The New Management
Curators
Toronto
The New Management are Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot and Su-Ying Lee. Under New Management opened this week at 780 Queen Street West.
Carte-Blanchenot is the assistant curator at the Art Gallery of York University. Previously she has held positions at the Blackwood Gallery, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries. Her independent curatorial practice focuses on event-based interventions and infiltrations that have been featured at the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Power Plant, CANFAR, and Toronto Alternative Fashion Week. She sits on the Board of Directors for C Magazine and is the former undefeated Pillow Fight Champion of the World.
Lee currently works as an independent curator while pursing a Master of Visual Studies, Curatorial degree at the University of Toronto. She also sits on the Board of Directors at Mercer Union. While at the Art Gallery of Mississauga as Assistant Curator, Lee curated several projects including Explorers and Dandies in an open letter to Canada Post: Frederick Hagan & Kent Monkman (an exhibition that was accompanied by a petition to Canada Post to appoint Monkman an official postage stamp artist), Couch surfing in Mississauga/Couch surfing in Syracuse: Alison S.M. Kobayashi & Christina Kolozsvary, and The Rug: Harrell Fletcher & Wendy Red Star. Lee is interested in the capacity of a curator to act as an active agent, conspirator, and accomplice. In April of 2011, Lee's studies will culminate in an exhibition of artists' works that are realized through the tactical means of infiltrating existing systems and structures.
1. Tattoos
Su-Ying Lee: Tattoos are a wonder for too many reasons to list, especially the old school/vintage ones. Old photos of heavily tattooed ladies enthral me. I'd love to meet and speak to the tattooed women I've seen in vintage photos. How did they decide to step so far outside society's norms?
Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot: You don’t have to live with those horrible mistakes of your misguided teenage years. Cover them up with larger, better mistakes! We have an abundance of great artists in the GTA. Jen Stewart at Cottage 13 is the queen of detailed line-work, Chris MacDonald at Imperial Tattoo creates stunning portraits in a subtle grey palette, and I could not imagine a more beautiful person than Sarah Bolen at Good Time Design to spend an afternoon with under the needle. A must do is the new shop on Kensington Avenue, Pearl Harbor Gift Shop, not only to chat with the tattooers Bill Baker and Daniel Innes or to puruse their great selection of old-school flash, but to see the amazing renovation they did on the parlour. The space is a step back in time. Every detail was considered in the building of this new shop, from the cabinets crafted from recovered materials to the hand-painted signage.
2. Black Dog Video
SYL: I really need to prepare myself before going there. The selection can be overwhelming. My favourite is the Documentary section. If I could only watch one type of film for the rest of my life, it would be documentaries. From the banal to the bizarre, life is continually revealed to be more riveting than fiction.
SCB: So Hot Docs is over and you didn¹t get a chance to see everything that your little heart desired due to rush lines and hectic schedules. No worries. Black Dog Video to the rescue. This little gem located on Queen West holds an overwhelming selection of documentaries. You will laugh, cry, and be utterly disturbed by what man will do...and allow to be filmed while doing it!
3. Food + Booze + Friends
SYL: This combo has never let me down. 'Nuff said.
SCB: All-you-can-drink-brunch. It just rolls of the tongue so easily… and after three hours of mimosas, screwdrivers, and Bloody Marys, you will roll off your seat so easily too! The Essex in New York’s Lower East Side is the best place to combine this holy trinity of good times. The big, bright space is made cozy with the escalating sound of laughter and chatter. The menu reads like a breakfast all-star dream team including bacon, chicken apple sausage, chorizo, lobster, crabcakes, gravlax, potato pancakes, and challah French toast! The quality of the food is never sacrificed, especially considering they could get away with resting on the laurels of the bottomless glass. Don’t waste that lovely haze of the brunch buzz either, run over to the New Museum and enjoy the shows on a whole new level, engaging in conversation with fellow patrons and interacting with the security guards. It truly is a necessary prerequisite to enjoying the gallery.
4. Conspiring for art's sake
SYL: We met and bonded over conspiring for art's sake. This is what we continue to do. We also owe a BIG THANKS to all the organizations and individuals who have become our co-conspirators.
SCB: It is safer and less painful than blood packs (sometimes).
5. Asking
SYL: On a bold whim, a rather well established senior art star was asked to participate in our upcoming project Under New Management. He didn't give it a second thought before saying yes! Just ask and see what happens. It can open all kinds of doors and if you are denied, you're no worse off then before.
SCB: Never be afraid of throwing a pretty please in there. Momma was right when she said that it never hurts to ask. Try it.
