“There appear to be a lot of cultural influences in Anu Kalra’s work, at get pulled back in time like I’ve just visited the Aga Khan Museum and then pushed back into the present with modern references with Indian and Persian influences. There is a strong sense of community, a mix of sublime and spiritual. The artist also has incorporated forces of minimalism and some abstraction within the details of the work that reminds me of the more modern Super flat movement. There is balance in her work, a linear perspective, while the artist looks to create a playful sense of people and intersecting identities. Kalra’s reminds me of what’s missing in large institutions such as the AGO’s collections.”

-Kestin Cornwall, Artist & Assistant Professor,
Faculty of Design at OCAD University

“After A Bath” was featured in the curated collection by The Jealous Curator on July 6th. It will publish on our newsletter and TOAF homepage on that day.

@torontooutdoorart! #toaf59

Not Fragile is a multidisciplinary collection that features fifteen artists whose works draw upon the themes of place, identity, tradition, and loss. There is a vulnerability shared through all the pieces in the collection, which is exemplified either through the subject matter or the use of materials. Moreover, the work represents the resilience of the artists, who have chosen to share their deeply personal experiences with us.

-Curated by Omar Badrin

This collection of pieces was inspired by my journey of coming out of grief. I spent the last few years dulled by my own mental health and unable to snap out of it. It was because of art and nature that I was able to heal and find my way back to myself. From the simple and important reminder that Joejene C. Santos shows in “I Am Alive”, to the paintings of Anu Karla (reminiscent of my drag persona), every piece reflects a small part of my healing and the importance of holding on to what makes life special. 

– Curated by Humza A. Mian

Something bursts through us. Ideas are plunked into our heads from out of nowhere. The most profound need to make something into life takes over. The act of creating something is a necessity or a message or a channel from us—but really from something outside of us coming through. 

I feel things when I see creative acts. This free-flowing colourful collection of creativity exudes this spirit that I describe above. I love all of these works personally and emotionally they speak to me.

That is what art does. It speaks to parts of ourselves that don’t always have the words.

– Curated by Tiffany Pratt