Everything Is Art

Showcasing Toronto-based talent, Everything is Art is a public facing exhibition space located in the east storefront window of Ease. With a monthly rotation, Everything is Art aims to connect with communities while offering a platform for emerging artists.

 

September 2024 

Featured Artist + Words: Claire Grenier / @saint.edith

Our talented Everything is Art curator, Claire Grenier, is also this month’s featured artist. Below, she shares her insights into her creative journey and art practice.

 

It’s back to school season dear readers of our newsletter! Whether you find yourself beginning a fresh semester or your days in the classroom have since passed, it’s hard to deny that September always brings with it a desire for newness, for change. This month for the Everything is Art installation at Ease, we chose work that explored new ways of being within academic worlds. This month’s offerings are also my own. 

My collages are based on theoretical texts. September’s display features work about labour, religious behaviour, and revelatory history keeping. Strung up in various rows in the window of Ease, together my collages form a patchwork tapestry of all that I have endeavoured to learn (and make sense of) throughout my academic career.

I began working through my readings using collage as a more tactile, intimate way for me to unpack theoretical concepts than just writing. Making collages is like putting together a puzzle; a much more hodgepodge version of Michaelangelo's addage "The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material." These pieces challenged me not only to think differently, but also to let myself have fun with my work.

To me, this style of work, which I have lovingly dubbed “arts and crafts academia,” matches up beautifully with the meaning of Everything is Art. Because why can’t dialogue be visual? Why can’t art be the output of research? Why can’t everything be art? Well, it can if you make it.

This month, I ask you to find and celebrate the beauty in things which are difficult to process and understand. Maybe cut up some old magazines while you’re at it too. 


August 2024 

Featured Artist: Luke Van H /  lukevanh.com

Words: Claire Grenier / @saint.edith

    
On a hot, humid, and sticky afternoon, the kind which have been the hallmark of this summer, I got to step into the decorative 70’s-toy-store-fever-dream-oasis of Luke Van H’s Parkdale apartment. I was there to pick out a piece for this month’s edition of everything is art. Their paintings are done in succinctly executed airbrush strokes. 

Upon first seeing Luke’s work, I was struck by how similar in visual quality they are to fond childhood memory. Soft around the edges, yet so vibrant you can hear the soundscape of running through the sprinkler on one of these exact hallmark summer days with your friends/neighbours/siblings.

This hopeful element and reverence for play is not just found in Luke’s work, but also the decor of their apartment, and especially in the afternoon we spent together installing their painting and affixing associated accoutrements across the display. They are a creator of friendlier, more inviting worlds.

After the install, Luke answered our artist newsletter questions via email. Responses have been edited for clarity and length, but not for personality.  

What does "everything is art" mean to you? 

I heard recently that etymologically the word amateur means someone who loves to do something. I like this meaning of amateur because it kind of elevates the non “professional” (as in one who does their practice/craft for an income) and does not contain connotations of skill or financial success. So, I guess “everything is art” for me is about finding and celebrating the beauty and art in things that may not be defined as art.

What is the link between community and art for you? 
 
Myself, and a lot of artists I speak to, get the feeling that they are making work in a vacuum, in their own little online filter/algorithm bubble. Of course social media is important and has become integral to any new artist or small business, but obviously has its limitations. I know I may be showing my millennial, but I think many online spaces that had previously shown promise of community and connections seem to have shifted towards alienation and islands. I think it's important to make the conscious choice to use these platforms in ways which create new or alternative spaces for online communities and spaces for voices that are marginalized. 

Luke has upcoming shows in Tokyo, Japan, Taiwan, and Santa Fe, Mexico.


July 2024
Featured Artist:  CRUZ /  @vnyc / vnyvc.com
Words: Claire Grenier / @saint.edith
Photos: Macy Nguyen /  @teaspoonofyouth

  This month at Ease, our window features a cyanotype and cotton work by CRUZ (They/Them).   Cycles of Perception, features a series of eyes half closed and looking down, or, looking directly at you: the viewer. It's a striking piece in cascading tones of blues. The idea of perception is a common theme for Cruz. As artists are always on display, their output always being observed, critiqued, Cruz uses the motif of eyes to shift this dynamic. 

After installing this month’s work with Cruz, they kindly answered some questions via email for our newsletter. To get to know a little more about them and their work check out the interview below!  

What does "everything is art" mean to you?

To me, 'everything is art' means that every aspect of life holds creative potential and emotional depth. Art isn't confined to traditional mediums or gallery spaces. Instead, it encompasses the entirety of human experience and expression. I like to believe that art can be found in the vulnerability of a personal moment, the intimacy of a shared experience, the pain of loss, and the joy of self-discovery. As a mixed-media artist, I see art as a lens through which we can explore and express the intricacies of the human experience, making sense of our vulnerabilities, connections, and inner worlds.

What are you doing next? What are you excited about?

I'm excited to expand my workshops and explore new ways to integrate different art forms! I’m trying to focus on implementing new tools that I’m learning in therapy to shift my perspective on how I view a lot of things in life. Additionally, I'm looking forward to collaborating with other artists and community organizations to create larger-scale projects that can reach and impact more people. The opportunity to connect with more individuals and continue to explore the endless possibilities of art truly excites me.