Nature in the Garage June 29, 2006

Nature in the Garage is an exhibition presented by Gallery 1313,in conjunction with liveARTs, that explores uncommon curiosities within the urban core of the City of Toronto. The exhibition utilizes the common garden shed, placed in a few strategic, downtown areas, where artists expand on interpreting the conditions of our natural environment within an urban reality. Janet Bellotto curates a group of artists from Canada and abroad as they explore and enchant through their created environments. Planned as one of the City of Toronto's signature cultural events, for the campaign Live with Culture 2006; which will include a slue of other events, Nature in the Garage partnered with Gallery 1313 and promises to be an exciting addition to our summer programming.

Nature in the Garage artists include: Mary Anne Barkhouse (Ontario), Catherine Bodmer (Montreal), María Fernanda Cardoso (Columbia/Australia), John Dickson (Toronto), Noel Harding (Toronto), Gwen MacGregor (Toronto), Tsubaki Noboru (Japan), and Diing-Wuu Walis Wu (Taiwan).

Sites include: Fort York, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Gallery 1313, City Hall and Harbourfront.

The use of the shed counterpoints a common cultural icon, found in many backyards. For this exhibition it becomes the dream sphere - an object to capture, framing time - where visitors can experience the narratives and representations
constructed by the artists. The consideration of using multiple sites is advantageous in the way that it gets the public to move from one part of the city to another.

Three exhibit rooms in Gallery 1313 are to be used in conjunction with the exhibition. In the main gallery, monitors will be hooked to a live portal that will be documenting the various storage sheds in their locations. This allows the Gallery to be a central hub of information as well as being able to provide and guide visitors through the exhibition. In the Process gallery, documentation from the exhibition's set-up & creation process will be viewed. As its name implies, it is about the process and journey of the creation of artworks, artists and other individuals involved who make it happen. Lastly, in the Cell gallery, Janet Bellotto will be curating a small offshoot exhibition that stems from similar ideas about nature and urbanity.

Official Website: http://www.g1313.org