From March 1st to 4th, The Artist Project marked its fifth anniversary with a memorable and YP-appropriate show, featuring original works by a juried selection of over 200 independent contemporary artists at the Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place. The Artist Project is Canada’s largest art fair for young and emerging artists, who come from around the world to take part and experience the energy of a young, cutting edge crowd.
The Artist Project launched with an “ENERGY”-themed kick-off party on Thursday, March 1st to benefit the Canadian Art Foundation and the work it does with Canadian artists. The energy-filled event featured live music from the sultry Clara Venice, no shortage of food stations (including delicious eats from Zelda’s Kitchen served up by drag queens), and live installations, making for a well-spent Thursday evening for us. The crowd included a mixed bag of creative professionalsand we saw some familiar faces of fellow art scene and restaurant opening YP regulars.
From seasoned YP collectors to younger, first-time art buyers and YP interior designers, The Artist Project offered visitors the unique chance to meet and purchase work directly from Canadian and international artists. We were excited to be among the first to view original works of art and were impressed by the mix of pieces, which included photography, sculpture, textile, digital media and mixed media. With options under $500, these pieces were actually attainable for the up-and-coming young professional.
This year’s fair was the biggest yet, with more than 12,000 visitors throughout its four-day duration. Special features include the Art Chats seminar series, the Untapped Emerging Artist Competition, The Energy Competition and expert-led tours to give YPs an insider’s view on new trends in the art world. A new addition this year was the Take-12 Sony Lounge, which featured works developed by five photographers using the SONY A77 Translucent Mirror Camera (takes 12 shots per second). Editions were available for purpose and we even got to try out this revolutionary camera.
We left happy, inspired and well-fed. We heard the after party at Parts and Labour remained bumping to the wee hours of the morning and that the show was enjoyed by friends throughout the weekend, some of whom returned home excited to deck their walls with their new finds.
Click here for the full gallery.
