Elevator Art Lab

As any emerging artist soon learns, sitting around waiting for "things" to materialize is not an effective strategy. I am a big admirer of the young artists at Elevator Art Lab. They have taken the bull by the horns, and carved out their own space, with their own resources, and collective effort.

Founded in the fall of 2010, Elevator Art Lab is an independent artist run space in downtown Toronto, encompassing a gallery/event space & resident artists studios. They are a collection of contemporary artists working in the areas of craft, visual art and performance, seeking to broaden the potential at the intersection between artistic disciplines.

Two Elevator members have been visiting artists at KWT (glass artists Aaron Oussoren and Sally McCubbin) and two are represented artists at KWT:  sculptor Annie Tung and installation artist and printmaker Rachael Wong. Annie Tung comes from a metalsmithing background, and Rachael Wong from a glass background. Both make art which, while rooted in process and material, is conceptual in nature. Annie had a solo exhibition with us in January. Rachael was awarded the 2010 RBC Glass Award last fall, and has an upcoming solo exhibition with us this fall.

Elevator Art Lab is having a party this Friday, May 13, 2011 from 3 to midnight, and an open house on Saturday from noon to 6, in their space at 97 Niagara Street.  That's about four blocks south of KWT... why not check it out?

Rachael Wong: Installation detail (blown glass elements,  paint), 2010.

Annie Tung: Love Spoons (cast silver and brass, erotic love poem by Gwendolyn MacEwen, in Braille, meant to be read with one's tongue), 2009.

Installation Shots: McCall, Britton and Selected Works Group Show

 

One last look at our Exhibitions for April, 2011. 

Starting in the Lower Gallery with  Kai McCall: "The Weightlessness"

 

 

 

 And now, up the stairs to the Mezzanine Gallery and Kelvin Britton: "That and This"

  

On to the final gallery...

The view into the Upper Gallery, Group Show of Selected Works by Gallery Artists.

Paul Dignan painting in foreground, Khang Pham New marble sculpture in background.

       Two Caroline DeMooy's flanking a Kieran Brent.

Annie Tung: three new spoon sculptures

Three Pearl Van Geest paintings.

A Kelvin Britton "Rose" painting, sculptures by Svava Juliusson, and a Lauren Nurse self-portrait.

And, tucked away in the reference corner, a Jan Ollner painting and another Svava Juliusson sculpture.

Accolades and International Exhibitions for Annie Tung

Above: Annie Tung, "Love Spoons, erotic poem in Braille to be read with one's tongue", edition 3/3, 2009: cast silver and brass.

(poem by Gwendolyn MacEwen (CAN, 1941-19870)

This work was most recently shown in Annie Tung's solo exhibition, "Strangely Familiar" which ran from Dec. 4 , 2010 through Jan. 26, 2011, KWT Contemporary (formerly XEXE Gallery)
 

Congratulations to Annie Tung for having been selected for the following honours and international exhibitions:

Best of 2010 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Sculpture:
Annie Tung won Best of Show in the Sculpture Category at this past summer's Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Her work was on exhibit through January 2011 in "Best of 2010, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Award Winners" at FCP Gallery, Toronto. (First Canadian Place,100 King Street West, Toronto) (more information here).

Silver Triennial, 16th Worldwide Competition:

"Love Spoons"  will be traveling until Jan 2012 to the following locations:  

German Goldsmith’ House inHanau; Fair Ambiente, Frankfurt; MuseumKunstgewerbesammlung Huelsmann, Bielefeld; Zilvermuseum Sterckshof, Antwerp, Belgium; Wasserschloss Klaffenbach, Chemnitz.  

 (more information here)

9th Helen Keller International Art Competition:

"Love Spoons" will be exhibited in Glasgow through May, 2011  (more information here).