VISUAL ARTS

CHRISTIAN DIOR The House of Christian Dior is celebrating its 70th anniversary, with this exhibit featuring more than 100 objects (designs from daytime wear to grand occasions) and reasons why its iconic designs garnered global attention and revived the Paris haute couture industry. Presented by Holt Renfrew and drawn from the ROM’s extensive collection from 1947 to 1957. Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000). Until March 18. EARTHLINGS is a group show of otherworldly, surreal and magical ceramic sculpture, as well as works on paper, from artists with distinct cultural and geographical positions (from Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet, Kinngait/Cape Dorset, Qamani’tuaq/ Baker Lake and Toronto). “A transporting, startlingly gorgeous display of drawings and ceramics mostly from the country’s far north, a gesture of defiant optimism from the get-go” —Murray Whyte. Doris McCarthy Gallery UTSC (1265 Military Trail, 416-287-7007). Until Jan. 27. ERICK GARCIA GOMEZ: THE SERPENT OF THE JUNGLE is a contemporary Mexican folk painter from San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas and Distrito Federal, Mexico. His series of paintings express the fight for a better society and incorporate his childhood experience of living with ex-convicts in the middle of the Declaration in the Lacandon Jungle in 1994, when a war between the government and the Zapatistas (EZLN) group in his small town of San Cristobal broke out. Weird Things Gallery (998 Bathurst St., 647-786-2987). Until Saturday. FIGURES OF SLEEP is an international group show that asks the question of whether sleep itself is in crisis and if it should be a cultural concern. It pulls on anxiety about sleep, various technological advancements and economic stressors. Nighttime used to be a realm of rest, cre- ative summons and culturally valued, but in today’s 24/7 service hours of convenience the human body and mind are being stretched in unprecedented ways. The Art Museum, U of T (7 Hart House Cir., 416-978-8398). Saturday until March 3. FOR US BY US is a cross-disciplinary exhibition that explores food through ideas of decolonized and alternative futures, as imagined by emerging artists and designers. Refreshingly, food is looked at as medicine, embodying decolonial practices, reimagining settler and Indigenous relationships and creating a system where food is accessible to all. Featuring work by Andre Baynes, lwrds Duniam and Aemilius Milo, Dana Prieto, Sheila Sampath and Rowan Sky. Don’t miss the opening this Friday from 7-10 p.m. Xpace (303 Lansdowne Ave., Unit 2, 416-849-2864). Friday until Feb. 10. THE SUNSHINE EATERS EXHIBITION is a multi-sensory experience highlighting how artists and designers look to the land and its plants to imagine and conjure hope at times of local and global crisis. Curated by Lisa Deanne Smith. Onsite Gallery (199 Richmond St. W., 416977-6000, ext. 262). Until April 15. UNIFIED VISION features the work of three artists who are part of the Workman Collective, a group of Canadian contemporary artists producing a variety of work rooted in themes of Canadiana, nature and abstraction. Come see the work produced by Adam Colangelo (who works with metal), Joseph Sampson (oil/acrylic) and Michael Toole (mixed-media photography). First Canadian Place (100 King St. W., 416-862-8138). Until Feb. 2. VARIATION AND AUTONOMY: PRINTS BY CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE PAINTERS is a touring exhibition of 42 works by 10 artists. This exhibition shines light on the fact that a new field was developed through contemporary Japanese printmaking, and includes the history of printmaking in Japan done after the Second World World War. Japan Foundation (2 Bloor St. E., Suite 300, 416966-1600). Until March 29. WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR These are the top 100 photographs from the world’s most prestigious nature photography competition. Whether you are a photography enthusiast or just a nature lover, you should bring your friends to this exhibit. Beautiful photographs of fascinating animal behaviour, otherworldly marine scenes and breathtaking landscapes. Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000). Until March 18.