VISUAL ARTS
ANTHONY CARO: SCULPTURE LAID BARE Sir Anthony Caro (British, 1924-2013) revolutionized the medium of sculpture in the ‘60s when he moved away from making elaborately modelled, figurative works cast in bronze, instead creating large, abstract assemblages out of prefabricated steel and aluminum elements that he installed directly on the ground. This exhibit honours the legacy of this titan of modernist sculpture with four of his late works. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648). Until May 21.
ART TOUR — COLLECTIVE GROUP SHOW The Art Tour was formed by a group of local artists in 1997 to promote their work and raise the profile of the arts in west-end neighbourhoods. Members include a wide variety of different styles and media with something for every taste and budget. Gallery 1313 (1313 Queen St. W., 416-536-6778). Wednesday until Feb. 12.
ASTRAL BODIES is a group exhibition bringing together works that imagine spaces beyond the physical — emotional, mythological, cosmological — tracing efforts to understand the nature of divinity and how we fit into the universe. In the context of this exhibit, this assembly of viewpoints results in an exploration of contemporary Western pathologies, contradictions and anxieties about what lies beyond our immediate reality. Mercer Union (1286 Bloor St. W., 416-536-1519). Until Feb. 4.
A CULTURE OF CONVENIENCE — PEGGY TAYLOR REID Through her lens-based practice, Peggy Taylor Reid has constructed an ongoing typology of everyday objects. Her current subject matter refers to an industry of recycling born from a culture of convenience and obsolescence. She reflects on the social and political implications of the objects themselves, revealing images that also integrate humour, irony and formalism. Red Head Gallery (401 Richmond St. W., 416-504-5654). Until Saturday.
DAVE MELNYCHUK Admirers of all things beautiful will be drawn to this new exhibit filled with ancient contemporary symbolic forms of Ukrainian tradition. This show features Dave Melnychuk’s paintings, drawings, computer graphics, embroidery, decorated Easter eggs (pysanky), paper printing and furniture, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Ukrainian Museum of Canada (620 Spadina Ave., 416-912-3766). Until Feb. 19.
SHAME AND PREJUDICE: A STORY OF RESILIENCE Kent Monkman’s new, large scale project takes the viewer on a journey through Canada’s history that starts in the present and takes us back to a 150 years before Confederation. With its entry points in the harsh urban environment of Winnipeg’s north end, and contemporary life on the reserve, the exhibition takes us all the way back to the period of New France and the fur trade. The Rococo masterpiece The Swing by Jean-Honor Fragonard is reinterpreted as an installation with Monkman’s alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, in a beaver trimmed baroque dress, swinging back and forth between the generals Wolfe and Montcalm. After premiering at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, this exhibition will travel across Canada over the next two years. University of Toronto Art Centre (15 Kings College Cir., 416-946-7089). Until March 4.
WINTER 2017 SEASON - POWER TO THE PEOPLE: PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO OF REPRESSION AND BLACK PROTEST The Ryerson Image Centre and Black Artist’s Networks Dialogue team up to present a season of exhibitions exploring historical and ongoing struggles for justice between people of colour and police forces representing the state. Attica USA 1971: Images and Sounds of a Rebellion; Birmingham, Alabama, 1963: Dawoud Bey/Black Star; Adam Pendleton: My Education, A Portrait of David Hilliard; and From the Collection: Sister(s) in the Struggle will be on view. Ryerson Image Centre (33 Gould St., 416-979-5164). Until April 9.