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This is the second publication of Broke Magazine – therein lies the relevance of this letter that I’m writing as the editor of it. Yesterday I read a quote by playwright Natalie Clifford Barney that said, “Entrepreneurship is the last refuge of the trouble making individual.” Well, if that’s the case then I’m here to wreak havoc, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this journey it’s this: you are entirely up to you. Sarah Amormino Editor-in-Chief
@dnusc
www.brokemagazine.net @brokemag 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publishers. Views expressed in BROKE are those of their respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the editorial team.
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EDITOR IN CHIEF, PUBLISHER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sarah Amormino DESIGN Margaret Brosnan Shayne Heathfield COPY EDIT Becky Robertson PHOTOGRAPHY Susannah van der Zaag Mateo Roksandic Galen Ward Austen Ambraska Andrew Butler Sam Fidlin Merik Williams Claire Davis ART Dillon Nusca Tim Skynz Tyler Tapa Nicolas Capretta Katie Morton Jordann Murray Dylan Gerard Thibert Stacie Ant Krista Sobocan Steven DaLgarno Nathan Loberg Pumpkin Spice Broad WORDS Joel Levy Courtney Miceli Michelle-Andrea Girouard Angaer Arop STYLING Mariah Hamilton MAKEUP Alexis Tataryn MODELS Lark Huska Ben Biniamen FRONT COVER Nicolas Capretta BACK COVER @altpaca WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO Margaret Brosnan and Megan Dussin – you two are honey loves and the ultimate fucking chicks. This would not have been possible without you.
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HOW DID YOU DO WITH THE ACTIVITY? GOOD? I HOPE SO. I BET YOU WERE MAKING A WORLD OF ASSUMPTIONS. I BET YOU ASSUMED EVERY RACE, COLOUR AND RELIGION. I BET YOU COULDN’T GUESS THAT ALL OF THESE HUMANS ARE APART OF SOMETHING LARGER. IF YOU HAVEN’T GUESSED BY NOW, OBF STANDS FOR ONE BIG FAMILY. OBF WAS FOUNDED IN 2013 TO BUILD A SUPERIOR FAMILY OF LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT LET THE OPINIONS OF SHEEP AFFECT THEIR SLEEP. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT BOUNDARIES OR BORDERS THAT WERE PLACED BEFORE US. WE ARE A FAMILY FROM THIS PLANET NOT RESTRAINED BY COUNTRIES OR BORDERS, AND ALWAYS THINK BEFORE ACTING . IT IS THIS CONCEPT THAT STARTED OBF. OBF IS NOT LIMITED TO ONE ASPECT OF RADNESS. OUR FAMILY CONSISTS OF MEMBERS WHO ENJOY EXTREME SPORTS, LURKING IN THE NIGHT EXPRESSING THEMSELVES ON WALLS, EVOKING EMOTION THROUGH THE GNARLIEST BEATS, THE ONES CAPTURING IMAGES, AND THE ONES WHO ENJOY A RELAXING MOMENT. WE ARE NOT LIMITED TO ANY MEDIUM, WE WILL EXPRESS OURSELVES ANYWAY WE FEEL WHILE INDIRECTLY HELPING OTHERS THROUGH OUR CRAFT.
AT OBF WE BELIEVE THAT GIVING BACK AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS KEY TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HUMANS AND “LIFE”. IF YOU WANT TO BE APART OF THIS FAMILY AND HELP ALL OF YOUR FELLOW FAMILY MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS BUYING A SHIRT. A PERCENTAGE OF EACH T-SHIRT OR APPAREL ITEM WILL BE DONATED TO A CHARITY IN NEED. THIS WORLD IS OURS. OBF PLANS ON BEING AN INTEGRAL PART IN ASSURING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR WORLD AND OUR FAMILY. BE APART OF THE BIGGER PICTURE WITH OBF SO PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE TO GO WITHOUT PROPER NEEDS LIKE SUBSISTENCE. IF YOU WANT TO SEE OUR STEP BY STEP JOURNEY INTO THIS INDUSTRY OR IF YOU WANT TO JOIN, SIMPLY CHECK OUT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING. INSTAGRAM @OBFCLOTHING TWITTER @OBFCLOTHING WEB WWW.OBFCLOTHING.COM TUMBLR OBFC.TUMBLR.COM “STARTING A CLOTHING BRAND IS NOT A JOKE. THIS IS THE MOST STRESSFUL THING I HAVE EVER GONE THROUGH. DOING THIS HAS SENT MY MIND ON A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF UPS AND DOWNS. IT’S WORTH IT THOUGH BECAUSE NOTHING IS GREATER THAN SEEING STRANGERS COME TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW. I HAVE MET SO MANY HARDWORKING CREATIVE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF IT. ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING THOUGH IS CREATING MOTIVATION FOR OTHERS. THERE IS A POINT I FEEL THAT EVERY BRAND REACHES. IT’S THE POINT OF NO RETURN BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTING YOU AND COUNTING ON YOU TO CONTINUE” ONE BIG FAMILY
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BIRDS-EYE VIEW BIRD’S-EYE VIEW INTERVIEW BY: SARAH AMORMINO
PHOTOGRAPHER GALEN WARD @houseofgw
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INTERVIEW SARAH AMORMINO @sarahamor
@houseofgw
In Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption, there is a quote that says, “Some birds are not meant to be caged, that is all.” After chatting with Toronto artist BirdO, that quote became more clear to me. I had originally heard of BirdO from some work that he’d done in Detroit. “Any friend of Detroit is a friend of mine,” he said to me after I pitched him a feature idea. I interviewed him in his studio in Parkdale – a new addition to his creative world, “I have a couple pals who will come chill, it’s pretty funny because if you take the sentiment and apply it literally, we’re watching paint dry.” As he mixed some paint on his pallet, I eased into the interview… If you could choose the colour of your blood, what colour would it be? “What would you say that colour is? Aqua? Aqua marine? Yeah we’ll go with that. My blood would be aqua marine.”
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When you were younger did you think you’d grow up to be an artist? “As they say, ‘There are those who make things happen, those who wait for things to happen, and then those who say ‘what happened?’ For the longest time I was a ‘wait for things to happen’ type of individual, so to be honest I had no idea. I went to university, flunked out of university, moved back home to the Prairies… I was pretty good in school, but I literally just road the wave. It took a little while to happen upon the fact that I loved to paint, so I feel super blessed and fortunate to be able to have that as a career. Painting makes me very happy, so obviously I go at it full force.” Why “BirdO”? “My nickname in high school was J-Bird, so it was just evolution of a nickname. I’ve always found that with graffiti and street artists, the most suitable names are nicknames.”
How old were you when you moved to Toronto? “I was 18 years old. Torontonian’s know, when you live here you kind of get your own little zone in the city. I get defensive when I’m abroad for Toronto. Canada is sort of slept on, and people aren’t really informed on anything except for its clichés. Although my version of Toronto is actually quite small, Toronto is incredible.” What city in the world do you think represents your artistic aesthetic the most? “From other people I’m often described as having a Central Ameri -can or South American aesthetic. I painted in Nicaragua, and that was an incredible experience. I’m a beach bum at heart. But I love Detroit.” What is it about Detroit? “Detroit is an amazing place. It’s got an amazing history and everyone knows
@houseofgw
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the shit it’s been through over the past few years. For an artist it’s somewhat of a mecca. Unfortunately over half of the city is abandoned or more, and that’s a terrible thing, but for an artist to go there and have over 50 per cent of the city to just be blank canvas’, it’s a pretty beautiful thing. I would love to sit in Detroit for months at a time; it’s just so contusive to being creative. And it’s dirt-cheap. So you can feel why things are going to pop off –there’s a lot to be offered there, so it makes sense to be there. Definitely there’s something going on in Detroit. Any minny suggestion to a trip to Detroit and I’m there.” Got any big plans for travel? “Absolutely. The beautiful thing about being an artist is that I’m not tied down to an office chair. And because I’m interested in the mural and street artist scene, a big part of that is getting out there and doing your thing wherever you can. It’s such a fortunate culture for those who get to play within it because not only did the mediums change, but also t he walls are different, so you get to immerse yourself in new cultures while doing what you love. Travelling, yeah – that’s a super high priority on my list of things to-do.” You feature a lot of your work on Instagram, is there a reason for that? “Instagram is such a great platform for artists right now. It’s a platform to show photographs. And I mean, that’s exactly where the world of street art is.” Is there an emotional difference between paintings on a small canvas versus a huge wall? “I’m known to get pretty emotional when I paint. If one piece takes 30 hours, whether it’s an in-studio canvas piece or a 3 or 4-day wall mural, I go through the gambit. One second I’m kicking a bottle around, the other I’m nearly pulling my hair out. So there is that similarity. If I had to choose only one I’d certainly want to paint walls. I don’t know what it is about it – it’s just such a cool experience.” There’s always an audience for a wall. “Absolutely. It’s a weird thing, you’re leaving it out there for the public to digest and you never really know how it’s going to affect them.” What would be your advice to an aspiring young artists? “My advice to an aspiring young artist would be my advice to an aspiring anything: the first question anyone should identify is where you want to go. You’re standing at A right now, what’s your B? I spent a lot of time studying; I think if you want to go somewhere, an effective way to get there is to listen to the stories of others. Listening to influencial individuals in society – one of the most common things about them is that they knew exactly where they wanted to be. ‘To be’ is the ultimate goal. ‘To be a professional artist’ was my goal. Specific goals – just write that shit down. Setting goals is so important. That check-in point fuels you. You should shoot for the stars, because even if you come up short, the stratosphere is pretty damn great.” @jerryrugg
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@uncleedrew A PHOTO ESSAY
drewbutlerphoto@gmail.com 500px.com/uncledrew
BY: ANDREW BUTLER
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PHOTOGRAPHER ANDREW BUTLER @uncledrew
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@Stilez x @SoTeeOh x @AlenPalander INTERVIEW BY: JOEL LEVY
@stilez
Instagram’s medium is producing and showcasing some of Toronto’s most brilliant creatives. For some, it’s a platform to show videos, pictures and follow your favourite celebrities. For others, not only has it been the root to new careers and hobbies, but it’s also provided talented and professional photographers with massive amounts of audience members. The advancement of cellphone cameras, the popularity of photo sharing services, and the interest from brands in working with creatives has prompted new photographers to format their Instagram into personal gallery’s where they can professionally display their work to both fans and potential clients. To find out more about this movement, I had a chat with several local Toronto photographers and “Instagrammers” who could shed some light on the industry. Instagram socialite, @Stilez, has always appreciated photography, but never envisioned that he would be shooting the way he does now. A trip to Europe in 2009 with his first iPhone sparked an interest in sharing photos through social media. At the time, it was Facebook and Twitter. “As soon as I started using social media to share photos, something clicked,” said Stilez. “All my friends loved it.” The interest and engagement that he received from his network was his first introduction to the world of communication with an audience through imagery in real time. In 2011, while working as a developer for Lava Life in Toronto, Stilez was offered the position to manage their social media channels. It was this extra work that helped Stilez practice in his new endeavor and build experience for managing a community of visual storytelling. In late 2011, Stilez landed a job at INK Entertainment doing live social media for their music venues. The main focus – The Guvernment Nightclub. “They wanted me to do all the live tweets and pictures for every event,” said Stilez. He would shoot backstage with famous DJs, take shots of the crowd and catch photos of the audience members. The following that was received from Stilez’ work led to INK bringing in a full-time social media manager to help with the company’s multiple clubs and accounts. Because Stilez was still working for Lava Life during the day, he couldn’t take on another job. So instead, he made a list of potentials. On that list: Tristan Banning, who runs the website “Sidewalk Hustle” with co-owner and girlfriend Hawley Dunbar. Banning was hired, and over the next year, the social accounts of INK Entertainment’s nightlife properties grew to large numbers with heavy engagement. Up until January 2015, Banning worked for INK until he decided it was time to focus more on her website (which had an Instagram following of over 113,000). The battle for better pictures and better gear grew to a competitive level during Stilez’ time at INK, so every few months it was time for an upgrade. In around 2013, Stilez left INK and started to work with brands. A “Top Instagrammers in Toronto” post on BlogTO gave him recognition and just the right amount of motivation to pursue photography full-time.
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LG, a mobile solutions company, contacted Stilez to test out phones (I was told that LGG2 was a huge upgrade in low light conditions). After that, Samsung contacted him about testing the Samsung Galaxy Camera. It was this camera by Samsung that introduced Stilez to a camera that had more manual settings. Finally, a connection with Nikon was established and in 2015, he was introduced to the Nikon D750 – his first DSLR camera. “That forever changed my life,” he told me. The camera allowed him to have crystal clear images, multiple focal lengths, and the ability to edit in RAW format using Lightroom and Photoshop. Today, Stilez continues to work both with brands and also in the nightlife scene. He runs the music website “Beyond The Drop”, and takes photos across the city. He has worked for brands like Air Miles, Sony, Nobis and others. Local creative @SoTeeOh, who also got into professional photography after using Instagram as a platform to showcase his work, sees two sides of the Instagram photography world. “I think that if you want to make a career out of photography you should definitely use Instagram to showcase your work, but you also need to learn the craft and develop the skills of a real photographer so you can get paid outside of IG,” said SoTeeOh. “Every single professional photographer I know, even the ones with huge online followings, does a lot of work outside of Instagram. When you do work outside of Instagram, nobody cares what your numbers are. So if you don’t know what you're doing it will become apparent very quickly,” SoTeeOh explained. Alen Palander, another photographer who has made a big name for himself since picking up a DSLR six years ago, started to use Instagram and quickly gained an online following three years ago. “I started off with Instagram and then moved to Picasa and Flickr. I then deleted Picasa and Flickr and transitioned into VSCO, Tumblr, and now 500px,” Palander said. “My first "paid" Instagram gig was for a clothing company.” With extensive travelling and paid Instagram gigs, Palander put his Masters of Architecture on hold so he could globetrot and pursue his passion for photography. “I've set out to truly explore all corners of the globe and expand not only my portfolio but also my perspective.” Currently Palander is working with Passion Passport, a community of travellers, storytellers and creatives. Through this partnership, he has been able to visit Vancouver, Banff, Calgary, Hong Kong, Guangzhou (China), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Siem Reap (Cambodia), Phuket (Thailand) and Bangkok. On Instagram, paid gigs can run as high as 1 dollar per like on a sponsored photo. For some accounts, 20,000 pictures is the norm, which can make for a very lucrative industry… if played right.
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LOVEBOT THE ROBOT INTERVIEW BY: SARAH AMORMINO Lovebot. You may not have heard this name before, but 10/10 you’ve seen it around town. From stickers and graffiti to 113kg concrete structures – it’s a symbol for love in this crazy fucking city, and Matthew Del Degan started it all.
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What is Lovebot? Lovebot is a robot. It is a fictional character designed to love. How did Lovebot come to life? I was sitting on the streetcar in Toronto thinking to myself, ‘Boy, everyone looks like a faceless robot.’ People had their eyes fixed to their cellphones, ears plugged with headphones and mouths shut… everyone was so inexpressive. At the time I was talking and joking around with a gentleman, and I wondered why it looked like people weren’t enjoying life in the city as much as I was. ‘Why are people all disconnected?’ Oh the irony of cell phones these days. While I yammed it out with this wild and boisterous man, I saw a girl who was with her grandmother. I thought then, we are not faceless robots; we have big hearts and the ability to love. How the fuck did you make these 113kg concrete robots by yourself? I managed to, lovingly, command a group of 30 + volunteers over the span of two very tough summers. We were unified by the plan to bring more love into Toronto. To, “illuminate the love that exists in Toronto and inspire more.” Together, we did succeed. When did the 3D Lovebot turn into the 2D Lovebot? Or was it always in graffiti form? It started with a sketch, and then a clay sculpture, and then shitty resin, and then stickers. The stickers were pivotal to the evolution of Lovebot. I would send stickers all over the world. After the stickers I made concrete robots and posters, and then the graffiti blossomed. Now it’s murals and graffiti and designing methods to make the world a better place. I’m always trying to figure out the next campaign or plan to create value for others – ‘What can I do to give back? How can I make a positive impact in others lives?’ You’re walking down a busy street in Toronto – what catches your eye? Women and graffiti tags. I like to think I can read both like a book. Just kidding… but honestly, I have learned to read a tag covered door like a page from a book, and Toronto does easily have some of the most beautiful women on earth. What’s the coolest thing that you’ve had happen as a result of this? It’s really my life at this point. It’s a constant adventure. I’ve met some of the best and worst people you can imagine. I’ve been everywhere from assaulted by police to praised and loved by the community. I’ve helped raise over a million dollars for charity (more than once) and I’ve spent countless days doing what I love so, as a whole – Lovebot is the coolest thing I’ve done. Except for skydiving over 130 times. When I get to 200 Skydives I’ll start flying wingsuits. That will likely trump much of what I’ve done. Ugh… Trump. That word I’ve learned to loathe. Lovebot’s have never been political, but it’s natural for the Love guy to absolutely scorn that man's idiotic behaviour. Anyone contributing to the divide of humanity and hate of other humans is a complete imbecile. 1-10 how powerful do you believe street art is? That’s up to the artist. I’d say it’s always a potential 10. What’s ahead? Kids books, more murals and graffiti, inspiring others to believe that love triumphs over fear, that beauty elevates, that play keeps us young, that art and ideas create real change in the world, and that with relentless passion, play and a common unity we can cumulatively build a better life for all of us… or something like that.
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@jordannmurray
You are floating on a precipice falling passing the faces unknown to you it is spring and you are here and alive you are known to him as he is to you the wrench of the city has become irrelevant there is so much beauty around you breathe in the wonders of the air feel yourself gliding along the concrete weighted down by your steady beat unable to feel the ground beneath you - Jordann Murray
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Purple Pedals & a Time Traveller Named Sudan dark matter lives in the skins that grasp for the eternity of sunlight. there is something about your skin that makes me think of the sorrows my people have brung upon each other. how afraid we were of what beauty once was. your skin brings me home, centuries into my body; where such beauty lasted. your skin brings back the forgotten. he was the reminiscent scent of Sudan's romance he sounded like what soft skin kissed in coconut oil would feel like. slick and luxurious and unattainable. he sings lullabies to daydreamer's like me. dear time traveller did you know that sitting in make belief gardens does not quench the thirst for romance and that pink matter will always sit tucked away in a plethora of purple covering. dear time traveller violet always came before pink in our outer anatomy. so maybe if you sat and smelt the flowers you'd taste...purple pedals. dear time traveller did you know that I left her for these foreign flowers. I still find her in the way cloves kiss my lips when drinking tea. I am a mere birth on her soil But she remains in my blood when I walk on different lands Maybe she is upset because my first steps were not on her. I cannot stop imagining her all over my skin, to the depths of my body. But I can't remember her physicality, only her warm feels. She never left me, but I left to be soiled in a dream. Her reality should have been enough for me dear time traveller i am trying to find Sudan. -Angaer Arop
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Musings Art is dead And we're just shoveling shit We wage war against the family unit Against community, and all forms of equality Through the Sanctification of oppression We are granted the privilege to dominate every heart I am modern man And I have fallen through the sea glass Like an Angel in flames We are damned for all time Worn and deteriorated terabytes Glitching across the black mirror of our galaxy -Dylan Thibert
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CAPTAIN COWBOY & THE MONEY MAKER INSERT TITLE INTERVIEW BY: COURTNEY MICELI PHOTOGRAPHER CLAIRE DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CLAIRE DAVIS
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INTERVIEW COURTNEY MICELI
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Busk: mid 17th century: from obsolete French busquer, ‘to seek’ I remember one morning we were having breakfast and I looked at him and I said, ‘I really don’t like what we’re doing. This is really miserable.’ -D Captain Cowboy and the Money Maker are a washboardin’, string pluckin’, folk singin’ duo that found their solace in the subways. Alex Shaw and Dayna Pirso spend five hours a day, six days a week piercing the commuter bubble with the lusty howl of a resonator guitar and the twang of a homemade banjo. Porch music. That’s what busking was in the beginning. There’s just something pure about it. You know, we grab our instruments, we put on our dumb costumes and we drop the case right there. -A After dwelling in the misery of the status quo, the two lovers and bandmates said goodbye to their rural home in Udora, Ontario. They quit their jobs and ingrained themselves in the subterranean city with a new mantra in mind. We’ll never starve. As long as we have our guitars, we’ll never starve. -A
Dayna calls their band a vending machine, sustaining itself on the odd toonies and dimes that inhabit the crevices of your pocket. She pulls at a rubber pig nose that hangs off her neck and holds it up to her face. It’s the Money Maker’s tool. I make a big deal about collecting tips because I want people to know that artists are worth money. -D If you wanna be good at your art form, then you gotta be doing it all the time. And if you want to do it all the time, then you gotta generate some revenue. -A Money is a motive, but not making much is a small sacrifice. The greater profit, they say, is experiencing life on a nomad’s stage. Tonight, they’re playing at a bar on Roncesvalles Avenue. A man walks by their table and leans over. “Sorry, are you guys--you were playing at Runnymede subway station!” he says. They share a brief exchange. A familiar, yet freshly fulfilled smile crawls across their faces.
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It’s weird being in the TTC because it’s kind of like an underground ecosystem. -D The TTC is Toronto’s pulsing artery that carries life to the brinks of our urban bubble. Busking in the heat of rush hour, Alex and Dayna are constantly stirred by its medley of characters. The underground stations are a necessity for travellers and refuge for the travelled--a cellist from China, a violinist from Russia, two funky folks from Udora, Ontario. They each breathe soul into the subway and, as Alex says, work to remind the monkey herd of life’s immediate joys. Monkeys are not herd animals, but on the TTC, they’re forced to be herd animals. Naturally, they want to break away...They’re not bison! -A Captain Cowboy and the Money Maker intrigue the monkeys with their shiny instruments and lively dance moves. They’ve escaped their cage and they’re just beginning to indulge in that fascinating freedom. One more for the people on the platform!
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@_krista_sobocan_art_ @_krista_sobocan_art
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BEN & BREAKFAST PHOTOGRAPHY: MERIK WILLIAMS williams.merik@gmail.com MODEL: BEN BINIAMEN
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COLDSTREAM FINE ART GALLERY INTERVIEW/PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE-ANDREA GIROUARD
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I step into the redbrick warehouse a few strides away from one of Toronto’s busiest intersections, Spadina and King, and make my way to the second floor where I’m greeted by an empty, white loft. I call to the space, “Hello?” No response. I wait a few minutes. Then I call to the owner, “Kariv?” No response. To the dismay of my grumbling stomach, I’m left alone to peruse the dozens of colourful canvases of single-itemed treats like donuts, cookies and hotdogs that adorn the walls. Coldstream Art Gallery, which opened in April last year, is located in an unusual spot for a gallery with such a young history. Many of its predecessors have left the daunting real estate prices of the Fashion District for more affordable spots like the now trendy Junction, but this one stands firm among million dollar businesses like Shopify. The owner, Kariv Oretsky, who walks in after a period of my drooling over a few Hershey Kisses paintings, explains later that he chose the spot specifically for its proximity to the downtown core where a large portion of his clientele is. Unlike many dealers who would have worked for another art gallery before opening their own, Oretsky went from almost a decade of working in the finance industry to quitting and then opening up Coldstream. “A job in finance is pretty lucrative compared to other industries,” he said. “It can be interesting, rewarding, and fulfilling in certain ways, but I wanted something with a more creative outlet.” Having grown up in a household where his father, an established realist painter, could spend an entire year finishing one painting in his studio, Kariv had always been drawn to the art world. He saw the opportunity to fulfil that passion when the art curators that represented his father’s work in Toronto closed down their gallery. He quit his high-end job on Bay Street, put all his savings into his new business, and began representing his father. Hence the name Coldstream, which is an ode to the street he grew up on. “There was definitely a bit of a learning curve,” he said of opening the business without prior experience. “I feel like now we’re really hitting that stride where we’ve seen and done a lot, and we’re a lot better prepared to face whatever is coming our way.” Since many of his contacts were made during his career in the financial district, Oretsky says the gallery is catered towards a general audience, as opposed to strictly the art scene. “There was a feeling that (they) might encounter snobbiness from the art dealer, or just encounter this environment where they’re not made to feel very comfortable because of a culture or personality clash,” he said. “I definitely hope that whoever comes in here feels comfortable.” Perhaps this uncommon start to the business is one of the reasons for the gallery’s growing success. Recently, they landed one of their biggest artists, Shantell Martin, a British doodler whose work has been featured at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City and in publications like the New York Times and Vogue. They’ve also exhibited Toronto artists like Erin Rothstein, whose food artwork I drooled over, and photographer Harrison Taylor. “Toronto’s art scene is definitely growing,” said Oretsky. “It has a certain swag and cool factor, not just through music, but also art and culture and I’m proud to be part of the scene.”
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@altpaca @@altpaca