Mark Kasumovic, The Battle of Wasaga Beach (detail), 2012. Image courtesy of the artist.


VISUAL ARTS SPRING EXHIBITIONS 2012 at Harbourfront Centre
Saturday, April 21 – Sunday, July 15, 2012

Opening Reception
Friday, April 20, 2012 @ 6–10pm
FREE ADMISSION

York Quay Centre
235 Queens Quay West, Toronto
INFO: 416-973-4000

harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts
Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/visualarts.harbourfrontcentre

1812 – 2012: A CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE
Keesic Douglas
Thea Haines
Robert Hengeveld
Mark Kasumovic
Meryl McMaster
Curated by Patrick Macaulay

Five contemporary artists, working with a variety of media, are invited to explore the complexities and history of the War of 1812 through a contemporary lens, examining the way events are remembered and understood.

Produced in partnership with City of Toronto, Museums Services as part of a citywide programme for the Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812.

COASTAL
Johan Hallberg-Campbell

La Poile, a fishing village on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, is home to 93 inhabitants, and faces an uncertain future as their centuries-old way of life slowly disappears. Photographer Johan Hallberg-Campbell captures the people and landscape in an exhibition that is also one of the Scotiabank Contact Photo Festival's Feature Shows.

Johan Hallberg Campbell, Curtis, 10 Years Old. Part of the series Coastal, 2012. Image courtsey of the artist.

BEACON
Jennie Suddick

Roadside "pit-stops" abound across Canada's highways, acting as both hubs for the communities in which they are located as well as landmarks – accidental or otherwise – for travelers. Through handmade miniature structures referencing architectural model-making and papercraft, Suddick presents these sites as carefully constructed, detailed forms.

THIS WAY THAT WAY
Stephanie Fortin
Deborah Freeman
Megan Katz
Amanda McCavour

Ideas, originality and new works come into existence continually, but it's rare for the public to have a view into the artistic process. In this exhibition, four participating artists offer a series of vantage points into their studios and beyond: What you see is what they do.

IDEAS OF CANADA (PART 2)
DodoLab

This new installation is the second phase of the Ideas of Canada programme. A Fresh Ground new works 2010 commission, Ideas of Canada (Part 2) creatively explores perceptions of the country and provokes critical and thoughtful reflections on the ideas that shape and define national identity.

JUBILEE
Micah Adams
Suzanne Carlsen
Marianne Corless
Department of Unusual Certainties
Jenn Demke-Lange
Meags Fritzgerald
April Hickox
Alexa Hickox
Barbara Hobot
Jennifer Long
Anna Lindsay MacDonald
Claire Madill (Heyday Design)
Sean McQuay
Julie Moon
Cole Swanson
Andrea Vander Kooij
Jesse Watson (Homegrown Skateboards)

Curated by Melanie Egan and Patrick Macaulay

As Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations continue, 16 artists employ a variety of styles and media to offer various perspectives on the role of the Crown in Canada, creating an exhibition as diverse as the Canadian landscape and psyche.

This exhibition is an expanded understanding of commonwealth or more explicitly, "common wealth". Artists and designers make up a crucial component of the citizenry of any country and reflect its past, present and future through creative practice. They are in fact, a precious natural resource. Artists celebrate personal or collective identity; provoke and confront pertinent issues and echo current thinking within their country.