Six dazzling new art galleries to check out this winter
The biggest art event of the year is set for the fall, when the revamped Museum of Contemporary Art opens its doors in an old sheet-casting factory in the Junction Triangle. In the meantime, there are a slew of bright new spaces showcasing the city’s best artists. Here, a guide to your next gallery crawl.
Gladstone Art Hut
The Gladstone Hotel has taken over an empty café on the other side of Queen Street, transforming the space into an immersive pop-up art space (the party ends in April, when the site will be razed for a new condo building). For now, the gallery is hosting a rotating series of mixed-media installations, including a group show featuring objects designed to fit in bankers’ boxes, a rhythmic performance piece from Montreal artist George Stamos and Chris Foster‘s March of Development, a shadow-box rendering of the Toronto skyline (pictured above). 1181 Queen St. W., gladstonehotel.com.
Tangled Art Gallery
It’s the city’s first gallery devoted to showcasing works by disabled artists, located in the artistic Shangri-La that is 401 Richmond. The thoughtful curatorial approach extends to patrons, too—Tangled makes sure every aspect of the gallery-going experience is fully accessible, which often means hanging works at lower heights, adding audio and video captioning, and providing touchable versions of every piece. Currently on display: a mixed-media exhibit called Own Your Cervix by Vanessa Dion Fletcher, who riffs on femininity with creative textiles—Wampum belts, damask and porcupine quills. 401 Richmond St. W., suite S-122, tangledarts.org.
The Loon
The city’s newest art space, located on the burgeoning strip of Sterling Road, is half gallery, half rustic lodge: the curators, Liam Crockard and Aleksandar Hardashnakov, line the walls with textured plywood and offer art lovers cups of beef-bone soup. The art is just as whimsical: past exhibits have included Grey Gardens–style photography, effervescent mixed-media paintings and oversized papier mâché dummies. 227 Sterling Rd., Unit 109A, theloon.info.
AC Repair Co.
Another gallery, another converted space in the Junction Triangle. This time, curators Jess Carroll and Emma Clough have revamped an old garage into a tiny art space—the floors are still stained concrete, the beams and brick are exposed, and there’s no bathroom on site. The curators are dedicated to showcasing work from unknowns: their last group installation included artists from the U.K., U.S. and Canada, and featured surrealist paintings, pop art banners and toy vending machines. 1588 Dupont St., rear building, acrepairs.co.
Richard Rhodes Dupont Projects
After 25 years as editor-in-chief of Canadian Art magazine, Rhodes left his post in 2015 and took over an empty space in the city’s reigning gallery district on Dupont. His latest show comes from photographer Katherine Knight, who photographs Maritime model ships and sailboats in all their nautical splendor. 1444 Dupont Street, unit 31, dupontprojects.com.
Roberta Pelan
Tucked away in an Entertainment District loft building, in a tiny storage room on the third floor, is Roberta Pelan, a new artist-run gallery that owner Manden Murphy named after his mother. The current exhibit is a grab bag of photography, sculpture and installation from several buzzy artists. 230 Adelaide St. W., suite 320, roberta.to.
. For now, the gallery is hosting a rotating series of mixed-media installations, including a group show featuring objects designed to fit in bankers’ boxes, a rhythmic performance piece from Montreal artist George Stamos and Chris Foster's March of Development, a shadow-box rendering of the Toronto skyline (pictured above). 1181 Queen St. W., gladstonehotel.com.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIAjdlwBgj7/?taken-by=tangled_arts
Tangled Art Gallery
It’s the city’s first gallery devoted to showcasing works by disabled artists, located in the artistic Shangri-La that is 401 Richmond. The thoughtful curatorial approach extends to patrons, too—Tangled makes sure every aspect of the gallery-going experience is fully accessible, which often means hanging works at lower heights, adding audio and video captioning, and providing touchable versions of every piece. Currently on display: a mixed-media exhibit called Own Your Cervix by Vanessa Dion Fletcher, who riffs on femininity with creative textiles—Wampum belts, damask and porcupine quills. 401 Richmond St. W., suite S-122, tangledarts.org.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJyiMyuDAwX/?taken-by=liamcrockard
The Loon
The city’s newest art space, located on the burgeoning strip of Sterling Road, is half gallery, half rustic lodge: the curators, Liam Crockard and Aleksandar Hardashnakov, line the walls with textured plywood and offer art lovers cups of beef-bone soup. The art is just as whimsical: past exhibits have included Grey Gardens–style photography, effervescent mixed-media paintings and oversized papier mâché dummies. 227 Sterling Rd., Unit 109A, theloon.info.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPIPnAOgJbB/?taken-by=acrepairco
AC Repair Co.
Another gallery, another converted space in the Junction Triangle. This time, curators Jess Carroll and Emma Clough have revamped an old garage into a tiny art space—the floors are still stained concrete, the beams and brick are exposed, and there’s no bathroom on site. The curators are dedicated to showcasing work from unknowns: their last group installation included artists from the U.K., U.S. and Canada, and featured surrealist paintings, pop art banners and toy vending machines. 1588 Dupont St., rear building, acrepairs.co.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_BYMpAKeC/?taken-by=dupontprojects
Richard Rhodes Dupont Projects
After 25 years as editor-in-chief of Canadian Art magazine, Rhodes left his post in 2015 and took over an empty space in the city’s reigning gallery district on Dupont. His latest show comes from photographer Katherine Knight, who photographs Maritime model ships and sailboats in all their nautical splendor. 1444 Dupont Street, unit 31, dupontprojects.com.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLebMhWBPrm/?taken-by=robertapelan
Roberta Pelan
Tucked away in an Entertainment District loft building, in a tiny storage room on the third floor, is Roberta Pelan, a new artist-run gallery that owner Manden Murphy named after his mother. The current exhibit is a grab bag of photography, sculpture and installation from several buzzy artists. 230 Adelaide St. W., suite 320, roberta.to.){kind=link}