Toronto's art crowd, used to wine and soft jazz, will be shocked by a new kind of art opening

April 11, 2011 - PRLog -- May 12th will mark the proverbial shake up of the Toronto Art Scene.  A pop up art show will emerge in a former worm factory in Toronto’s Queen West Art District.  As a break from art shows where attendees speak in hushed tones and contemplate the artist’s intentions - the artwork will be presented here as an invitation for the viewer to engage through the time honoured tradition of story telling.  The artist - Lauren Satok - believes strongly that once a work has been created it no longer belongs to the artist.  It then becomes a part of the experience of the observer who creates their own narrative around the work - often through an emotional connection.

Satok’s work is ideal for this form of interaction.  While the landscapes exhibited as part of this exhibition (entitled ‘All the Places We Have Been’) are as traditionally Canadian as a Group of Seven Painting - they possess a modern familiarity.  The viewer feels instantly a sense of nostalgia that springs from both Satok’s choices of local, seemingly un-fantastic subjects and the historical paint-style references she uses in her work.  The combination of these choices invites us into her Universe - one that is rich with discovery and reverence to those who have come before her.  

The presentation of the work will be anything but traditional. Along with her paintings in oil, there will be several video installations representing Satok’s unique view of Rural and Urban Ontario. The space will be transformed into a ‘boogie barn’ complete with hay, whiskey and a boogie woogie punk band called Boogie Infection (featuring Snow-heel Slim).   In keeping with the theory that the observers of the work are as much a part of it as the artist, live improvisers will create stories about the landscapes to engage attendees.

The event is a collaboration between Lauren Satok and Mandy May Cheetham, President of Artsy Fartsy PR:  “Canadians will always have a tight connection with traditional landscape paintings;  this does not mean they want them to be presented in a traditional way.  Art enthusiasts want to experience art, not just look at it.  Both Lauren and I have a great respect for fine art, but also believe that it can be about humour and fun and a celebration of our narrative, both as individuals and as a community”

The pop-up show will last for three days only.  The show will open on May 12th with a VIP reception from 6-8PM followed by an artist talk at 8:15 and a doh-si-doh from 8:30-10PM.  The gallery is located on the Milky Way (south of Queen off of Dufferin - 358 Dufferin St. Unit 117).  The Milky Way is also referred to as graffiti alley.  The exhibit will remain open from 12-6PM on Friday May 13th and Saturday May 14th.

Lauren Satok is a visual artist who has studied at the University of Guelph, OCAD and the University of Toronto.  She is well known for creating artwork that evokes realism and abstraction that revolves around the invocation of water, sky, earth and plant forms to illuminate and reflect a human involvement in our changing natural world.

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About Artsy Fartsy PR: Artsy Fartsy PR (AFPR) promotes the work of artists through non-traditional art events. Founded on the belief that the experience of art, once created, belongs to the observer, AFPR creates events with a strong interactive component which extends the creative process beyond the artist's experience of it.