For those of you who read (or at least tried to read) my review of OCAD’s previous grad expo last year, you will no doubt know I have no shortage of opinions.This year, for my sake and yours, I am going to try and keep my review (relatively) shorter.

While I was impressed with the talent of last year’s grads, I criticized OCAD (and it’s administration in particular) for pushing it’s graduates towards an overly commercial, conceptual direction in their art. With more time and experience under my belt this time around, I wanted to see whether or not this trend would continue, or if it was just a hasty reaction on my part.

I had alot less time to go through the show this year (due to a sad mistake on my part of being too immersed in another piece of art called “Portal 2”).

By the time I had arrived at the school at around 8pm, the show (recieved with much fanfare) was well underway. To my surprise, the school had also finally unveiled its’ new logo (something which they call a “graphic identity”) only an hour earlier (I will address this in a seperate post). The transition from OCAD to “OCAD University” had finally been completed, and there would be no better night than this one to finish it.

1. Sculpture and Installation
The first floor was home of the Sculpture and Installation thesis. I was profoundly disappointed at the poor organization. There was barely any work at all. A few oddly scattered bits of scultpure littered. While what WAS there was pretty decent and innovative, I must say that I was not too impressed at all. I cannot speak for the SCIN grads themselves, as I missed a key component of their show called “Something More Concrete” that was being held in the building next door.

2. Material Art & Design/Printmaking
On the second floor, it was time for the Material Art & Design students to shine. And shine they did. An eclectic mix of art and design students in the disciplines of Fibre, Jewelry, and Ceramics, I was not disappointed at all. I was quite inspired by how innovative the MAAD thesis work was, especially balancing both beauty and functionality in their pieces. Of them all, I was most impressed with Erika Iserhoff’s quilt paintings. I have always been deeply fascinated with native culture, and her works were a welcome departure from the modern eclecticism that is present at OCAD. I was deeply touched by how soulful her work was. You can see her Cree roots in every stich and every texture of her fabrics. I definitely encourage you to view her work entitled “Miishahwaau: She mends it, patches it”.

Also on the second floor were the works of all the Printmaking students. A rather small group, their works were all jammed in one room. I quite enjoyed the colourful nature of the works. Their images definitely lean towards that of a graphic, illustration quality. Though I cannot remember which works I liked in particular, I definitely can appreciate how talented these students are, having experienced firsthand the difficulties of the printmaking process. Once again, a must-see.

3. Integrated Media
The third floor was dedicated exclusively towards the Integrated Media students. I was profoundly disappointed at the lack of film and video work, as most of the thesis grads seemed to lean towards installation and sound-based work instead. Although OCAD is definitely not a film school like Ryerson, I would have expected to see more time-based work. I really liked the all-knowing, talking Narnia Door though (tucked away in an elusive hallway). There seems to be a shift at what the media thesis students are producing, although I commend their bravery and experimentation. They are after all, one of the least appreciated departments in the Faculty of Art.

4. Drawing & Painting/Photography
The fourth floor is what one would call the “pinnacle” of the Faculty of Fine Art, as it was the home of both the drawing and painting and photography thesis shows.

In the Drawing & Painting department, I was impressed with the quality of the theis work this year. A big improvement from last year. I was however, quite disappointed as I felt there was a slight lack of variation between the works. If it’s one thing that I saw this year in Drawing & Painting thesis students, it was their affection towards portraiture. I hate abstract art for the most part, but it would have been nice to see a departure from the realistic portryal of the human form.

That said, I was strongly drawn to the sensual, painterly strokes of Kristy Gordon’s work though. Though realistic in nature, I felt very drawn to how beautiful and well though out her colour palette was, not to mention her varied subject matter. A visit to her portfolio shows just how diverse her work is.

Another gem from the Drawing and Painting thesis group was Elly Smallwood. I always adored her encaustic portrait work (I actually showed one of her pieces during last year’s Nuit Blanche show). It’s a pity I couldn’t grab a shot of her work, because her strokes definitely add a sense of vibrance to what could potentially turn into “just another portrait”.

The photography work was surprisingly lackluster this time around. For work coming from graduates of my former program, I was seriously let down. Not because the work “sucks”, but it seemed all the same. The thesis work this year seemed to be too similar. There was one photographer though that easily made up for this year’s shortcomings.

Matin Pezeshgzad’s narrative-based fashion work was absolutely stunning. Probably some of the best photography I’ve seen come out of OCAD in recent memory. It’s stuff like this that makes me want to pick up my camera again. I was so blown away I was left almost speechless. His sensual approach to portraying the figure draws you in. The soft elegance he portrays in each of his frames leaves you wanting more, while telling you so much at the same time. It’s very hard to walk the fine line between technical excellence and conceptualism, and Matin walks this line flawlessly. I strongly encourage you to view his portfolio here.

After I was done with Fine Art, there was only one place to go. Up the yellow staircase and into the Sharp Center of Design (what most of you see as the white box on sticks). The night was getting old, and with only half an hour left before they closed the building, I had yet to see any of the work from the other half of OCAD.

5. 3D Design: Industrial Design/Environmental Design
I quickly rushed through the 5th floor through the works of Environmental and Industrial design students. I was impressed, but did not have enough time to individually review the work of these talented designers. All I can say is that this is probably the closest thing to a crystal ball of our future. So go see it if you can. Lots of  innovative concepts ranging from the evolution of product design, to the future of public spaces. I commend these students for their innovative, yet practical vision of our future.

6. 2D Design: Illustration
And finally it was onto the sixth and final floor, home of the 2D Design thesis students. My legs were sore having biked all the way downtown, and I really just wanted to call it a night. I brushed off Advertising and Graphic design (I view them as pretty much the same thing) and headed straight for Illustration.

Once again, I was not disappointed. If there’s any substance to the cliche “save the best for last”, the story of the night would be found in the works of the Illustration thesis.

I was deeply inspired by the beautiful imagery and stylistic differences of all the students. This is exactly why I myself want to become an illustrator now. I could dedicate an entire post about these talented artists. One of the greatest strengths in the Illustration thesis was their superb organization. Each artist had their own panel, and a  well thought out artist statement. In particular, I really loved Sabrina Scott’s series about a young boy’s journey shamanhood.

Each work was either part of a stronger narrative, or a narrative in itself. You could relate to each of the pieces individually. In my opinion, this is why Illustration has always been successful in captivating an audience, and is one of the stronger aspects of the grad show.

There’s just too much to say here, so I won’t bore you any longer. You view ALL their past and present work on their website at ocadillustration.com. They are once again the only program to do this, which is why I love them so much.

The Verdict
So what did I think overall about the Show Off? Well it was certainly one big show-off, but it didn’t seem like the “elitism” that I had expected really materialized. Which is a good thing. Overall I think that this thesis show was better than the last. The art overall was better orgranized and executed. Like any show, there were the ups and downs, but I was very pleased with the hard work all of these students have put in their past four years. Once again, Illustration stole the show, but I’m starting to think that’s something one should be used to. It could just be my bias towards it, but you can certainly feel that connection.

I am still however, quite disturbed at the increasing commercial presence in our school. This year saw the first year (in my memory anyways) that corporate sponsorship made its way into the grad show. I’m just glad they didn’t start stamping corporate identities on people’s work. I certainly hope that never happens, but one must remember that it’s always going to be about the art in the end. One should never forget or forsake that for some extra bucks (seemingly the philosophy of our school’s administration). What also bothered me with this show is that there seems to be slightly less diversity than last time, but if it’s the one thing I’ve learned, its that things are never the same. Perhaps that is a good thing after all.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the hard work and dedication each and every one of these artists has put in their craft. As I finish my second year of studies at OCAD, I realize I too am not too far from becoming a part of this show, and seeing what other people are doing has always inspired me to push further so that one day, I too will have my own “show-off”.

So in conclusion, once more Toronto’s largest art show did not disappoint, and I encourage any of you who haven’t seen it yet to go see it! As of the time of this posting, you still have a full weekend to go see it.

The show ends on Sunday May the 8th, 2011.

Yes fellow art-lovers and appreciators, it’s that time of year again. The Ontario College of Art & Design (or “OCAD University” if you prefer) will be having it’s 96th annual grad exhibition, with the fitting title of “The Show-Off”. Oh yes, look at that lovely shameless corporate sponsorship plastered proudly at the bottom of this poster!

Personal qualms aside, what is to be once again, Toronto’s largest art exhibition will feature the talents of up-coming artists from the 2011 graduating class. Featuring the works of over 500 electic students, this show will feature artists from all disciplines in both the Faculties of Art (Drawing & Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture/Installation, and Integrated Media), as well as the Faculty of Design (Illustration, Graphic Design, Advertising, and Environmental/Industrial Design).

I will be definitely attending this event, and encourage fellow habit-ers to do so as well. Once again, I’ll be posting a post-show review with featuring the cream of the crop right here on Habit!

The show runs from Thursday May the 5th (opening reception at 6:30 PM) all the way to Sunday May the 8th.

It’s been a long while since I last posted, but I would like to humbly invite you all to the opening reception of my first ever (real) group show. Check out my work, as well as the work of my talented friends, among others!

Featuring the works of:
Matthew Del Degan
Sofia Escobar
Jennifer Gordon
Gabriela Hansen
Torin Ellery Hastings
Singithi Kandage
Megan Kee
Christopher Lim
Aisha-Zalika Simpson
Rishabh Varshney
Di Vy

The show is taking place from the 17th of February to the 5th of March, at OCAD’s Transit Space (100 McCaul Street, Toronto), 2nd floor.

Reception is this Thursday the 17th from 5-7pm. BE THERE! (You’re not a square right?)

[/shameless self-promotion]