I managed to catch the last day of the Toronto International Fine Art Fair, a week ago, Monday. An enervating experience!  This had little to do with (many) gallery representatives being tired and inattentive.  Quite simply, the atmosphere seemed flat and nothing stood out as different or exceptional.  Having shown at Toronto Art Expo in March (at the Toronto Convention Center as well), this previous disappointing experience sprung to mind.  Also, I hear from others that Toronto’s Nuit Blanche (which coincided on the Saturday night of the Fine Art Fair) was even worse this year than last.  Despite the organizational PR and swish website, I understand that people appeared to be wandering the streets aimlessly, seeking something that might impress them, but going home tired and deflated.

Having just returned from the Liverpool Biennale, which was hopping, it’s hard not to make comparisons.  I think there’s a lot Toronto’s arts community (and sponsors) can learn from what’s happening across the Atlantic—not just from how artwork is exhibited, but to how ambiance is induced.  User-friendliness, approachability/accessibility, and interactive involvement (at all levels) help create a more fun environment that keeps you engaged. 

From the Walker Art Gallery’s (first photo in this blog entry) John Moores’ and Ben Johnson’s exhibits, to the Conservation Center (second photo in this blog entry), to the Tate Gallery, to Bloomberg’s New Contemporaries, I was surprised and delighted to see the range of possibilities—something for all tastes, attention spans, and budgets.

What’s nice about the British approach is that everyone can get involved somehow, and keep passion alive. (Please see the photo of the interactive display, above, at the Conservation Center.)  Also, most museums and galleries are free (and government/trust supported), with lots of helpers around to explain and motivate.  You can even try things out for yourself, with projects like The Big Draw, which reminds that "drawing is for life, not just for children!"  (Please see the the photo below, also check out www.campaignfordrawing.org.)

 

Canada-based artists, currently on exhibit in Liverpool, include, David Altmedj, at the Tate, with his piece, The Holes, and Paul Ygartua, in Bar Four at the Hard Days’ Night Hotel.  And, then there’s street art, from all parts and in all parts, that’s catching a lot of attention—like the spider behind Liverpool’s Town Hall. (Anthony Gormley’s spectacular installation "Another Place" exhibit in the Mersey Estuary ended up staying more permanently.  Be fun if this one could too!) That’s my photo of the spider, but the Telegraph has a better night-time shot.

 

The point is that art excites and motivates. The more of it that’s around, the more people get interested, causing new opportunities/creativity (of all types) to emerge, as well as interesting juxtapositions of old and new—like with Liverpool Town Hall, behind which the spider dazzles, by night.