re-naturalize exhibition
SEP 19 - 27
6 Leslie st. Toronto
ARTISTS
Paul Chartrand
Naomi Dodds
Anran Guo
Suzanne Morrissette
Lauren Schaffer
Matt Trinh
TH&B Collective
Located in a unique industrial space at 6 Leslie Street, this group exhibition, curated by Art Spin’s Layne Hinton & Rui Pimenta, takes over the former Telesat building, which from the late 1980s until the early 2020s served as a key operational and telecommunications facility, managing satellite signals and broadcast communications.
The space sits squarely between the largely industrial Port Lands, now a site of extreme transformation through the re-naturalization of the Don River, and the Leslie Street Spit, a peninsula constructed from rubble that is now home to a nature preserve. Inspired by these themes of re-naturalization, the exhibition explores the relationship between the human and natural worlds and asks what it means to create something natural through extreme human intervention.
Featuring the work of Paul Chartrand, Naomi Dodds, Anran Guo, Suzanne Morrissette, Lauren Schaffer, Matt Trinh and TH&B Collective, the exhibition brings together a range of artistic perspectives in a building with its own fascinating industrial history, set within a landscape undergoing dramatic transformation.
SPECIAL EVENTS
OPENING RECEPTION
Sat. sept 19 5-8pm
Be one of the first to see the exhibition and join us at an opening reception that doubles as the final stop of our Art Spin Bike Tour. Artists will be in attendance, alongside DJ General Eclectic, food vendors and bar service.
Tickets: Free! No tickets required
ART SPIN BIKE TOUR
sat. sept 19, 2-5pm
Art Spin bike tours are a roving curatorial project that situates commissioned, site-specific artworks in unique public spaces throughout the city. This edition features explores the ever-transforming neighbourhood of the Port Lands, and includes new projects by Toronto-based writers and performers Fan Wu and Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, as well as a dance piece choreographed by Montreal-based artist Marie Lambin-Gagnon, presented in partnership with The Lassonde Art Trail. The tour ends at the Re-Naturalize exhibition, and explores similar thematic themes throughout the projects.
From left to right: artworks by TH&B Collective, Lauren Schaffer, Suzanne Morrissette
GETTING HERE
The exhibition at 6 Leslie Street is accessible by TTC. From Pape Station, take the 72C Pape bus southbound to Commissioners Street and walk approximately 5 minutes south to the venue.
Visitors coming from downtown can also take the 504A King streetcar to Distillery Loop, then connect by bike, taxi or other local transportation into the Port Lands.
We recommend checking the TTC trip planner before travelling, as routes and service can change.
TRANSIT:
BICYCLE:
6 Leslie Street is easily accessible by bike via Toronto’s waterfront cycling network.
From downtown, follow the Martin Goodman Trail east through the Port Lands toward Leslie Street, then continue south along Leslie Street to the venue.
The Martin Goodman Trail connects directly into the Port Lands at Leslie Street. There is plenty of space to lock up your bike at the venue. There is also a Bike Share docking station directly across the street from the venue at the intersection of Leslie St. and Unwin Ave.
A small free parking lot is available for visitors at the venue. Street parking is also available on Leslie Street and Unwin Avenue, and there is a parking lot at the foot of Leslie Street.
PARKING:
ACCESSIBILITY:
This venue is on the ground floor and is accessed through a concrete and gravel parking lot with some uneven surfaces.
As it is an older and more industrial space it is not fully accessible, please bear with us as we familiarize ourselves with the space and provide more access related details as we can.
PARTNERS
Thank you to all of our volunteers, partners, collaborators and supporters who make Art Spin possible.
We would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario.
We are grateful to the project partners who help bring our programming to you. The bike tour & Re-naturalize exhibition are only possible through support from CreateTO, Waterfront Toronto, Lassonde Art Trail, Outer Harbour Marina, Toronto Port Authority and AJ Self Storage.
