Visual art is a big part of the ALL CAPS! Island Festival, and for this August’s fifth and final edition, we have something very special in the works. Our art program is going to be created in-house through a residency program currently taking place at our wonderful festival site, Artscape Gibraltar Point. Curators/organizers Vanessa Rieger and Jessica Vallentin are working with longtime ALL CAPS! collaborators Whippersnapper Gallery to coordinate works by six artists, who will be creating work to be unveiled at the festival, which will speak directly to its unique location on Toronto Island. The curators will be documenting the residency as it unfolds through a Tumblr page, which you can follow here.
Once again, we’ll also have open studios at the AGP Centre from 2-5pm on both days of the festival. More info on the curators’ vision, artist biography and open studios after the jump.
2013
ALL CAPS! Island Festival Artist Residency
This year, the participating artists will be part of a two week residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point prior to the ALL CAPS! Island Festival. The residency period allows the
artists to work within the existing community and create works that directly relate to the unique nature of this island location. The works themselves will add a new dimension to the festival environment, creating opportunities for play and discovery while reacting to traditional expectations of “festival art.” The works, which range from performance and projection to mural and sculpture, will alter the way the audience experiences the festival.
Follow the residency at: allcapsartistinresidence.tumblr.com.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE:
Basil AlZeri is an interdisciplinary, Toronto-based Palestinian artist working in performance, video, installation, food, and public art interventions/projects. His work is grounded in his practice as an art educator and community worker. He is engaged with the intersection of everyday actions and life necessities with art. Given the context of a space, his work strives to interact with the public through gestures of generosity in social interactions and exchanges.
Born and raised in London, Ontario, Patrick developed interests in both the fine arts and biology. While studying at the University of Guelph, he was offered an opportunity to study both these passions. Patrick’s studies in biology have always influenced his artwork and vice-versa. An increasing interest in design has started to play a large part in his artwork. As a recent grad, he has moved to Toronto to experience the art and culture the city has to offer. (Patrick’s work in progress pictured above.)
Benjamin Edelberg is a film and visual artist who received his MFA from OCAD University in 2012 and his BFA from Ryerson University in 2008. He has had solo and two person exhibitions at Fort Gondo (St. Louis) and Naco Gallery and has been included in numerous group exhibitions at Xpace, IX Gallery and The Depths (Chicago), among others.
Jemma Egan, born 1982 in Liverpool, is currently based between the UK and Toronto. She is attracted to the inherent performativity of objects, seduced by the almost personal qualities that they possess. There is often an element of humour, playfulness or bathos to her work. Recent exhibitions and projects include Suh-peer-ee-er (QueenSpecific), The Space Between Here and There (VSVSVS); Global Studio (The Bluecoat, Liverpool), No Soul for Sale (Tate Modern, London). Jemma is a former member of VSVSVS and former director of The Royal Standard. She plans to attend the Royal College of Art for Sculpture in the Fall.
Mohammad Rezaei is a Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist and curator. Graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2012, he recently moved to Toronto from Calgary to continue pursuing his passions. A substantial part of Rezaei’s art practice focuses on research, initiation and co-ordination of DIY art spaces and artist-run centres. As a curator, his interests lie within emerging forms of media, interactive and performative works that engage and ask for the participation of the audience. As an artist, his work is a research-based exploration of the notion of identity in a fluid society.
Joleen Toner is an interdisciplinary artist who creates site-specific environments combining sound, video, performance, and installation.
CURATED/ORGANIZED BY: Vanessa Rieger & Jessica Vallentin with Whippersnapper Gallery
Vanessa Rieger started her artistic path at a young age, spray painting on the streets of Toronto. At the age of 16, she started working for the city facilitating mural programs and graffiti transformation projects with other youth. She went to an arts high school, majoring in theatre but found her passion painting sets. After graduating, she attended OCAD to refine her abilities in painting and installation. While completing a BFA in Drawing and Painting, Vanessa was also exposed to other mediums such as printmaking, video and performance art. She experiments with all these mediums to cultivate a multi-disciplinary artistic practice to realize her concepts and ideas to their fullest.
For ALL CAPS!, Vanessa will be acting as NIGHTLIFEGUARD for the night-times of the festival, when the day life guards have left. You will be able to find her NIGHTLIFEGUARD Headquarters on Gibraltar Point Beach after hours.
Jessica Vallentin
Jessica Vallentin recently participated in a residency with the School of Making Thinking (New York) and is currently participating in the Round Table Residency (Toronto). As an artist her work has been included in group exhibitions at the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie, Galerie Sans Nom in New Brunswick, and Blackwood Gallery in
Mississauga. She also participated in the 2009 edition of Nuit Blanche and has exhibited in various spaces in Toronto, including Red Bull 381 Projects, Butcher Gallery and Gallery West. Vallentin is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Art and Art History program. She currently lives and works in Toronto.
PLUS!
Artscape Gibraltar Point: Open Studios 2-5 PM.
Explore the Artscape Gibraltar Point centre and meet the 30+ resident artists who live and work here. Take a self-guided Open Studio tour from 2-5 PM on both Saturday and Sunday.