Moniker Gallery GRAND OPENING

The Moniker Gallery’s official GRAND OPENING event!

ART, MUSIC, DANCE
Thursday March 07th
7 – 11pm
Free Entry and Snacks!
http://www.monikergallery.ca

VISUAL ART EXHBITION – YEHUDAH CULLMAN

For those who don't know him Yehudah Cullman has been for the past few decades carving out a reputation in Toronto's vibrant nightlife with his intricate figures in motion. Sketching since before the term acquired its street meaning of being idle, he is forever engaged in the activity of transcribing into his notebooks the enthusiastic characters who entertain us with their talents. Musicians, be they from the Classical, Jazz, Psych Rock or Electronic genres have been captured time and time again by his rapid scribbling. Dancers too are transformed into graceful lines on the page as every attempt is made to capture the inherent beauty of every soul that crosses his path. From the Sugar-Cubism of his early days, ruled by a strict geometry, he has branched out into a more fluid array of techniques, encompassing everything from the introspection of the Romantics to the distortions Surrealists where so prone to, yet always with a rather lurid palette suggestive of the World before childhood's end. His understanding of the shape of colours is firmly rooted in an almost empirical study of pigments and what makes them that way. Of late, his obsession has lead him to reconfigure that old chestnut, the Periodic Table into a more coherent and elegant format of a spiral. Indeed, his top one hundred models have been mythologized each as Element, with its own specific qualities imbedded into his picturing, thereby immortalizing our local inhabitants and all their ephemeral traits. With this epic project, individuals are seen not just for who they are but also in the context of their relationship to the greater architecture of a Universe in which endless combinations and conflagrations are possible... for it is our bonds to each other that make us human.

Organized, not like a religion, nor like crime, but more like a body, with its respective organs, Yehudah's figures are intimate and intricate, since love lies in our proximity to it and the devil is in the details. Some of his curvaceous illustrations look so tasty one may feel a desire to eat them. A conservative mind may, however, find the ultra-vivid hues too forté and yet still be compelled to gaze at a gallery of faces that you can't not look at. From any angle, his subjects engage the senses and provoke discussion. Never deviating too far from the figurative, pure gesture and a strong point of view governs the Yehudi-Decimal System.
As a throwback to Time that has not as yet arrived and as an Analogue Boy in a Digital World, with his enormous spectacles reflecting the City back to us, one may well wonder at what visions lay behind. All the personalities in his super-saturated oeuvre are seen against a ground of natural patterns and upon a wheel of ever shifting moods, with empathy at the hub. Leaving a legacy of loveliness for our distracted generation, Yehudah's patiently crafted artworks can now be seen en masse, available for purchase at the Moniker Gallery March 07th, March 08th – 12th, March 12th: 12 – 6pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8nUJkjNQ0E

AUDIO ART – DJ NICODEMUS THE EVIL ROBO

DJ NICODEMUS THE EVILROBO has beenan influential force in the underground electro scene across Canada for the past 2 decades.. Dj'ing for the last 20 years, producing electro-techno music for 8 years. Also a sound designer, promoter and owner of EVILROBO PRODUCTIONS Nicodemus has released several records under his independent label N.I.M.H RECORDINGS. His first single "ENTER ELECTRO" was released in 2004. In 2002 nicodemus entered and won the TRIBE MAGAZINES "dj MIX of the year award" and since then his skills have been featured on PARIS FRAnce's radio show "CYBERDELIA" and around the world.

http://www.mixcloud.com/nicodemusexton





DANCE Performance - Alvin Collantes

Alvin Collantes is a recent graduate from Western University finishing a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Administration. Currently an emerging dancer, choreographer and dance mentor based in Toronto, ON, he provides a unique creative analytical perspective to the Canadian Dance Industry. Trained under the technical direction of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre from world-renowned choreographers including Christopher House, Darryl Tracy, Julia Sasso and Sharon Moore, Alvin has developed an educative platform through teaching improvisational dance, inspiring young leaders that it is never too late to ‘find your passion’ and artistic expression. He has taught dance workshops in over 30+ dance studios across Ontario and is currently a faculty member of Fresh Dance Intensive and On The Floor Dance Convention & Competition. Some of his major highlights include, CTV’s “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” Season 3 & 4 Top 40 Finalist and Featured Soloist, Tre Armstrong’s “The Give Back” Foundation Dance Faculty Member, Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche Guest Performer, Aba Entertainment’s The Bazaar Showcase, Toronto’s Original Choreographer’s Ball. Aside from teaching and choreographing, he is also a freelance Photographer & Videographer catering his services to the dance market in Canada. His work has been showcased for various dance companies including Rutherford Movement Exchange, Vlad's Dance Company, AEDC's The Love Project, Jasmyn Fyffe Dance, The Dance Project, Dark Dance and Shameka Blake's Artists in Motion.

http://www.alvincollantes.com