Canadian artists are finding solace in depicting social connections through their work showcased at the Toronto exhibition

By: Teresa Valenton

Ibrahim Abusitta’s earliest work in this collection that refers to his childhood. The memories of billiards continue on through his works as a homage to these recurring themes, showcased at the Art Toronto exhibition at Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Though COVID-19 has not reached its end, artists showcase their desire for pre-pandemic nostalgia at Art Toronto, Canada’s oldest and largest international art fair.

Hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Oct. 27-30, the three-day event offered visitors a look into over 90 galleries from across the world. Presenting a variety of works from installations to project spaces, the event gave a closer look into the works of contemporary artists.

Opening up discussions about identity, memories and creative processes, panels were also held for upcoming artists to delve deeper into their presented works. With daily tours hosted by experienced curators, collectors and artists, visitors were met with extensive artistic knowledge when stepping into the space.

Ibrahim Abusitta’s complete collection that presents a deeper look into human connection, with billiard scenes and club gatherings, he paints with solace in mind. Showcased at Art Toronto inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Shifting from a photographer to a painter throughout his career, Palestinian-Canadian artist Ibrahim Abusitta finds a voice in a new medium for expression.

“It's nice to be back in a big venue to display the work like this. Usually when I’m doing these shows, it’s a group show with a couple of pieces, so it was cool to feature a few more at this art fair,” said Abusitta.

As common themes weaved themselves through various works of art, the precedence of the pandemic remains as one. Looking back to the importance of human connection, Abusitta captures solemnity through his paintings.

“For me, there is a personal connection to social gatherings and those that have been missed in the past,” said Abusitta. “The concept was to connect with these missed and forgotten memories.”

Utilising cool colour palettes with hues of blue, purple and contrasting yellow, Abusitta creates scenes that let viewers seep into unfamiliar feelings of sonder–the uncountable realization that those around us, strangers and family alike, have complex lives that we may never be privvy. Objectively creating works of art that resemble windows into tightly-knit communal spaces, viewers are almost driven to insert themselves into Abusitta’s scenes.

The Silver Dollar Room (2022) captures the essence of Toronto nightlife as Abusitta juxtaposes these sort of social gatherings pre-pandemic to those of today. Displayed at Art Toronto inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Created for local audiences, Abusitta’s “The Silver Dollar Room” is focused on the Toronto music venue that was demolished in 2018. Despite The Silver Dollar Room being completely rebuilt at a new location, Abusitta’s piece is a tactile memory to commemorate the original space as a means of contact. Including the surrounding buildings on the outlines of the painting, he states his intent to remind viewers of the space the venue had once occupied. “This is an intentional memory of the past for the local Toronto viewership who know that this venue no longer exists,” Abusitta said.

Looking back to the importance of human connection, Abusitta captures solemnity through his paintings.

Holding value to the pieces themselves, Abusitta compares his art to the permanence of a tattoo. “When I look at my paintings it’s like a memory of that time, just like a tattoo. Even though it will be there forever, there is a new meaning to the creative process.”

Drawing on the past once more, Canadian-British self-taught visual artist Maggie Hall uses pop culture references to reminisce in childhood memories. Displaying paintings that she has worked on over the last few years at Art Toronto, Hall said she feels excited for visitors to witness the product of her efforts.

For the last 10 years, Hall has dedicated time to her craft on a daily basis. Constantly working to improve her skills while facing a multitude of personal challenges, she emphasises the importance of valuing herself through her art.

Featuring her ongoing Cheezies series, Hall brings the Canadian staple to the international eye. Overwhelmed by the presence of American pop culture, she highlights the snack as the main focus of her work while questioning Canada’s place in the media. “There are lots of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s references. But I thought, what about Canada? We have a lot of great iconography, so we should use them,” Hall said.

Two of many installations of Maggie Hall’s Cheezies series that have brought viewers together to recall nostalgic childhood memories at the Toronto Art Fair held inside Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30, 2022. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Driven by her goal to change the pop culture scene, Hall wants to redirect these conversations away from American exceptionalism. Using Cheezies bags as a main example, Hall recalls her personal connection to the snack. Upon a conversation with her partner about their shared love for the product, Hall decided to create a painting that would later change her career.

Hall said many Instagram users messaged her about the piece as they recalled their personal stories towards the painting’s subject. A client even requested Hall to paint another instalment of the series — a bag to memorialize childhood fishing trips with their grandfather.

“I kept getting messages about how this snack has centred family relationships, so I just kept painting them and I realised that they were a very important symbol for Canadians,” Hall said.

Continuously expressing interest in visual arts from childhood, Hall allows art to take a growing precedence in her life.

“When I was a child, my father gave me crayons upon crayons and I would just sit alone in my room and paint or draw. It was something I was always drawn to, but when I was around 18 I put it down for 10 years or so because I got distracted,” Hall said. “I didn’t think I was good enough, but about 10 years ago, when I was 28, I realised I wanted to pursue this.”

Hall’s artworks on display at the fair which include her typography works incorporated onto old artworks, concrete and more pop culture references. (Teresa Valenton/CanCulture)

Attaining new levels of success as a self-taught artist, Hall was astounded upon finding out her work would be exhibited at Art Toronto.

Abusitta and Hall are two of many artists who showcased their work at Art Toronto. With a display of different artistic mediums and means of expression, visitors of the exhibition were met with an abundance of artwork to appreciate and stories to be uncovered.

By Mia Maaytah

It is half-way through my third year of university, and once again I am experiencing that same dwindling in my creativity that I face every winter season.

As an artist, I am finding that in the winter my creative side is very much unreachable, and though this occurs every year, I still try and hold on to my optimism.

I buy a canvas. I mix my paint. I fill a dirty cup with water and a clean cup with tea and I begin staring at the fresh, stark-white square in front of me finding no inspiration in my head whatsoever.

During this season, I find no encouragement from my surroundings. I enter a routine of only existing in my lecture halls and across from the television, resting my hands on my laptop, and feeling ever so secluded from the world of imagination I’ve been locked out of.

The isolation from “art-ing,” however seems to be universal. It is as if Instagram feeds bloom in the summer with finished paintings and new poetry, yet in the winter we only speak of art through festive decorations and the blank pages and notebooks are seen as something you’ll eventually get to.

Bella Giammarco, a cosmetology student at Sheridan College, finds that the winter season is a time that holds minimal artistic excitement due to its desolate climate.

“I like to work with colour, so during the winter it’s kind of hard to be exposed to all of those vibrant colours that do inspire me,” Giammarco said.

Specializing in makeup, Giammarco’s style is full of exaggerated pigments and heavy contrasts between bright and subtle shades. In many of her looks, she focuses on incorporating environmental influences, inspiration from fellow makeup-artists, and seasonal depictions.

“My favourite place to create and perform is in places that I’m surrounded with good energy,” she said. “I think that flowers or just colourful environments inspire me and I just find that in the winter I’m not as exposed to it.”

Giammarco explained that during the winter, there is not much activity within the wilderness, where she would usually find her muse. Thus, when she finds no luck outside or on the internet, this leads to a lack of idea development altogether and hinders her artistic progress.

Many artists view summer differently. Where some, like Giammarco, use it as inspiration to feed off from and translate into her creations, others use it for the environmental freedom and energy that allows them to create within it.

Toronto-based visual artist, Ziggo, said that the summer season offers a wider range of how to conduct a creative session.

“I like to paint outside sometimes, and that’s not possible in the winter,” he said. “My favourite place to create is spray painting outdoors. [It’s] kind of hard to do indoors.”

Ziggo is a street-artist that specializes in making massive murals that he strategically installs around the city and also commissions to clients. His inspiration is said to come from hip-hop, Indigenous culture, and street-culture.

“I find in the summer I just have more energy and feel more inspired by living life more versus the hibernation of winter,” he said. “I need to be excited and happy about the idea.”

For myself, summer is an awakening of ideas. It is the time of celebration where I can come back to myself and forget the dreadful cycle of school days and work nights. Whether I am outside painting or painting the outside, the summer allows for a sense of flexibility in my process.

However, not all artists find solace in the summer. As many attend school to study their art for the majority of the year, summer may come as a time of separation from the nagging obligation to create and a time to rest.

Calvin Rea, a fine-arts Ryerson University graduate, said that due to the nature of school, young artists may be trained to think more creatively during the winter due to mandatory assignments, yet lack that motivation in the summer because they are not used to it or may need some time away.

“Having gone to theatre school where eight months of the year are kind of a boot camp, by the time the summer hits you want nothing to do with creativity,” said Rea.

Rea, who spent his time studying acting and playwriting, also suggests that for him, creativity coincides with mood, and that not every project is dependent on the same external force.

“I think a huge factor in fluid creativity is feeling good,” he said. “Summer and spring are more conducive to that kind of environment because it’s nice outside; you don’t feel so claustrophobic and you feel good in the sun. But also sometimes the projects you’re working on can be a bit of sanctuary from the weather or season outside.”

For some, winter is a time that brings people together through family gatherings, holidays, and an opportunity to wrap yourself up in a blanket and forget about the world.

For artists, however, this seems to be the time for a lot of thinking and minimal doing. For me, I understand that there may be no end to this art-block, but perhaps I could benefit from my time away from the dirty hands and the paint-ridden floor.