Canadian talent on full display at Netflix and Artist Project openings

Artist Project Opening Night Preview, April 13, Toronto

Artist Project returned to Toronto April 13 to 16, hosting some 250 contemporary artists from across Canada, and their work, which ranged from sculpture and painting to mixed media and photography. Booth-style spaces allowed guests to explore each artist’s work in greater detail and connect with creators in person. April 13 marked this year’s opening night preview, where aside from first dibs on the offered works, there was a fashion show produced by Fashion Art Toronto featuring garments that blurred the line between mediums. New to this year’s show were a handful of immersive experiences, notably therapy sessions by Brooklyn-based performance artist Lisa Levy a.k.a. psychotherapist Dr. Lisa S.P. (self-proclaimed). Guests were invited to join her for individualized “counselling” sessions, at the end of which an artistic prescription for their grievances was prescribed. Artist Rose Aura was there for opening night and also played with themes of self care, performing her aura photography, which uses a specialized camera to show aura energy levels (a reading to determine one’s “vibes” follows). Dotting the show were 10 large-scale installations including the Brooklyn-based artist Ryan Bock, who made his Canadian debut with a playable chess game titled Ode to Duchamp: A Liar. Among those out: Artists Benny Bing and Jordan Mimran, who were also showing work at the fair; fashion designers Dorian Who and Evan Biddell; Lucia Remedios of Analogue Gallery; entrepreneur Marcus Doyle; and Mia Nielsen, director of both Art Toronto and Artist Project.

Mia Nielsen and Shayne Stephens.Ryan Emberley/The Globe and Mail

Muriel Solomon and Paulo Leone.The Globe and Mail

Bruno Billio.Ryan Emberley/The Globe and Mail

Heather Kerrison, Meghan Yuri Young and Pranavi Suthagar.Ryan Emberley/The Globe and Mail

Dorian Who.Ryan Emberley/The Globe and Mail

Victoria Sequeira and Halla Rafati.Ryan Emberley/The Globe and Mail

Netflix Canada Offices Opening Party, April 4, Toronto

The previous week, on the eve of April 4, streaming giant Netflix gave a party to inaugurate its new Toronto offices. The company has made inroads in Canada over the past several years and with this new office – spanning 10,000 square feet inside the mixed-use megastructure the Well – now have a local base and official Canadian headquarters. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was on host duties and not surprisingly, the crowd was dotted with a number of Canadian-born-cum-Hollywood talents, many of whom have had, or will soon have, content on the platform. Among them: Comedian Mae Martin of the new special SAP; Suits star Patrick J. Adams and Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Also out, was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau; actors Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things fame, Anna Cathcart, Jason Priestley and Eric McCormack; acting Toronto mayor Jennifer McKelvie; Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, co-founders of the Black Academy; U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David L. Cohen, and the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman.