News

Painter Ansel Yamamoto Mitic isn't very interested in talking up his new exhibition. As he hangs around the G+ Galleries in Toronto, the artist is totally focused on a yellow toy car, which he keeps crashing into the wall, while ignoring the 15 abstract works that make up the show.

But at 2 1/2 years old, Ansel can be forgiven for not understanding the ways of the art world, even as his paintings have earned the spotlight. "These are like the works of a mature painter," curator Holly Lee says of the untitled canvases, which feature strong brushstrokes, bold (and tasteful) use of colour and a bit of experimentation.

Of course, there is a proud parent behind the show: Ansel's father, Viktor Mitic, is himself a painter who had a show at G+ this summer. But while Ansel's name suggests a visual-arts pedigree, Mitic claims he didn't particularly pay attention to his toddler's visual talents. "He was watching me in my studio, and said, 'Dada! ch! ch!' indicating that he wanted to paint."

So Mitic, who is currently working on large-scale abstracts, gave his son some canvases to work on. In one case, Ansel, who is barely large enough to manipulate a brush, painted a diptych on two canvases pushed together ("I figured he was going to spill the paint all over the place, anyway," his dad says). One of the other paintings shows tracks from his tricycle. When a friend mistook Ansel's work for his father's, the idea for the show was born.

Ansel Yamamoto Mitic: Ni Sei continues at G+ Galleries, 50 Gladstone Ave., Toronto, through Oct. 28 (416-535-6957).