electricity there and many of the residents use generators or solar panels. Peter, sits quietly reading the paper, and the couple nearest to the television do not acknowledge its existence above. The Buckshot Deli and Diner’s atmosphere felt like a by product of the vast desert surroundings and the way that nearby residents choose to live.”

Katie Sadie is a graduate of the Applied Photography program at Sheridan College. She was recently announced as a winner of the Flash Forward Emerging Photographers Competition presented by The Magenta Foundation, 2017. Katie’s current personal practice has involved using primarily colour negative film. Her work is inspired by the great photographers of the past and the  people she surrounds herself with in the present. Katie aims to question ideals and start conversations by covering a wide variety of topics through documentary photography. 

'Buckshot Deli and Diner' 
Shot using a Pentax 6x7, 120mm film
Niland, California, 2016.

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: gbstudiotoronto@gmail.com

www.katiesadie.com
Instagram: @katiesadiephoto
#AkinVitrine

Claire Correia and the Akin Vitrine Gallery

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is excited to present new work by Akin Lansdowne studio artist, Claire Correia, on exhibit until the end of September. 

The Angel of History

She said: what is history?
And he said: history is an angel being blown backwards into the future
He said: history is a pile of debris
And the angel wants to go back and fix things
To repair the things that have been broken
But there is a storm blowing from paradise
And the storm keeps blowing the angel backwards into the future
And this storm, this storm is called progress

Laurie Anderson – excerpt from The Dream Before. 1989.

Claire Correia is a multi-media artist who works with both two and three-dimensional media including soft glass, in combination with small scale metal-working, paper engineering, and use of wood and other materials. Her installations, relief wall pieces and kinetic sculptures express ideas about energy, environment, and the Earth as a living entity. Claire also is a mother, paints, maintains a rigorous sketchbook practice, is a design educator in the School of Graphic Design at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, and is a pastry cook at the Dundas Park Kitchen in Toronto, Canada.

The Angel of History, 2017
Mixed Media
dimensions variable

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: clairelcorreia@yahoo.com

website: www.clairecorreia.com
instagram: @claire.correia
#AkinVitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present the Vitrine Gallery, a valued addition to our Dupont studios. This miniature gallery will feature the diverse talent of our members with a new installation each month.

Akin Vitrine Gallery featuring Enrique Gaudite

Enrique Velez Gaudite is a storyteller. Using imagery and text, found and original, he aims to compare and contrast the power of media in its digital and analog forms. He works in marketing communications by day and on his practice beyond the 40 hours outside of the fluorescent box. His work questions sincerity in social media and problematics that come with economics, love, and other conventions.

Enrique is a current member of Akin’s Dupont Studios and his installation, 404 will be on exhibit for the month of August 2017.  

He's also the founder of a small press called Particular Instances of the Possible which specializes in publishing books, zines, artists' prints, and objects.

404, 2017
Mixed Media
dimensions variable

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: evgaudite@gmail.com

instagram: @enrique_snaps

@AkinVitrine
#AkinVitrine

Akin Vitrine Gallery featuring Verity Griscti

Introducing our July installation at the Akin Vitrine Gallery featuring new work by artist and Akin Dufferin studio member, Verity Griscti. Her piece, Rimless is on exhibition until the end of this month in the Akin Vitrine Gallery. 

A drunk staggers home, an animal forages for food, a gambler wins and loses a fortune on a dice roll, and the scientist plots their every move neatly on a graph. Eventually, a model is determined and an algorithm created and all the romance gets sucked out of nature.  We run around modeling everything: molecules, bird flight, real-estate prices. We measure everything we can't predict and take comfort in it's tamed presentation between neatly labelled x and y-axes.
 
Mathematicians, economists and biologists model randomness in the hopes of unlocking a better understanding of their subjects. I model randomness because it's messy, often plain and occasionally beautiful, even whimsical.  Chance will ultimately roll over neatly defined borders and overflow onto its surroundings. It may look plain, divine or foul but it's a force that's always there.
 
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 The Toronto Outdoor Art Show, and EyeScream II: The Visual Life of Words  and Eye Scream III: Revenge of the Glyph, the visual arts component of the Scream Literary Festival. Verity received a BFA in Printmaking from OCADu in 2004 and is currently enrolled in Ryerson University's Computer Programming Applications Certificate in a move to go 'all in' on this internet thing.

Rimless, 2017
Mixed Media
dimensions variable

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: verity.griscti@gmail.com

veritygriscti.com
www.instagram.com/veritygriscti

'Long Road' by Laura Kay Keeling - New installation in the Akin Vitrine Gallery for the month of June

Akin is excited to present June’s Vitrine Gallery exhibition, ‘Long Road’ by Akin Dupont member, Laura Kay Keeling! 

“Long Road references a road trip taken in June 2016 which began in Vancouver with stops in Seattle, Portland, road side spots in Washington State and ended in Kelowna. These images were all taken on expired 35mm slide film along the highway in Washington State. Once developed, these images all had a really interesting and vibrant post-apocalyptic vibe to them which I found was an interesting backdrop to have against the natural environment that exists around us. During this trip, it was quite breathtaking to see how rapidly the environment around us would change. There were moments when the highway was the only thing separating a desert like scene on our left and lush rolling hills of farmland to our right.” 

Travels, daydreams, field guides, coffee and film. Laura Kay Keeling resides in Toronto, ON and pulls inspiration from beautiful everyday moments shared through her photography and collage work. She is currently working on a 'HOT ROCKS' series of collages which are composed of gemstone cut outs from old field guides. “I’ve always been drawn to extreme environments, things that come from nature. As a kid, I was obsessed with gemstones, they’re all so beautiful in their own unique way. I’m blown away that these exist around us. I like the idea of taking something that is inherently beautiful, pulling it apart and then putting it back together”

Long Road, 2017
Mixed Media
dimensions variable

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at 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 Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: laurakay.keeling@gmail.com

www.itnvrstops.com
instagram.com/laurakaykeeling
instagram.com/lllllllllllllllllkk
#AkinVitrine

Akin Gallery Crawl: Toronto Art Book Week - Saturday June 17 - FREE!

Saturday June 17 /  Meet at The Public at 12:30pm - 58 Lansdowne Ave. / FREE & family friendly

Akin Projects and The Toronto Art Book Fair invite you to attend a special edition of the Akin Gallery Crawl. Join us as we visit galleries and spaces that are showcasing and celebrating artists' books and printed matter featuring highlights from Toronto Art Book Week. Everyone welcome!

1. Meet at The Public at 12:30pm. (58 Lansdowne Ave)

2. Visit Xpace Cultural Centre (303 Lansdowne Ave, Unit 2)

3. Visit Souvenir Studios (1232 College Street)

4. Visit Akin Lansdowne for a studio tour followed by a visit to Towards Gallery (87 Wade Ave)

5. Visit Akin Dupont(1485 Dupont St) and view the Akin Vitrine Gallery with artist talk by Laura Kay Keeling

6. Anyone with energy left is encouraged to visit Zalucky Contemporary (3044 Dundas St West) for the book launch for "Some Theories" by Kathryn Mockler and David Poolman. Please note this is not an official stop on the Akin Gallery Crawl but is about a 20 minute walk from our final stop at Akin Dupont.

(Those without the energy for Zalucky Contemporary can join the rest of us on a nearby patio for a drink!)

Map of our route: http://tinyurl.com/mrj9o6k
Map of our route with optional final stop: http://tinyurl.com/k8uujg4

About Toronto Art Book Week
Art book week is a series of city wide events that parallel the Toronto Art Book Fair. Art book week features project launches, performances, talks, pop-up exhibitions, and screenings throughout toronto. The goal of art book week is to bring attention to new and exciting artist’s book projects as well as increase the visibility of toronto’s art publishing community. For more information visit: www.torontoartbookfair.com/art-book-week

RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/128383227716708