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December 3 - 5, 2010
Revived Textiles: a resurgence of Northern Iran's precious textiles
Leyla Kashani
For centuries the women of Guilan in Northern Iran, have maintained the art of weaving. As much a means of social expression as of sustainable economy, this craft, like many others in the world, is under the brink of extinction.
Arta Gallery invites you to a special event presenting Persian-Canadian fashion designer Leyla Kashani. Her “Revived Textile Collection” of clothing, home décor and accessories features the precious textiles of rural Iranian weavers and works to raise awareness of this endangered art form.
Dec 3, private showing
Dec 4, 12 - 7PM
Dec 5, 12 - 5PM
November 18 - 30, 2010
Anahit Etemadi * Fragile
Opening Reception: Novembe 18, 7-9PM
Iranian-born artist Anahit Etemadi creates portraits that convey heartfelt emotion with her characteristically sumptuous color and texture. With deft rendering skills, Etemadi crafts beautiful images of humanity, later adding collage and mixed media elements that imbue the piece with a powerfully emotive character. She pours herself into each work. “While the painting is evolving, it pulls my energy and passion into it until it is completed,” Etemadi explains. “[It] embodies my passion, feeling and energy…forever.”
November 18 - 30, 2010
"Its that moment of expression"
Carolanne Maclean, Leah Landau, Sylvain Coulombe, Lysanne Pepin
Opening Reception: November 18, 7 -9pm
Expressionism is the reflection of an artist's inner vision. The decisive moment of creation is an emotional response, influenced by our past experiences, and shaped by our respective cultures.
November 4 - 17, 2010
Thinking about Art
Bobak Etminani
Opening Reception: November 4, 7 - 9 PM
About Bobak Etminani
" ... top-notch abstract paintings... infinity in a grain of sand... Etminani is moving in the direction of the new abstraction that I have seen in Europe and North America in the past few years… a reinvented abstraction… resistant to the narrative ease of this image world and is resolute in creating a pictorial space within painting where images remain malleable and formative, open to the human engagement that shapes meaning as a negotiation of fact and sensibility rather than as a transaction of recognitions and ready-made content… His paintings embrace physics and metaphysics in ways that seem acutely contemporary... He presents the real at a distance, and also the real that is hidden inside. With the format of his paintings, he also presents a real that faces us squarely." (Canadian Art Magazine, January 2008)
Bobak Etminani, The Observation 2
November 4 - 17, 2010
Thinking about Art
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 4, 7 - 9PM
Art is not only about bringing an aesthetic sense to our world, but also about bringing new ideas, pushing the envelope, arguing, discussing and reflecting. This group of talented artists who are serious about their artwork developed a point of view in their art making. Artists are attempting to reveal themselves, to reveal their inner most feelings and thoughts.
Bobak Etminani | James Lane | Kurt Rostek
Leszek Wyczolkowski | Michael Jeremy Brown
November 4 - 17, 2010
Ali Khan
Opening Reception: Thusday November 4, 7-9PM
Coming to grips with nature is the pivotal theme of my work; intuitively deconstructing and reconstructing the mystery of unconscious layers of mind in a Post Freudian context. In my work, I have sought to abstractly represent the moral dilemma in both conventional and non-conventional aesthetic terms.
October 20 - November 2, 2010
Group Exhibition
Peter Colbert, Sabine Liva, Ivo Stoyanov, Marina Hanacek, Jayne Libby Sims, Beata Goik, Salomon Khammi
Collection of paintings by gallery artists.
On my mind by Jayne Libby Sims
October 2 - 3, 2010
Nuit Blanche 2010 - Homage to Guernica
October 2, 6-8PM

October 2 - 3, 2010
Nuit Blanche 2010
Farhang Jalali
Opening Reception: Saturday October 2, 6pm-6am
An ongoing project by Farhang Jalali entitled “Amputation” Amputation is a floor installation consisting of a pile of plaster casts of several thousand individual hands and fingers along with a slide show of the project in progress.
What makes this particular project of mine unique is the fact that thousands of people responding to my call have volunteered their time, effort, good will and of course their hands to help me build the piece throughout the last ten years. Since this project is a dedication to the victims of violence and war, by participating in the making of the project, volunteers have become the voices of those who were victimized by violence.
October 2 - 21, 2010
The Italian Series
Karen Perlmutter
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 7, 6 - 8PM
Award winning Photographer Karen Perlmutter, took a leap of faith by photographing her beautiful new series with a plastic Holga camera. The resuts are dreamy and ethereal, and captures the raw beauty of the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
With special thanks to the Italian Chamber of Commerce
October 2 - 3, 2010
Nuit Blanche 2010 - "Venn Spin"
Colin Carney
b.1975
Colin Carney is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Guelph ON. Carney acquired an Honours BA in Fine Art from the University of Guelph in ʻ98 and an MFA from the University of Waterloo in ʼ09. In 2008 he traveled to Ireland and France to work with a variety of accomplished Irish artists courtesy of the Keith and Win Shantz Summer Internship award from the University of Waterloo. In 2009, Carney was the recipient of the Jack Gilbert award for Best Computer Altered Photography at the 48th annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. He is currently a sessional professor in printmaking at the University of Western Ontario.
In this video installation entitled "Venn Spin", Carney uses a record player spinning "London Calling" by The Clash to create a visual and auditory Venn diagram. The Venn diagram is a simple means of organized comparison using two overlapping circles to discover a central territory of commonality. The record spins forward on the turntable and in mirror reverse at once while the song plays forward and back at once in a sound collision. The work finds a commonality of rhythm and motion in the midst of its various contradictions. This notion of conflicting time and physicality is a recurrent theme in Carney's video work which often employs multiple exposures and video footage.
October 2 - 3, 2010
Life drawing project
Adrian Hayles, Gavin Ball
Opening Reception: October 2, 6 - 8PM
For this year’s Nuit Blanche festivities, Adrian Hayles and Gavin Ball
will be conducting a life drawing session from 8pm to 2am in front of
Arta Gallery to promote the Life Drawing classes they teach out of
the Behind the Front Visual Art Studio at 212a Adelaide St. W. suite
301. Please come join us as we give free instructional tips on how to
draw faces and characters. Volunteer to model and receive a
complimentary sketch of your likeness.
September 3 - 28, 2010
Group Exhibition
LLorona by Salomon Khammi
Collection of new work by gallery artists.
August 28 - September 12, 2010
Impressionism - French Gardens
Sarit Silverberg
Opening Reception: Saturday September 4, 4:30 - 6:30
August 22 - 22, 2010
Workshop by Bobak Etminani
Opening Reception: Sunday, 3-7Pm
I'd like to invite you to participate in an exciting drawing workshop by the well known artist BOBAK ETMINANI in Arta Gallery. Bobak performed this workshop successfully in Paris and now it is a great opportunity to be having it in Toronto.
The topic of this workshop is "The Academic Roots of Abstract Expressionism in Practice." Bobak will individually guide you through specific practical exercises, using live model. This four-hour workshop is good for all levels, from beginner to very advanced.
When: Sunday, August 22ND, 2010, 3 - 7 PM.
Special Fee: $45 CAD
Fay Athari, Arta Gallery
About Bobak Etminani
" ... top-notch abstract paintings... infinity in a grain of sand... Etminani is moving in the direction of the new abstraction that I have seen in Europe and North America in the past few years… a reinvented abstraction… resistant to the narrative ease of this image world and is resolute in creating a pictorial space within painting where images remain malleable and formative, open to the human engagement that shapes meaning as a negotiation of fact and sensibility rather than as a transaction of recognitions and ready-made content… His paintings embrace physics and metaphysics in ways that seem acutely contemporary... He presents the real at a distance, and also the real that is hidden inside. With the format of his paintings, he also presents a real that faces us squarely." (Canadian Art Magazine, January 2008)
www.canadianart.ca/online/2008/01/17/bobak-etminani/
Bobak's Site: www.bobaketminani.com
1) 18" x 24" drawing pad (newsprint would do)
2) 18" x 24" drawing board
3) Vine charcoal, medium softness (a few sticks)
4) Compressed charcoal, medium softness (two sticks)
5) soft drawing pencil (B, or B1)
6) hard eraser
7) masking tape
For those who wish to bring colored materials too:
8) Red chalk
9) Chalk pastels, medium softness (greens, yellows and oranges ONLY)
NO WET MATERIALS PLEASE
Please RSVP by August 18.
Thank you,
August 7 - 20, 2010
The Sevent Summer Group Exhibition
jay ahn, Bernadette Badali, Craig Beal, Susan Belcher, Ray Brandolino, David Brown, Colin Carney, Kyle Clements, Peter Colbert, Francoise Euzenat, Rosa Guasch, Marina Hanacek, Claus Heinecke, Sayeh Irankhah, Kellie Jobson, Salomon Khammi, Olga Kotova, Jayne Libby Sims, LUBO, Carolyn Megill, Mehraban Mehrabani, Ivo Stoyanov, Forouzan Taheri
Opening Reception: Saturday August 7, 5 - 7PM
The group exhibition includes local and international artists. Its a unique opportunity to see art works by artists from different disciplines.
July 6 - August 5, 2010
Group Exhibition
Peter Colbert, Ivo Stoyanov, Olga Kotova, Sabine LIva, Erin Sinclair, Reza Bassiri, Jayne Libby Sims, Marina Hanacek, Hagop Khoubesserian and Jewelry by Maryam and soodeh
Selected works by local artists which includes many different mediums and unique styles.
July 4 - 15, 2010
Untitled
Erin Sinclair, Olga Kotova, Ivo stoyanov, Peter Colbert, Jayne Libby Sims, Marina Hanacek, Sabine Liva
New works by invited artists
Erin Sinclair
Rising Red Zen Sun
June 19 - July 4, 2010
JAYNE LIBBY SIMS
Opening Reception: June 19, 4 -6PM
About the Artist
While a mostly self-taught abstract artist, Jayne Libby Sims worked intensely one -on- one with renowned abstract expressionist Frank Arnold (Fresno, CA and Los Cabos, Mexico) recently, gaining new insights into the world of abstract expressionism. Her new works start with “Frank Bird” and have the promise of leading her followers down a new and exciting path.
Artist Statement
My work generally reflects my daily thoughts on life - of the good and the bad times. The happy and the sad. It is wide ranging, never stagnant and always painted with passion to a background of tempestuous classical music.
I have been shown at various locations around Toronto, including the Riverdale Art Walk, the Square Foot Show, Queen West Art Crawl, John Steinberg & Associates and Hangman Gallery where I had a solo show – “Where the Desert meets El Mar”. In 2009 I participated in Nuit Blanche at the Arta Gallery. Most recently my work was shown at the Frank Arnold Gallery and Museum in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico and featured in the window display at Alexander Interior Design in Toronto. My work has been commissioned in Mexico and Toronto and finds joy with many private collectors in Mexico.
June 19 - July 4, 2010
Marina Hanacek
Opening Reception: June 19, 4 -6PM
Marina was born and raised in Czech Republic and then spent a number of years in Germany before deciding to make her home in Toronto.
Marina studied at OCAD and has been a practicing artist since 1993, regularly exhibiting her work in and around Toronto. Her approach as a mature artist, coupled with her multicultural background, provide a vast array of inspiration which reveals itself through her spirited use of various media and techniques. In her art Marina draws on her extensive knowledge of materials and textures to imbue her work with the energy and experience of urban life.
Her paintings are primarily collages comprising acrylic mono-prints and Xerox transfers and they incorporate lushes surface manipulation varying between pattern of pigmented wax and/or clear wax glazing. Marina confidently employs vibrant colour and mark-making thereby capturing a sense of wonder in a lively visual scene. Marina’s latest abstract discovery - the “Element” - is a symbolic ingredient in her creative process. The Element is pivotal in portraying the architectural and organic as well as ornamental aspects of the painting’s composition and capturing a vision that is uniquely hers.
Before her retirement Marina worked as industrial engraver in a Toronto based company.
June 19 - July 1, 2010
Summer Group Show
Jayne Libby Sims, Marina Hanacek, Olga Kotova, Ivo Stoyanov, Peter Colbert, Jowoo
Opening Reception: Saturday June 19, 4-6PM
New works by local and internationl artists.
June 19 - July 4, 2010
Jowoo
Opening Reception: June 19, 4-6PM
I was born in South Korea . I have studied art in Korea and India. I have also started painting and drawing while I was tavaling and working in Nepal, because of my passion about the intense colors of Hindu culture, India. I traveled around the world from 2001 to 2009 .
The theme of my work is Happiness.
It is just me. Closing my eyes and thinking of happy memories give me happiness. Happiness is repeated.
As of this moment I am happy.
June 12 - 13, 2010
Slow Furniture Studio
Brian Newell, Adrian Ferrazzutti, Daisuke Tanaka, Ian Godfrey, Barb Shelton, Craig Johnson, Federico Mendez Castro, Paul Nielsen, Jacques Breau, nicholas nelson, Doug Ives, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Steve Neil, Yosuke Yoshizaki, Brad Goertez, The Carroll Street Woodworkers , Adam Larson, Lubo, Jason Klager
Opening Reception: June 12, 7Pm - Midnight
The Slow Furniture Studio will be holding a public exhibition on the 12th & 13th of June at the Arta Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District.
June 11 - 11, 2010
The New Sky Collective
Opening Reception: June 11, 8 - 11PM
Opulence
An Evening of Music, Art and Elegance
May 29 - June 18, 2010
Group show
Olga Kotova, Ivo Stoyanov, Peter Colbert, Sabine Liva, Leah Landau, Erin sinclair
Collection of paintings by gallery artists.
May 15 - 28, 2010
The World is Not Flat
Anne Bayin, Geoff Fitzgerald, Salina Kassam, Marilyn Lightstone, Ryan Pyle, Peyman Soheili, Christa Treadwell
Opening Reception: May 15, 5-7PM
Seven photographers follow in the footsteps of others documenting the lives of everday individuals in their day to day chores. Pierre-Jean Jouve once said that, "The photograph allows the advantage of having two experiences at virtually the same time, the experience of the photograph and the experience of ourselves". Follow these photographers through rural China and other parts of the world and create your own unique dialogue.
April 29 - May 13, 2010
TO BE DETERMINED.
Selected works by recent graduates from the Applied Photography program at Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious art schools. Curated by the graduates, the exhibition showcases the diversity, imagination, skill, and talent of the graduating class of 2010. Viewers will enjoy fresh approaches to photographic genres such as portraiture, fashion, and product advertising.
April 25 - 25, 2010
EXPO 2010
Opening Reception: April 25, 4PM
Year End Exhibition of Korean Art and Design Students.
April 13 - 24, 2010
Spring group show
David Brown, Susan Belcher, Ivo stoyanov, Sabine Liva, Hagop Khoubesserian, lauren satok, Carolyn Megill, Joanna Strong, Myriam Levy, Rose Brown, Peter Colbert
A group exhibition by local and international artists
April 8 - 11, 2010
META 2010: New Media Exhibition
Artists: Ali Aghtar Jorge Ayala, Adam Carlucci, Richard Chang, Katrina Ennamorato, Agata Pogorelsky, Andrea Walker, Gregory Moneta, Jesse Gibbons, Jon Friis & Mike Lawrie, Leif Parker, Rebecca Petro, Taylor Zorzi & Jerrald Thompson, Zachary Murphy, Camille Surovy, Richard Gilbank, Cristina Taborda
Opening Reception: April 8, 2010 4 -9PM
META is an annual exhibition that showcases the thesis works of graduating students from the New Media program at Ryerson University. The exhibition provides a platform for emerging artists to display their innovative and experimental works to Toronto’s arts community.
March 16 - April 4, 2010
Spring show
Mio Behar, Colin Carney, Ivo Stoyanov, Catherine Shea, Maria Grossbaum, Irena "Iriko" Kolodziej, Peter Colbert, Susan Belcher
Selected works by local artists.
March 6 - 11, 2010
Iranian Artists Group Exhibition, celebration of arts and music
Hashem Altakawy, Takin Aghdashloo, Narges Alavi, Anahita Azrahimi, Khosro Berahmandi, Afsaneh Hezarkhani, Setareh Delzendeh, Haleh Dehlavi, Shahla Etemadzadeh, Shahriar Izadi, Soheila Tavallaei, Aylene Fallah, Fatima Garzan-Fiouzi, Mitra Ghavamian, Azadeh Houshmand, Mo Jamal, Massoumeh Jian, Mohsen Judy, Ronak Kordestani, Davood Manteg, Mahmoud Meraji, Mahrad Meraji, Mehraban Mehrabani, Kamelia pezeshkl, Mahnaz Piroozfar, Manya Saadi-nejad, Nona Soheilnia, Paria Shahverdi, Sanaz Shirshekar, Mehrdad Shoghi, Tooran Zandieh
Opening Reception: March 6, 2010 6:30 - 9:30PM
IRANIAN ARTISTS GROUP EXHIBITION
Celebration of Arts and Music
MARCH 6 – 11, 2010
EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, March 6, 6:30 – 9:30pm
With a history of artistic expression par excellence, contemporary Iranian art offers exciting opportunities to communicate the complexities of Iranian society in more innovative ways.
Arta Gallery will hold an exclusive Iranian Art exhibition, focusing on art and identity, in partnership with Glendon College 15th Annual Symposium on Iran.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Babak Amini (composer, song writer and guitarist)
THEATRE: Levon Haftvan (theatre director, actor)Tehran’s Parliamentary Elections
MUSIC: Reza Moghaddas and Salar Nobari performing songs from Bazaar Project composed by Reza Moghaddas
DANCE: Olga Barrios (choreographer dancer)
Shahrokh Saeedi: Tar, Sina Khosravi: Tombak
MUSIC: Araz Salek and Friends
ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE OF DIASPORA
Panel Discussion | Sunday, March 7, 1–3pm
ON THE PANEL: Babak Amini, Firoozeh Athari, Setareh Delzendeh, Aylene Falah, Levon Haftvan, Araz Salek,
Mehrdad Shoghi and Mazdak Taebi
MUSIC: Shahrokh Saeedi: Tar, Sina Khosravi: Tombak
Sina Salimi: Santour
February 11 - 23, 2010
Mood and Feelings
Afshin Nikravesh, Barbara McGivern, Michael Black, Marjan Mazaheri, Sara Mozafari, Julia Hepburn, Jinyoung Kim, Amy Roger, Petra Zantingh, Stacey Camp, Paula Murray, J. Colin Carney, Soleiman Saeidabadi, Doris Pontieri, Erika Baempfer Deery,
Opening Reception: Thursday February11th, 6-8pm
Creating art is a solitary exercise, when expressing oneself your mood and feelings reflect your state of mind. Some artists are strongly influenced by these feelings when they create their art and sometimes the art, no matter what it is, touches your feelings.
January 21 - February 9, 2010
A Little Walk
Massoumeh Jian, Samantha Anderson, William Ferguson, Sabine Liva, Craig Beal, Bernadette Badali, Svetlana Reingold, Mike Vandenberg, Guy Rollins, Norman Allan, Ehrling White
Opening Reception: January 21, 6-8
A group exhibition of local and international artists.
December 27 - January 19, 2010
Winter Group Show
Peter Colbert, Claus Heinecke, Carolyn Megill, Ivo Stoyanov, Chris Hutcheson, sabine Liva, Ehrling White, Marina Hanacek, Craig Beal, Bernadette Badali, Erika Baempfer Deery
A collection of works by local and international artists.










