BGL: We’re on a Boat to Nowhere

As with many of Canada’s urban waterways, the Don River’s sad state symbolizes a general neglect for the environment that coexists with increasing demand for things like organic coffee (now available at 7-11, of all places) and pesticide-free lawns. But soon, perhaps, we may have some new symbols to articulate our environmental contradictions.

Speakeasy Audio: Jungen and Gaitán Tune in to Frontier Frequencies

In an era where high-speed communication and global connectivity are an irrepressible part of daily life, it may seem somewhat anachronistic or nostalgic to think of community broadcasting as a powerful medium. After all, with their limited ranges and resources, locally based radio or television stations are no match for the far and wide broadcast power of corporate or public media empires.

Liz Magor: Beggar’s Banquet for the Disenchanted

Liz Magor just gets better and better. In her new show, the BC-based artist lays out a series of tables set with a beggar’s banquet for the disenchanted, a statement on consumerism run amuck.

Condé & Beveridge: The Social Conscience of Canadian Art

You might call Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge the social conscience of the Canadian art world. For more than 30 years, the Toronto art duo has immersed themselves in the everyday issues and conditions of organized labour and community movements across the country.

Angela Grauerholz: The Complexity of Simplicity

The Montreal photographer Angela Grauerholz has had a long and distinguished career. In this new exhibition of recent work she returns to early form with delicate images of interior spaces, albeit photographed this time in sumptuous colour.

Images Festival: So Long, AV Club

For many years it seemed as though contemporary film and video did not get enough screen time in traditional gallery spaces. Under-represented and relegated to dark corner nooks, galleries made video art seem about as appealing as the high school AV club.

by Gabrielle Moser

Matthew Carver: Fleeting Flotsam of the Floating World

Matthew Carver’s recent paintings and sculptures engage the illusory urban space of modern cities—places like Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London and New York, where the artist has travelled in recent years.

Allan Harding MacKay: “Observing the Observer”

Many artists and curators have made their names by exploring the creative problem-solving that results from “getting something wrong.” But in the work of artist Allan Harding MacKay, currently on view in “Observing the Observer” at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, everything is right.

Gu Xiong: The Course of Globalism

Rivers form territorial boundaries, house unique ecosystems, fuel power sources and are integral networks for trade and cultural exchange. For the artist Gu Xiong, these waterways are also a telling metaphor for the ebb and flow of what he calls an era of “global uncertainty.”

Stephen Waddell Audiocast: The Photographing of Modern Life

Though that old fine-art wall between photography and painting is largely a thing of the past, it can still be a surprise these days to find an artist who is truly devoted to both.