tinku tales

Make Love to My Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:41:00 +0000

Several months ago, I started subscribing to my friend Hugh MacLeod's newsletter, in which he sends his readers one of his cartoons every single day. I think of Hugh's emails as a daily vitamin for the mind and soul - a few words and marks with his pen that often reveal the simplest yet most insightful thoughts.

In addition to his daily cartoons, Hugh has recently started a Daily Bizcard series, where he designs free business cards for his "favourite people". Hugh is known for many things these days, among them a best-selling author, CEO of a winery, popular blogger, fine artist, but he started off, and perhaps is best known for, his cartoons drawn on the back of business cards.

I was pretty thrilled to find out today that Hugh designed a business card for me as today's Daily Bizcard. It pretty much captures the way I think. You can read the full post here. I'm looking forward to handing them out.

My experience at SxSW 2010

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I'm back from Austin, where I attended the SxSW Interactive Festival (conference) for the first time. About 15,000 people came from around the world to hear talks on everything from managing tech people to the private vs public nature of the social web to my panel with Hugh MacLeod, MaryAnne Davis and John T. Unger on how to make a living as an artist and how the internet has changed the art market.

It was a fun filled, jam packed 4 days of brilliant conversations and great parties with new and old friends. Our panel was scheduled at the same time as two very popular speakers, but we managed to get about 100 people in the audience. As a moderator and participant, I had no idea how the conversation would flow, but we followed along 3 main topics:

1) How did each of us get to where we are and what influenced us along the way.
I told my usual story of how I went from being a tech marketer to a gallery owner, all because I stumbled across a space for sale. MaryAnne told great stories about her experiences in art school and the traditional gallery system. Hugh and John gave great anecdotes about why art called them and how they struggled to get to where they are today.

2) How has the art market changed and what does this mean for people who are making, buying or selling art.
One of the biggest changes we all spoke about was the diminishing role of the "gatekeepers", who traditionally were art dealers. The internet has collapsed this wall allowing artists and collectors to connect directly. But MaryAnne and I were quick to debate with the guys that many people still like to buy from dealers or galleries, and that system is unlikely to go away any time soon. And on the flip side, some artists don't want to handle the commercial side of their art careers. Hugh asked who in the audience was planning to wait to get discovered in Chelsea. I told him that was a ridiculous question (in more polite terms, if I recall correctly). I don't believe in the extremes of no galleries or all galleries - there is room for many different models to coexist in harmony.

3. What are some practical tips we can share with artists who want to make a living from their art.
John, MaryAnne and Hugh all had some really valuable points to make, some which may seem obvious but are often overlooked. Have good images on your site. Make it easy for buyers to buy - don't make them work to find out information on pricing and contacting you. Invest in the tools you need to have a web presence - don't cut corners by trying to build all this yourself (unless you happen to moonlight as a web designer). My advice was that artists need to network just like people in every other industry - get out and meet other artists, art school profs, gallery goers, etc... Who you know is important.

In the coming weeks there will be a podcast of our panel, which I will post here. I want to thank all of those who came to see me in person and are visiting my blog, perhaps for the first time. I learned a lot from the other sessions I saw, and hope to share more of my experience with you over the coming weeks.

Speaking at SxSW Interactive

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:32:00 +0000

This week I head to Austin, Texas where I will be speaking on a panel called Millionaire or Artist: How About Both? with artists Hugh MacLeod, MaryAnne Davis and John T. Unger.

The cheeky name for the presentation came from a cartoon of Hugh's. Since Hugh, MaryAnne and John all make a good living as artists, we thought it was the right group to share ideas on how they got to where they are, how they see the art market changing, and practical advice for other artists who want to develop a more successful art career.

My role in this started off as the idea-generator, pulling together the group and the proposal. At the time I was still running the gallery and thought I could contribute from the perspectives of a gallery owner. Now that I have morphed the gallery into a more occasional consultancy/publisher model (stay tuned!), I am still planning to contribute, sharing my thoughts on how the market has changed, and what I hear from collectors in terms of what they want when they are buying contemporary art.

If you will be at SxSW, our session takes place on Monday, March 15th at 12:30 pm at the Austin Hilton. If you are not, I will write post-event and share some of the highlights.

The Year Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:08:00 +0000

Belated Happy New Year to you all!

Since writing my last blog post, I have been busy with the business of closing down the gallery - lots of moving, shipping unsold art back to the artists, and renting out the space to its new tenants - two local photographers.

Many people have asked me in the last 2 months if shutting down the space was difficult. The truth is, the most difficult period was earlier last year when I was struggling to keep it all together. Working full time on top of running the gallery, and helping family/friends with some serious matters resulted in my not doing anything to the best of my ability, and also meant there was little time left for myself. Once I had decided on my decision, the toughest part was over.

The feeling that has kept coming back to me over these last 2 months is one of relief, and that in itself speaks volumes. I know that I will still remain connected to the art world, but in a less commercial and time-intensive capacity.

I am excited by the year ahead, as it will give me more time to see great art, rather than focusing on the adminstrative side of running a gallery. Some of the things I am looking forward to in the next 2 months include:

Speaking at SxSWi - the largest interactive conference in the world - where I will be moderating a panel on Art and the Internet
Taking advantage of the art in my backyard through my newly acquired membership at the Art Gallery of Ontario
Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright's sites in Buffalo, NY, just a short drive from Toronto

There are many things planned for further on this year and I will share my adventures with you along the way. Thanks for sticking with me and for all of your wonderful emails, blog comments, Tweets and calls.

And now for something different...

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:05:00 +0000

“I don’t need a house right now but I do need a gallery”.

November 2006. I was vacationing in Newfoundland, nursing a broken heart. My dear friend urged me to buy a home in Toronto after leaving my longtime residence in Boston. I started researching places on the web, stumbling upon a small commercial space in a Toronto neighbourhood that I loved.

I landed back in Toronto, drove by the space at around midnight, and 24 hours later, plunked down a cheque to buy it.

The 3 years that followed have been nothing short of a wonderful wild rollercoaster ride – thrilling, frightening, intoxicating, fun, fun, fun! Many stories I shared in this blog, and so many more not ready to be told. And then, a funny thing happened along the way.

I discovered that the gallery I fought desperately to survive, was getting in the way of my doing what I loved – seeing art I love, connecting art lovers with artists, bringing art out of cold intimidating environments so more people would experience it. The business of art took me away from the art itself. I looked ahead to 2010, and realized that I needed to spread my wings in ways that I couldn’t if I maintained the gallery as-is.

So as of now, I will be looking for a tenant for the gallery space on 437 Roncesvalles Avenue while I take some time to shift focus over the coming year. I will still be available by appointment to show works that I have in inventory but I will no longer be holding exhibitions at the gallery.

I will sign off by saying, I am incredibly proud of what I have built and incredibly grateful for the community of friends who made this possible. I will never grow old thinking “I wish I had opened a gallery” and though the fantasy didn’t live up to the reality, it turns out that what the gallery represented to me – independence, creativity, fulfillment, adventure – was not in the gallery, but in fact was inside me.

I will still be posting on this blog and sending out emails to gallery subscribers. I have a few new things in the works that I hope to announce in the New Year. Stay tuned for the next chapter…

Image: Do You Wish You Could Stay Here Forever, Geneviève Jodouin at tinku gallery.

Best Art Article of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Continuing my Best of 2009 challenge (led by Gwen Bell), the article that had a huge impact on me and that I sent to my network and friends is one written in the L.A. Times covering a speech Michelle Obama gave on why art matters.

The full speech is here. Enjoy. It gave me goosebumps.

Best Art-Related Restaurant Moment of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:22:00 +0000

So continuing with my Best of 2009 blog post series (as lead by blogger Gwen Bell), today's post is about my best restaurant moment of 2009. This happened not too long ago. Elena Popova, an artist from Newfoundland has an exhibition at tinku gallery in October. She and her husband, sculptor Luben Boykov, flew to Toronto from Newfoundland to attend her opening. The place was packed that night, and as usual, I hadn't eaten most of the day in the rush to get everything ready. By 9:30 I was starving.

I had booked a table at my favourite Toronto restaurant, an Iranian place called Banu. Banu is like a home away from home for me - it is a smallish restaurant run by 3 siblings who emigrated to Canada from Tehran. I've been there so often they all know me and greet me with hugs and kisses, asking how the gallery is doing.

Getting ready for an opening is a big effort emotionally and physically for the artist but also for the gallery owner. As much as I love the energy circulating in a packed room of guests, there is something nice about the hours immediately following, when we can kick off our shoes, and relax.

That night at Banu, we gathered round plates of grilled meats, delicious salads, endless glasses of wine, and raised a toast to the road that brought us all together and the possibilities yet to come.

Best of 2009 - Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:19:00 +0000

Gwen Bell, a woman whose blog I enjoy reading, has posted a Best of 2009 challenge. I thought I would give it a shot and try to relate as much of it to art & travel as possible. So bear with me as I blog a little more than usual...

December 1st - Best Trip

My best trip of 2009 was a weekend I spent in New York City with gallery artists (and friends) Cass Reimer and Nasco Pelev. We arrived to find our accommodation had fallen through, and in an amazing twist of fate, received a call 5 minutes later from gallery artist Mike Piergrossi generously offering us the use of his West Village apartment for the weekend.

My sole purpose in visiting NYC was to see the Yinka Shonibare exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum and it was worth the drive and more. The surprise of the trip was the fantastic Francis Bacon retrospective at The Met. I was not particularly fond of Bacon before this show and I left feeling a great appreciation for his artistry.

Funny enough 2009 saw me traveling to many more far flung places - India, Bali, San Francisco, Zurich, but it was the [relatively] short drive to NYC that was most memorable to me. Good art & good friends. Good life, indeed.

New gallery hours

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:19:00 +0000

As of this weekend, the gallery is open by appointment only. I decided to do this for a couple of reasons: 1) to allow myself more time to focus on client sales, which often requires me to be at their home/office versus in the gallery and 2) to give myself some downtime to plan for 2010.

Right now, my planning can be distilled to a choice between two words: Evolution or Revolution?

When something is not working, there are two options available: Evolution and Revolution. Evolution means making changes in small steps, a refining of an existing model. Like my writer friend who is reworking his novel until it is just right.

Revolution on the other hand means a dramatic change - going from A to K in one fell swoop, rather than simply A to B. The company Flickr, now the world's largest online photo sharing site, started off as a gaming company before they reached a point where they were running out of cash and took their existing technology in other direction.

I feel excited to be in this position, and my spirits are good. I have no problem saying that after 18 months of being open to the public, the gallery as it exists today is not sustainable in the long run. And doing more of the same when it isn't working, just prolongs the inevitable. Now, I have an opportunity to take some time off during the holidays to take a closer look at my options, listen to my heart and my head, and start 2010 anew.

Looking forward to sharing more soon. In the meantime if you'd like to visit the gallery, please email me at frontdoorATtinkugalleryDOTcom.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Art People

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:04:00 +0000

November has been a beautiful month in Toronto. I don't mind the days getting shorter as I love going out for evening walks, the darkness enveloping me so I am invisible. And then Sunday afternoons on my couch under a warm blanket with a good book to take me away for a few hours. I've been thinking about what to read this winter, and came across a book review from my Twitter friend Rebecca Taylor who works at the Getty Museum and teaches at UCLA.

Rebecca recently reviewed the book The Beat and the Buzz: Inside the LA Art World by Richard Hertz, a collection of 33 interviews with artists, curators and dealers. She calls them "case studies of success in the art world" and distilled the 7 Habits she felt were central to the people profiled.

I don't want to steal her thunder so do read her blog post if you want to find out what those 7 must-have habits are.

I'm curious to know what is on your reading list - whether art related or otherwise. Leave your recommendations in the comments!

The Art of Travel

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:04:00 +0000

From left: Mike Piergrossi, Brigid Watson, Amrita Chandra

The Art of Travel opened last week, with a reception attended by many gallery friends, some new faces, and the guests of honour - curator Brigid Watson and artist Mike Piergrossi, both who traveled from their homes in the US to attend the opening.

This was the first show where I turned over the curating reins to someone else, and that alone was an interesting experience. When I first opened the gallery, and for a long time after, I wanted to keep full control of which artists I worked with and how the shows were hung. I had some requests from other curators, to work together, but it never felt quite right. Perhaps I was too attached to the gallery? Or perhaps I was just having too much fun doing it myself?

Fast forward to November 2009, and it feels great to have trusted someone to come with the vision and execution for the show. I literally didn't know what would be on the walls until I saw it installed the night before the opening. Brigid did a great job, pulling together work from 4 artists that studied together in Venice as part of their M.F.A. program at NYU and describing how the vision was inspired by Alain de Botton's book of the same name.

What was interesting to me was hearing her perspective on the responsibility of organizing an exhibition. A solo show is a lot of work to put together, let alone a group show where you are dealing with multiple people in multiple locations. This one was no exception, with one work getting lost, then found, artists in different countries and states of chaos, and a curator who was (understandably) ready to pull her hair out at times. It made me wonder how I've managed to do this for 18 months while holding down another full time job. I find myself wondering out loud if it's worth it...

The Art of Travel continues till the end of November at tinku gallery.

Commissioning work

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:26:00 +0000

I had an inquiry from a friend who was interested in a work from our Elena Popova show that is no longer available. We looked through several other pieces and nothing jumped out at her. At that point I suggested that she may want to consider commissioning a piece since she was keen to buy something from that particular artist.

I remember when I was in my 20s, I had no idea that it was even an option to commission art. I should add here that there are artists who don't work on commissioned pieces, but for the most part, the artists I represent do. When I work with a collector on a commission, it's important to get a good understand of what they are looking for, and to set expectations in terms of the process. The artists I work with charge a premium for their commissions, versus a work of similar size/style that is part of an existing catalogue or exhibition. This is largely due to the additional work required to meet with or speak with the collector, and prepare sketches along the way.

Commissions can be a great route to take when you are looking for an investment piece - i.e. something that you want to keep in your home or family for a lifetime. I love when people commission works to commemorate major milestones like a marriage, new home or anniversary.

In the case of this particular commission, the artist and collector have a personal connection through my relationship with both of them and through some shared sentiments. It is a match made in heaven and I have no doubt that the end result is going to be memorable.

Image: Flow #1, Elena Popova, June 2009

Save the date: The Art of Travel opening Nov. 6th

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Mark your calendars for the final exhibition of 2009 at tinku gallery.

The Art of Travel brings together the work of Suzanne Dell 'Orto, Lori Kent, Mike Piergrossi and Brigid Watson – four American artists who lived in Venice for a period in the 1990s. The show is inspired by the Alain de Botton book of the same name, in which he invites his readers to consider the notion of travel as a self-reflexive endeavour. This exhibit explores notions of memory, place and time through interior and exterior experiences that resonate with each artist and inform the way in which they move through the world. Guest curated by Brigid Watson, The Art of Travel will be the first exhibition in Canada for Suzanne Dell 'Orto, Lori Kent and Mike Piergrossi.

The Art of Travel opens on November 6th from 7-9 pm. 3 of the artists will be traveling to Toronto for the opening so you will have a chance to meet them, ask them questions or just tell them what you think! We look forward to seeing you.

Sculptures: John T. Unger

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Earlier this year I had a dinner party in the gallery. Yes, right inside the small, 400 sq.ft gallery I put up a dining room table for 12, set beautifully with works from ceramic artist Mary Anne Davis. I invited a diverse group of friends and we ate while passersby peeked in curiously.

After a few drinks, the conversation turned to the question of what is art? A heated debate ensued over whether art needed to be functional or whether functional objects could be considered art.

I was thinking of this when I was looking through the portfolio of John T. Unger, an artist known for his firebowls made from recycled materials. What I realized was that though his work is functional, what he makes are sculptures. The abstract pieces in particular would be at home in a contemporary art gallery, and his more decorative pieces in the sculpture garden of the DeCordova Museum.

It is hard to define what constitutes art and in many ways I think it’s irrelevant, like trying to define love. When I see John’s firebowls I see the statement he is making to the world – partly intentional, partly magic. The connection between his materials and the fires that burn within his sculptures feel primal. John’s artist statement declares that he designs for permanence and that presence comes through in the weight of his minimalist pieces in particular.

There has long been a division in the art world between”fine art” and craft, and there are plenty of artists today working in ways that blur those lines. In my eyes it’s not a bad thing for art to have function, if it helps bring it into people’s lives who may normally shy away from the traditional venues for finding contemporary art.

What do you think? Is art form, function, both, neither? Does it matter?

All images © 2005-2009, John T Unger.

Ed Burtynsky: Oil

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:04:00 +0000

I spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in New York City, treating myself to a little getaway with a close friend. When I was last in NYC a couple of months back, I saw two blockbuster museum shows, but this time decided to just pop into a couple of galleries. Not just any galleries though. I went to the mothership, i.e. Gagosian Gallery* in Chelsea to see a piece by Takashi Murakami. It was my first time seeing Murakami's work in person and it didn't disappoint. On the surface, his paintings may appear like Hello Kitty on acid, but his work incorporate elements of Japanese mythology that reveal how carefully certain imagery is chosen. I loved every inch of it.

I also saw some sculptures by German artist Anselm Reyle, who I had never heard of before this weekend, and noted he is relatively young, born in 1970. Sculptures like those in the exhibition can be a bit difficult to access, because they don't have an obvious narrative like much photography or painting. I decided not to read the artist statement or any background information. Instead, I looked at its presence as a whole, and let myself observe what feelings came to the surface, or peeked around the back to see how a piece was installed, and sometimes I just let myself feel puzzled.

After leaving Gagosian, we started walking to our next destination when I happened upon the Ed Burtynsky: Oil exhibition at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, also on West 24th Street. One of my Twitter friends rightly said that Burtynsky is a national treasure, and this latest exhibition only furthered this belief. It's not every day that a photographer can capture images of industrial landscapes, oil sands, machinery and have it give off the aura of a haunting poem.

Some people have Vegas, others have Disneyland, but for me - New York City is a place where I feel like a kid in a candyshop, between the art and the food and the shopping and the architecture. And for that, I gave many thanks this Thanksgiving weekend.

*If you are an art newbie, you may not have heard of Larry Gagosian but he is one of the most famous and successful art dealers in the world.

The Art of Travel

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:08:00 +0000

When I was a teen my grandfather used to chuckle that I had fire under my feet, meaning I couldn't stay still. Flash forward 2 decades and not much has changed. In September alone I broke a personal record, traveling 70,000 km in 3 weeks (don't try this at home!)

It's a strange feeling how one can zip from one country to another in a matter of hours. I often feeling like I am in a time machine, not an airplane. Given my love for travel and my love of art, it is fitting that the November show at the gallery is titled The Art of Travel.

Guest curated by Brigid Watson, the show is inspired by the Alain de Botton book of the same name, and features 4 American artists who lived in Venice for a period in the 1990s. This exhibition will show each artist's interpretation of the subject.

I have not yet read the book, but as the air turns crisp and things slow down, I feel the time is right to settle in with some good reading and so this one is next on my list.

I'll get started on it as soon as I return from New York...

Image: Max Trudolubov

Images from Elena Popova: The Eternal & The Everyday

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:02:00 +0000

The opening reception for Elena Popova's exhibition at tinku gallery was packed like sardines despite it being a cold rainy night in Toronto. Thank you to all of you who came - it was nice to see so many friends and familiar faces and more than a few new ones. Elena, her husband Luben, together with myself and some mutual friends stayed out till the wee hours of the morning, eating and drinking at my favourite Toronto restaurant.

The gallery will be open for walk-in viewings on Saturday from 12-6 throughout the month of October. We are also taking appointments for private viewings if you prefer to come by at a different time or need a personal consultation.

We have posted images of the work in the show on the gallery site. If you would like any further details on the work, including pricing, please send an email to frontdoor@tinkugallery.com or call 647 293 4089.

I will leave you with a lovely review of the show from The Telegram newspaper in Newfoundland.

Elena Popova opening Oct 2, 7-9 pm

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Elena Popova is an internationally known artist whose colourful, abstract monotypes have been snatched up in sell-out exhibitions of recent years. Her work is well collected in Canada in both private and in public collections, such as the National Gallery of Bulgaria and the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her work will also be featured in a show at The Rooms (Nfld's largest public cultural space) in 2010.

In October, tinku gallery will present Elena Popova's first Ontario show in several years. Popova resides in Flatrock, Newfoundland and emigrated to Canada from Bulgaria in 1990 with her husband and daughter. For Popova, "The Old World is the accumulation of layers and layers of legacy and culture; Newfoundland," she says, "is my white canvas."

This show is close to my heart because of the personal relationship I have with Elena and her husband, sculptor Luben Boykov. I met Elena & Luben in 1997 before leaving for a year-long work assignment in Bulgaria. I credit them with sparking my love for contemporary art and introducing me to friends that have since become gallery artists. Elena is a talented artist, who manages to bring together an incredible palette of colours, sometimes up to 70 at a time, in an expressive, emotive way. She is a warm, generous woman who I am pleased to put in the spotlight at my gallery. I look forward to introducing many of you to her in October.

Opening reception - Friday, Oct 2, 7-9 pm

Image: "June 2009", Elena Popova, mixed media on paper, 2009

Required Reading

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:03:00 +0000

My friend John T. Unger is an artist who is making a successful living via the internet. He wrote a blog post today that was honest, poignant and thought provoking. I read a lot for work and for pleasure and rarely do I come across something as well written as this post. Titled It's Only Life or Death, John gives new meaning to the word positive attitude. But knowing John, it's not false modesty, it's a truthful, no-holds barred look at himself and his life and how he's gotten to where he is today. Read the full post here.

7 Days in The Art World

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:54:00 +0000

I was recently on vacation in lovely Bali, and took a pile of books along with me, including 7 Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton. Sarah is a Canadian transplant in the UK, and has written an account of the contemporary art world by describing a typical day in the world of everything from a studio visit (with Murakami, no less), to the Venice Biennale.

This is a well written, entertaining glimpse into the high end contemporary art world, and I have to admit that reading it made me want to get out of this business! For all the romance that surrounds art, there is a side to it that is commercial and superficial and no different from any other luxury product.

Lucky for me, my 7 days in the art world are very different from what Sarah describes. My gallery days involve tea with visitors, my studio visits usually bring on a home cooked meal with the artist, and my blog readers and website visitors send lovely emails. But nevertheless, my shiny ideals of owning a gallery have developed a certain tarnish from the last 18 months of experience. I foresee some changes in my future, and look forward to sharing them with you over the coming weeks.

Change can be scary but often, change is also so welcome, and brings with it the promise of a future yet to unfold.

I am a Shameless Woman!

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Shameless Magazine is Canada’s independent voice for smart, strong, sassy young women. It’s a fresh alternative to typical teen magazines, for girls who know there’s more to life than makeup and diet tips. Packed with articles about arts, culture and current events, Shameless reaches out to readers who are often ignored by mainstream media: freethinkers, queer youth, young women of colour, punk rockers, feminists, intellectuals, artists, activists.

They have a bi-weekly column called Shameless Women where they interview women across all walks of life and they kindly requested an interview with me for a profile in August. I find the interview process is as helpful to me as it [hopefully] helpful to the people that read it. It gives me time to look inward and confirm my own thoughts and aspirations. I also love the idea of giving young women role models or inspiration outside of the Barbie-doll celebrity culture touted by much mainstream media. The full interview is available for your reading pleasure here.

Fernando Ortiz: Our Rains

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Our Rains, 2008. 60"x60", oil on canvas.

Fernando is a Colombian artist now based in Toronto. He walked into my gallery last summer having found us online. Since then he has become a regular patron, attending many of our openings and even did a very brief stint as a gallery assistant. Many months ago he invited me to his studio to look at his paintings and now I am pleased to be exhibiting his work for the first time in Canada in the show Our Rains, which runs September 4-30th.

Our Rains, named after one of the large scale paintings in the show, is one of the smaller shows we've exhibited, in terms of number of works. I decided to choose just three pieces because of the scale. While many people think that large artwork needs a large wall, I find sometimes that the right large piece in the right small space can create a dramatic impact that doesn't overwhelm. Imagine this over your bed!

What I love about these paintings are that though they use a monotone black/white/grey palette, there is a warmth and depth to them. Fernando explained to me that they are influenced by his study of Pre-Columbian architecture. (for those who don't know what that means, don't worry - click here for starters). I love the idea of reaching back into one's ancestral roots to find a connection that still exists thousands of years later, miles away from the origin.

It is fitting that I am in India as I write this. I was born here, but left as a young child to move to Newfoundland with my family. We returned often, reuniting with distant relatives, eating mouthwatering mangoes and guavas, filling our suitcases with lentils, spices, pickles and fabrics. The more I visit India as an adult, the more I am aware of the roots that exist here, both in my immediate family and extending to the civilization itself. I think of all the little imprints made day after day, year after year, over thousands of years, similar to the wrinkle-like lines I see in Fernando's work.

Fernando Ortiz: Our Rains is showing at tinku gallery from September 4-30th. The exhibition opening reception will be held on Friday, Sep 4th from 7-9 pm, with Fernando in attendance. I will alas not be there, as I will be off to visit another ancient culture but I hope you will have a chance to see this wonderful show.

Soft landing

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:55:00 +0000

That dreaded call that no one wants to receive - that a family member is ill in a faraway land. But that's what happened so yesterday I scrambled to get an emergency visa and hopped on a flight to Delhi. I have traveled enough to not consider this too gruelling a distance to go for a short time but did have the foresight to try and hunt down a business class ticket for the price of economy. (Who says the internet is obliterating the demand for travel agents?Twice in the last month I have saved literally $000s by using a good travel agent).

As luck would have it I was on the same flight as my friend Anita Clarke who was traveling to India for the first time for work. She wrote a fun account of our flight (on the incredible Jet Airways) with lots of pics on her popular fashion blog I Want, I Got.

Coming to India is always a mixed bag for me. When I landed I was asked by the customs officer to take down his number in case I needed anything but of course in return he wanted mine and who knows what kind of favours he would expect in return. Driving straight to the hospital, the smell of Delhi brought back memories of my childhood and subsequent visits, an unexpected flashback. All these new glass office buildings coming up from the dust, yet en route to the hospital I passed white donkeys in the middle of a busy modern road.

There is high speed internet, yet in the private hospital facility, the power gets cut several times a day. I am with relatives who I love because of our bloodlines yet who are also relative strangers. There is a definite class system, where our cook doesn't feel comfortable eating at the same table as I, but he is called "Bhaiya" by my cousins, a word that means brother.

This country was my first home yet now it both familiar and foreign. I always describe coming to India as visiting the home of a grandparent - comforting, home-like, but not quite home.

Image: Sanyam Studios

SxSWi: The Artists Are Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:53:00 +0000

I have never attended SxSWi, a 5 day conference that is the mecca for anyone working in the emerging technology space. Because the internet is becoming an increasingly important tool for all aspects of my life, I decided to apply to be a panelist, mainly so I can attend for free!

I decided to put together a crack team of artists who are using the internet to make and sell their art. Titled "Millionaire or Artist, How About Both?" after a cartoon by fellow panelist Hugh MacLeod, our panel will focus on the following:

"How do some artists make six figure incomes via social media at a time when traditional industries are tanking? Why is now the best time to quit your job and dream big? Learn how to get collectors enthused about telling your story, increase online sales and market art as a social object."

The panelists I invited to join me as are follows:

Hugh MacLeod - best-selling author, cartoonist and artist (@gapingvoid on Twitter). [I pitched the proposal under Hugh's name as it was more likely to get accepted.]

John T. Unger - a full time artist & designer who has built a thriving business selling his work using the internet & social media (@johntunger on Twitter)

Mary Anne Davis - An accomplished ceramic artist based in New York who I represent at tinku gallery (@maryannedavis on Twitter)

Hazel Dooney - One of Asia-Pacific's most successful contemporary artists (@dooneystudio on Twitter)

The panel has not yet been accepted as SxSW lets people vote on which panels they'd like to see. if you would like to vote, you can do here. But I am also interested in finding out what you may like to see discussed at the panel so please leave any questions in the comments below.

August hours

noreply@blogger.com (tinku) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:53:00 +0000

Please note that tinku gallery will be open only by appointment for the month of August as we get some rest before our busy and exciting fall season.

Our fall exhibition lineup is as follows:

September:
Fernando Ortiz - a Columbian painter making his Canadian debut with a body of work influenced by pre-Colombian drawings

October
Elena Popova - Elena has mastered the art of monotypes and shows her expressive and colour-packed works in her first Ontario show

November/December
The Art of Travel - a group show guest curated by Brigid Watson, featuring a group of NYC-based artists

Image: Sanyam Studios