Gallery Galleria
Golboo Amani, Roy Arden, Sarah Beck & Shlomi Greenspan, Adrian Blackwell, Oliver Husain, Fraser McCallum, Jessica Vallentin, and Marjan Verstappen. Curated by Aisle 4.
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, May 13, 6 - 8 PM, centre court
Cash bar - beer, wine, and catering by Happy Bakery
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Exhibition Programming:
Plant Adoption by Golboo Amani
Saturday, May 14, 12 - 3 PM
Reading the Galleria Reader with Adrian Blackwell
Sunday, May 15, 2 - 3:30 PM
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As one of Torontos first enclosed malls, the Galleria Shopping Centre has retained much of its original 1970s architecture and interior design. Located at Dufferin and Dupont, the mall is a relic in an area experiencing a recent surge of new homeowners, restaurants, and galleries. Late last year, the site was slated for redevelopment. To mark this transitional moment, the group exhibition Gallery Galleria highlights the malls aesthetic qualities and celebrates its role as an informal gathering place for a variety of diverse communities.
Aisle 4 has invited nine artists to respond to the malls current ecology, varied economies, and aesthetic eccentricities. With practices rooted in social engagement and participatory process, Golboo Amani and Marjan Verstappen each collaborate with mall patrons, adopting different forms of commerce and distribution to promote public exchange and urban beautification. The projects of collaborative duo Sarah Beck and Shlomi Greenspan and Vancouver artist Roy Arden appropriate the aesthetic of the Gallerias displays and integrate within the malls interior spaces. Adrian Blackwells sculptural work and accompanying reader highlight the social qualities of the sites architecture, while Fraser McCallums installation captures both historical and contemporary accounts of public appreciation for the Shopping Centre. Finally, through Oliver Husains video installation and Jessica Vallentins interior intervention, the sensory environments and ephemeral actions of the Galleria are altered, honoured, and documented.
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Aisle 4 gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.
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