VISUAL ARTS
ART AND INNOVATION: TRADITIONAL ARCTIC FOOTWEAR Essential for survival in the region, footwear has been a crucial part of living in the arctic. This exhibition highlights the functional uses of footwear for the 40+ cultures that have lived in the region and how they still found a way to express themselves artistically through them. In addition, garments and tools of the arctic peoples are also on display, providing a better look into their daily lives in one of the world’s harshest climates. Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. W., 416-979-7799). Until Dec. 31. BLISS: GARDENS REAL AND IMAGINED encompasses a world of floral design, exploring the age-old theme of gardens, real and imagined, which has nurtured textile arts for centuries. Bringing together a variety of aesthetics, techniques and styles, it offers insight into cultural and historical nuances produced from a single design source — from Persian wall hangings and Ottoman rugs to European printed fabrics including iconic prints of the 19th-century English designer William Morris, Indonesian batiks and Japanese and Chinese garments. The work of three Canadian artists further extends the investigation of the garden’s symbolic power in the 21st century. Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Ave., 416-599-5321). Until Sept. 18. FASHION VICTIMS: THE PLEASURES & PERILS OF DRESS IN THE 19TH CENTURY The excess and luxury of the 19th century is put on full parade, along with the dangers of fashion more concerned with appearance than comfort or safety. Many of the sharp-looking shoes and clothing items betray the sinister insides that crush feet with their restrictive space or infect with their poisonous dyes. This exhibit delves deeply into just how far the men and women of the 19th century would go to look fashionable, often putting their own health at risk. Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. W., 416-979-7799). Until Jan. 23. THE WOUNDS OF WAR On June 3, 1916, a massive explosion wounded A.Y. Jackson during the Battle of Mount Sorrel, one of the toughest and most tragic of the Canadian First World War battles. The event changed Jackson’s life and transformed his art. This is an innovative new exhibition about A.Y. Jackson and Tom Thomson. Visitors will see Jackson’s only three known original drawings from his time as a soldier, on view for the first time since they were drawn in the heat of battle. McMichael Canadian Art Collection (10365 Islington Ave., Kleinburg, 905-893-1121). Until Jan. 8. ORDINARY WEATHER: AN EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN CYPRUS seeks to document the sense of wonder in Toronto that most of us miss everyday. Cyprus embarked on a bicycle trek of the city as a tourist and took photos of the unusual and the beautiful in Toronto’s seemingly ordinary landscape. Mackenzie House (82 Bond St., 416-392-6915). Until Sept. 22. THEASTER GATES: HOW TO BUILD A MUSEUM This Chicago-based artist has a series of large scale installations at this solo exhibition that re-imagines what a museum is. Made up of six houses, and using sound, dance, video, sculpture, painting, music and dance, Gates brings attention to the accomplishments of black people, with each house a tribute to individuals such as house-music producer DJ Frankie Knuckles, blues musician Muddy Waters and bricklayer George Black. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648). Until Oct. 30. A THIRD GENDER: BEAUTIFUL YOUTHS IN JAPANESE PRINTS For more than two-and-a-half centuries, it was considered acceptable in Japanese culture for both men and women to treat male youths, or “wakashu,” as objects of sexual desire. This new art exhibition reveals this unsettling and little-known chapter through period works of art. Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000). Until Nov. 27. WHEN THE BEATLES ROCKED TORONTO Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ last show in Toronto, this exhibit not only highlights the three shows the Beatles played in the city, but also how the ‘60s treated Toronto. Market Gallery (St. Lawrence Market) of the City of Toronto Archives (95 Front St. E., 416-392-7604). Until Nov. 12. WORLDS ON A STRING: BEADS, JOURNEYS, INSPIRATIONS brings together stunning examples of vibrant beadwork from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Europe, and explores the process through which beading practices have evolved, echoing and absorbing changing social and political circumstances as this popular new material influenced cultural perspectives and creative practices. It includes work by Zandile Ntobela and Zondlile Zondo, members of the Ubuhle artists’ community in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa, as well as the Dene artist Catherine Blackburn of Saskatchewan, highlighting the significance of glass beads in the ongoing re-imagination and reinvention of global traditions. Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Ave., 416-599-5321). Until Oct. 23.