Nov. 10th, 2006 - This week in the Gallery Space...

Sorry for the delay this week, but there's just go much going on!

The U of T Art Centre (15 King's College Circle), celebrates their 10th anniversary with its Fall 2006 Exhibition, Old Favourites and Recent Gifts. This exhibit features favourite works from the university art collection. Runs 'til mid December.

(Above: JMW Turner. Pembroke Castle: Clearing up of a Thunderstorm, 1806, watercolour.)

Alternatively, the Museum of New New Painting (123 Bellwoods Avenue rear lane) presents High Stakes by Bruce Piermarini, opening November 11th from 2-5pm. This show features large scale (12'!) paintings by Piermarini that aim to re-define the New New esthetics. Dr. Kenworth W. Moffett, crific and founding theoretician of the New New movement, will speak about Bruce's art and will answer questions at 3:15 pm.

In more 'large-scale' openings, we've got July Zapotochny's Dollie for Peace! This giant sculptural installation features a larger than life "Dollie!" wearing her peace gear, in her peace garden... and hopefully bringing smiles to all who come across her. See her until November 26th at Artcetera Gallery (402 Queen St East). Gallery hours: Thurs-Fri, 4-7pm and Sat-Sun, 11-3 pm.

Also running til November 26th is My Portraits by Heidi Jahnke. Art Square (334 Dundas St W) hosts this exhibit which features unique paintings by the Toronto artist. In these portraits, Jahnke searched for a way to share personal imagery without revealing too much... finally she came up with a method: removing her glasses and working in the subsequent blur.

Opening tomorrow from 1-5pm at Vtape (401 Richmond St. W., #452): The Symptom or the Cure? Reconfigurations of the Post-Mexican Imaginary by Miguel Ventura and Guillermo Gomez-Pena. Attend tomorrow's screening and you'll be treated to an artist's talk by Ventura at 2pm. Exhibit runs until January, and Gomez-Pena will be on hand to give his artist's talk on January 9th.

Harbourfront Centre hosts seven visual art exhibitions of new works by Canadian artists Barbara McGill Balfour, Yael Brotman, Libby Hague, Wanda Koop, Tanya Mars and Leesa Streifler. The public reception is tonight (Nov 10th) from 6-9pm at the York Quay Centre at Harbourfront (235 Queens Quay West). Exhibits range from fine art and craft to multimedia and photography. Might want to keep this one in mind over the holiday season as it runs until December 31st.

While that is a huge show, it's not the only thing opening at the York Quay Centre tonight. Thicket 1: The Voyage by Sally MacKay and Von Bark (with protagonists constructed by Jean McKay) opens between 6-9pm. Ready for this one? It's a sci-fi narrative depicting space-time adventures in the brain of the animal spaceship. MacKay asks, "Do you feel empathy for the Kitty-Cat Captain?" Do you?