Take a look at the curiously beautiful art installations taking over the Gladstone Hotel right now

Take a look at the curiously beautiful art installations taking over the Gladstone Hotel right now

Lucid Dreaming, by Whyishnave Suthagar.

During Come Up To My Room, artists take over the Gladstone Hotel with strange and wonderful installations. At every turn, there’s a new piece of art—and if you’re not sure what you’re looking at, the artist is right there to explain it. It’s meant to be a judgement-free zone where you don’t have to worry about asking dumb questions; they’re happy to tell you why there are freaky little fingers poking through astroturf, or pink garbage hanging from the ceiling. Here, some of our favourite projects from this year’s exhibition.

First Gentrification

By Justin de Lima
Artist Justin de Lima turned garbage from Toronto’s gentrifying Little Portugal neighbourhood into millennial pink sculptures as a way to explore his heritage. The piece is meant as a commentary on romanticizing immigrant histories and the way we change our environments over generations.

 

Ferris Forever

By Sarah Keenlyside, Ryan Mains and Pyramid Attack
For 2016’s Come Up to My Room, Sarah Keenlyside—artist and co-owner of La Banane and CXBO Chocolates—completely recreated Ferris Bueller’s bedroom. Well, Bueller’s back—this time immortalized in virtual reality. Pop on a pair of goggles and poke around the iconic bedroom.

 

Figments

By Concealed Studio (Cheryl Cheng and Mario Sabljak)
A calming glow emanates from room 206, where Concealed Studio is displaying 10 light sculptures on pedestals. The distinctive shapes were inspired by intricate patterns in nature—like plant cells and crystals under a microscope.

 

Fernigen C. Thicket

By Ashley Snook
The most arresting installation is Ashley Snook’s hallway of astroturf with hundreds of little fingers poking through, as if there’s an army of zombies trapped just behind the fake grass. The artwork creates a fictional place that’s part Alice in Wonderland and part Walking Dead.

 

Sister Co-Resister

By Pamila Matharu, Karen Azoulay, Nedda Baba, Yan Wen Chang, Marianne Ibrahim, Zahra Komeylian, Maanii Oakes, Kalpna Patel, Kendra Yee
This collection of work—including sculptures, canvasses and digital art—from nine artists addresses feminism from different perspectives. The room also features an on-the-spot tattoo station run by Maani Oakes, who specializes in traditional indigenous hand-poking.

 

These Pixels are TOO Sweet

By An Dy
If you’ve spent any time in Adobe Creative Suite, An Dy’s paintings will feel familiar. The checkerboard backgrounds and pixelated figures draw on common digital motifs. A number of the hanging panels show Instagram feeds on a phone screen; Dy hopes visitors will share photos of the piece on Instagram, creating a feedback loop.