Sharing the words artists live by, right now
Beltway exhibit will light up billboards with pieces about life in pandemic
It’s hard to imagine five years from now what we’ll remember from being in lockdown.
A much-shared BBC article speculating on why time seems to be moving faster suggests that the blurring of days might affect our memories of this historic event. Will our photos of failed sourdough starters and fledgling tomato plants really capture what is happening inside our homes?
Art, regardless of whether it’s in a gallery, on a brick wall or on a phone screen, can serve as a time capsule.
If you are in downtown Toronto, look up, way up, and you might find some relatable words of comfort. The Bentway, one of the city’s most innovative public projects, is expanding from its location under the Gardiner Expressway to give more than 20 artists, writers and public-space advocates massive canvases across the city to document their responses to the question: “What words are you living by, right now?”
Running until June 20, their artwork will be lit up on billboards across the city, including at Yonge-Dundas Square, and at various other pop-up locations (view them all at itsallrightnow.ca). On Sunday, a roaming video truck will take to the streets, carrying art along waterfront neighbourhoods.
“As the city entered into this new phase of the COVID crisis, we really wanted to be able to offer these words as people were re-entering,” says Ilana Altman, co-executive director at the Bentway. “We wanted to create an opportunity for artists to reflect on their own experiences, and to recognize the fact that even though COVID has been called the ‘great leveller,’ we’re highly aware of the fact that everybody's experiences has been quite different.”
Some participating artists were already slated to present now-cancelled exhibitions at the Bentway this summer. Altman and her team also reached out to various cultural organizations that work with disenfranchised populations to ensure that a variety of voices are represented in the mix.
A show-stopping neon billboard by Toronto poet laureate A.F. Moritz, partnering with his son Blaise Moritz, encourages positivity through poetry. Artist Hiba Abdallah’s message asks us to “Stand in Stillness.” Spoken-word artist La-Vane Kelly’s heartfelt question, “If I needed you, would you come to me?” literally sits on a bed of painted hearts.
For those who can’t make it downtown, “COVID-19 Portraits,” an online exhibition at the Parkdale artist-run centre Gallery 1313, also serves up intimate works by a rotating group of local and international artists who submitted pieces created from their homes during the lockdown.
The works range in media and style, but Gallery 1313 executive director Phil Anderson says that they all have one thing in common: they all have a something to say, whether it’s a message or narrative. “The exhibition has turned into a collection of short stories,” he says.
“COVID-19 Portraits,” which runs until June 27 at g1313.org, originated back in early March when businesses and cultural institutions began the process of shutting their doors. Anderson was busy cancelling or postponing upcoming exhibitions and checking in with artists to see how they were coping.
“A lot of artists say they’re used to working in isolation, that this is nothing new for them,” says Anderson. “But actually, I think most artists like to connect with people. They’re used to having receptions and connecting with their friends and colleagues and getting response to their work.”
Anderson, who is a photographer, has two pieces in the show as well. There’s a manipulated photo of his son playing Fortnite, and a daring self-portrait shot in the middle of the usually busy Landsdowne Ave.
Some images carry political messages, such as Christina Damianos’s dramatic vintage-inspired portraits of nurses. Damianos, who is a nurse herself, uses text to draw attention to the deadly affects of budget cuts to her profession. Other artists approach the situation with whimsy and humour. Lisa Anita Wegner’s self-portrait “Madonna of Debris: Junk Drawer Icon” is shot from above, her hair fanned out like a halo, dotted with ear plugs, a bottle of nail polish, painting tape and other random detritus.
“I think it’s always artists who always capture the times in some way shape or form,” says Anderson. “And a lot of artists have been very creative during this time.”
For those who come away inspired by this work or who want a way to capture their own memories, the Bentway is looking for art from the general public and is even providing templates on its website. All submissions will be collected into a time capsule for display next year.
“We know that in times of crisis like this, there are so many important reflections,” says Altman.
“Too often, they're quite fleeting as we move beyond the particular phases, we are quick to forget what we learnt. We felt that it was really valuable to create an opportunity for people to share their experiences, share their learning, share their thoughts.”