MONDOmagazine » Artist Profile

Scotiabank CONTACT 2010: An Interview with Ruth Kaplan

art — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:16:21 +0000

By Kerry Freek Have you ever wondered what draws people to faith? As a teenager, I was once asked to attend a Pentecostal service with some friends from school. More out of curiosity than any kind of desire to “give my heart to Jesus,” I decided to go. What followed was exposure a different world – [...]

Artist Profile: Steven Laurie

art — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:00:49 +0000

By Carolyn Tripp "A friend of mine and I were sitting on the sidewalk one day," artist Steven Laurie explains, "and wondering out loud what it would take for people who didn't typically talk about art to be compelled to come into a gallery or be interested in a contemporary art show." The possibilities often seem stunted by the fairly insular environments that many art communities tend to foster. This is equally perpetuated either by design or lack of funds, and more often than not, a little bit of both. It's a conundrum that many artists choose, understandably, not [...]

Interview: Morris Lum

art — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:40 +0000

The commercial areas of Toronto's suburbs are weird and wonderful experiments in postcolonialism. In many ways, they're blank slates, plazas filled in gradually with a combination of big-box stores and shops and restaurants that are representative of the area's predominant cultures and ethnicities. Morris Lum calls them ethnoscapes. Here, he says, "you may encounter a Chinese restaurant beside a Caribbean roti house and a Tim Horton's." But as day turns to night, these car-centric areas of commerce grow quiet and lonely. It's in this still, brightly-lit period, in these "monumental signifiers of North America," that Lum documented New Cultural Topographics, a commentary on his self-proclaimed hybrid heritage. Lum is part of the first-ever DOC/now, Ryerson University's MFA Thesis Festival. Organized by its students, the festival celebrates work by the first graduating class of Ryerson's new documentary media program. The festival opened on Thursday, June 11 and runs until June 23. MONDO had a quick conversation with Morris about his series.

Remember Who’s Emma: Punk, Politics, and Place

art — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:00:32 +0000

By Julia Baird Lyndall Musselman is on a quest to show that “Who’s Emma” is not just a rhetorical question without proper punctuation. As a part of the DOC/now festival (presenting work by the first graduating class in Ryerson University’s MFA in Documentary Media program), Lyndall’s project, Remember Who’s Emma, is an interdisciplinary documentary portraying a [...]

Toronto’s Project 165 Made a Deal with the Devil

art — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:22 +0000

By Julia Baird Project 165, hub of the artist collaboration Methinks Presents, is buzzing with activity. Several people, including Ryan Ringer, the main instigator of Methinks, work on arranging sale items in the front gallery for a fundraiser that's four days away. People mill in and out of the artist studios. When I have trouble finding my pen, Ryan hands me one filled with pink ink and explains that he enjoys the invigoration of writing in colours other than blue and black. Pinpointing the essence of Methinks Presents is a tricky task, but the collective has something to do with all of the following words: surprise, inclusion, action, spontaneity, performance, disruption, sharing, and support. Ryan explains, "Methinks is about collective action and collaboration. There's been a lot of play, make-believe, and ongoing narratives." Methinks began in 2003 at the Ontario College of Art and Design with Ryan and Kevin Mayo. Eventually Kevin left for his own ventures and Methinks developed into a more collaborative [...]

Fashion Profile: n.s. designs

art — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:00:31 +0000

By Helen Fylactou Fashion designer Natalie Simms, with her perpetual smile and her bright red hair, is a breath of fresh air in the fashion industry. She first exploded onto the scene in 2006 with her own design company. Based out of Toronto, n.s designs draws inspirations from music and nature. Simms' street fashion designs can be worn right off the runway. The Hot White Night collection encompasses designs for men and women. Using light linens, and with a hint of bold colour, the garments are natural. The slim pants are [...]

Interview: Daniela Vlaskalic

art — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:00:37 +0000

By Matt McGeachy Last week, I sat down with Daniela Vlaskalic, who plays Sister James, a young, idealistic nun, in CanStage's production of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt. Vlaskalic is a newly minted Stratford veteran, a playwright, and a graduate of the University of Alberta. We talked about politics, religion, guilty pleasures, innocence, and, of course, Doubt. MONDO: In the director's notes for Doubt, Marti Maraden wrote that a good portion of play's allure comes from the fact that it's unresolved, and maybe can't be resolved. Was it important for you to come to a resolution for this play? If so, what was it? Daniela Vlaskalic: I think that Sister James really goes back and forth in the play. I really believe that after the scene with Father Flynn, she does believe that he's innocent. But once again, Sister Aloysius puts doubt back into her mind — she can't be certain. She's left like the audience. Sister James tracks what the audience is going through a lot of the time. She is constantly pulled back and forth between these two strong forces. Someone described her as the child of divorced parents, and has great love and respect for both, and so she also is left with doubt. Her certainty is taken away. [...]

Flash of Inner Beauty: An Interview with Arline Malakian

art — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:00:58 +0000

This is the final article in a series about this year's [FAT], Toronto's Alternative Arts and Fashion Week. By Helen Fylactou “Let your inner light shine. We can’t help being beautiful. Beauty is contagious” - Arline Malakian Arline Malakian has made an indelible impact on the face of photography. While breaking conventions, Malakian creates relationships with her audiences and moves past aesthetics to provokes ideas and feeling. In addition to her photography, Malakian has become a presence in mainstream fashion. She's looking for a way to empower people by having them explore their inner core.[...]

[FAT] Interview: DJ Daniel Wilson

art — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:00:58 +0000

Interview and photos by Helen Fylactou Performing both on the second and the third nights of [FAT], DJ Daniel Wilson kept the mood of the room vibrant and sexy. The perfect soundtrack at a fashion show propels the audience from feeling good about the show, to feeling fabulous about the show. DJ Daniel Wilson is that perfect soundtrack. Prior to the big nights, MONDO had a chance to interview him about life, music and fashion. MONDO: How would your describe your sound? DJ Daniel Wilson: A little all over the board, but a lot of electro. For [FAT] I will be changing it to suit the theme of the night, so Planet will be a little more ethereal house and vocal-based electro, while Gutter will be more glitchy with some punk and rock — I'll be able to let loose a bit more. MONDO: What DJs/musicians have inspired you? DJ: Oh gosh, a lot. Everything from Princess Superstar to PJ Harvey [...]

Midence Oliu in Interview: Fierce, Personified

art — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:00:02 +0000

By Helen Fylactou This is the first in a series of articles that will follow Toronto's 2009 [FAT] Alternative Fashion Week. With uncompromising style, Midence Oliu designs haute couture hats that are unique, fierce and exquisitely crafted. This radical designer's pieces can easily be compared to sculptures. Weaving between Victorian to 1930s to post-modern designs, Oliu has capture the imagination and the interest of both the editorial and commercial world. MONDO: How did you get into fashion? Midence Oliu: It was a natural progression. I have been drawing the second I was able to pick up a crayon. My first memory of fashion was watching an haute couture show on Fashion Television and not understanding it at all. I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. It wasn't until recently, about a year ago, that I started to really appreciate high fashion and started to follow it. What drew me in was the glamour, excess, and the drama of it all. MONDO: How did you get into designing hats? MO: I was fortunate to have taken a materials class in the program I was in at George Brown college. This was the turning point in my professional life. [Designing] was something I wanted to do for a while. I asked myself, how can I get into a Paris fashion show? I don't know how to make clothes, so I thought perhaps I could make a hat. At the time it made sense, but as time passed I found out that it was a difficult process because of [...]

Interview: Nicola Cavendish

art — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:00:42 +0000

By Matt McGeachy I had the opportunity to sit with renowned Canadian actress Nicola Cavendish the afternoon after her fabulous performance on the opening night of Shirley Valentine at The Canadian Stage Company's Bluma Appel Theatre. We talked about acting, about her future plans, about Shirley, and, yes, about donkeys. In short, Cavendish's agile and empathetic mind made for an uplifting interview, and left me feeling just as I had after opening night - ready to go out and live my life to its fullest! MONDO: First of all, congratulations on a fantastic opening night performance! There were so many very moving parts of the show. What parts of the play do you find most moving? Nicola Cavendish: I've never been an actress that analyzes everything — I work from instinct, and empathy, I think. I'm very empathetic to Shirley. But I think the places [in the play] that you find moving are the pieces I find very accessible in myself. But the other pieces — cooking the eggs so they don't burn, or when she tends to ramble on a bit... I think it's the writer in me that tends to want to edit really quickly. But that's not the piece, that's just Nicola. I have a different relationship with different aspects of the piece. I believe, no, I know, that Willy Russell got the ideas for this play from the ladies in the chairs at the beauty parlour that he worked at before he was a playwright. So, he'd only written a few things before Shirley Valentine, and this play became part of a project he was obliged to write when he got to college. He went to college in Chester, once he earned enough money to get there, and he worked nights on the Liverpool docks where the men went up to make sure that the machinery was lubricated and keep these huge pieces of machinery in working order, and he made lots of money and was able to get himself to college in England. The words that you heard last night come out of the mouths, primarily, of the women in the beauty parlour chair. And when women get into a beauty parlour — it's like getting into a cab, they talk. He put his own words and [...]

Flaming Swords and One Crossed Eye: An Interview with gangLion’s Dave Missio

art — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:00:29 +0000

By Kerry Freek

Hey guys — it's getting warmer, despite (as I type) potential Monday snow. The birds are chirping (pigeons cooing), and people are coming out of their hermit caves to flood the city streets, budding with creative bounty - the results of their winter-bound solace. Toronto's gangLion is no exception. Late last week, I spoke with Dave Missio, one of gangLion's co-founders, to see what's transpired over the cold months, and find out what we can expect from the comic zine's upcoming Talent Show + raffle fundraiser.

MONDO: When you say gangLion, are you talking a cluster of grey matter or a centre of intellectual or industrial activity? Something completely different? Dave Missio: "The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei) are a group of nuclei in the brain interconnected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and brainstem. Mammalian basal ganglia are associated with a variety of functions: motor control, cognition, emotions, and learning." This definition was provided via email by one of our contributors (the illustrious Dwight Schenk) after he suggested the name "ganglia" for the project. He also pointed out that we could be a gang and, "Who doesn't want to be part of a gang?" We ultimately decided to go for the singular form (ganglion) and adopted the lion as a mascot (read: logo). It helps to give a project with this many contributors a name, I think; it promotes a united front and a common goal to work towards. With comics kind of requiring the artist to hole themselves up for hours on end, the social group aspect helps too. MONDO: Who is gangLion? How did gangLion come to be? What is gangLion trying to accomplish in this bustling city? DM: GangLion was first conceived by Georgia Webber and myself through long distance telecommunications (Google Chat). We had both experimented with the comic form and agreed that, if I ever moved back to Toronto, we would collaborate on some ideas. We then [...]