I’ve been freelancing in design circles again – here’s a piece I did for the Toronto Star’s Luxury Homes supplement. It’s on the new luxury lower-rise condos that are popping up around established downtown Toronto neighbourhoods. This kind of luxury means fewer neighbours, bigger units often overlooking a park, and convenient access to amenities. I focused on three: ABACUS, ORIGAMI
Read more…
If you don’t often walk along Queen Street from Bathurst to Gladstone, you would be surprised by the amount of new development in the area. Over the last few years, small brick single or two-storey buildings have given way to larger, glass-fronted retailers anchoring mid-rise condominiums. The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto. Image: terminartors.com Among the community, there has
Read more…
Now that I’m blogging less frequently (and tweeting more often) it feels like a small luxury to write a blog post. When I was in Paris recently, I was finally able to see the amazing studios of Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, which have been recreated by architect Renzo Piano and installed, as a wonderful free museum, right next to the
Read more…
My first impression, at this year’s emerging design exhibition at the Gladstone Hotel, which is titled Come Up To My Room, was that it wasn’t quite as strong as the past few years. UA Collective. All photos: VoCA. Click on images to enlarge. Looking through my photos, though I’m not sure that’s the case. The work is different, more conceptual
Read more…
Although I don’t blog about public art in Toronto, since it could create a conflict with my position on the City of Toronto Public Art Commission, that doesn’t stop me from blogging about public art elsewhere. The entrance to the new Sofitel Hotel in Vienna. Image: VoCA/Scott Barker I was in Vienna, Austria recently and saw the most fantastic use
Read more…
It’s better late than never for some highlights from this year’s Venice Biennale. Flying into Venice. All photos: VoCA Having been to several Venice Biennales in my life, I almost always prefer the pavilions where the artist addresses the architecture of the pavilions in which the art is housed. The first Biennale was held in 1895 and there are only
Read more…
So I was just in Venice, to see the Biennale. Art-wise, there wasn’t much that really wowed me, so I’ll start with the fantastic newly-restored Olivetti store in Piazza San Marco. Designed by the late, great Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa (one of my favorites) in 1957-58, the space has been turned into a stunning museum space by the city. They
Read more…
So, Vancouver artist Steven Shearer will represent Canada at this year’s Venice Biennale, which opens June 4 and continues until November 27, 2011. Steven Shearer, Nash, 2005. Image: museomadre.it Torontonians might recall an exhibition of Shearer’s work at the Power Plant in 2007, which I believe was curated by former Power Plant curator Helena Reckitt (now critic/curator in residence at
Read more…
The landscape of museum buildings across Canada is about to be given new life, as more institutions secure government and private funding to allow them to expand with sexy architecturally designed spaces. The Art Gallery of Alberta, in Edmonton. Image: arnewde.com Last year, the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton unveiled a fractured new building by Gehry alumnus Randall Stout.
Read more…
Art makes a great gift. People don’t always realize how inexpensive some books and multiples are, and isn’t it better to support local art scenes than buy from major corporations? I think so. Here are my top picks for Canada’s best art shopping: 1. ART METROPOLE. Started by General Idea in 1974, Art Met continues to specialize in the sale
Read more…
Andrea Carson writes on contemporary art, architecture and design...