The TOAF61 artist roster is here for you . Time to leisurely browse, discover new works, new artists, and start dreaming of the beautiful works of art you will be bringing to your spaces when the Fair opens!
The response to our Call for Artists was wild this year, with nearly 1,000 artists from across Canada and the globe expressing interest in being part of our dynamic community. Our jurors were tasked with bringing you a selection of 400 artists – a wonderful mix of mediums, themes, returning artists and new faces. We can’t thank our Jurors, Judith, Que, Anique and Hirbod, enough for their thoughtfulness and diligence. This showcase guarantees that there will be something for everyone. Please get to know our jurors below and preview some stand-out artists.
We are thrilled to return to Nathan Phillips Square on July 15-17. The Online Fair has grown so much in demand and reputation that 100 artists will join us Online Only from across the country and beyond (from Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and as far as Trinidad and Tobago and India).
We have a lot of fantastic news to share about our programming. So please stay tuned in the coming weeks! We genuinely appreciate your attention.
Happy discovering
Meet Our Jurors
From top left, Hirbod Human, Anique Jordan, Que Rock, & Judith Tinkl
“Being a Juror for TOAF61 has been an inspiring and amazing learning experience. I'm excited for all the artists and the City of Toronto for what I've seen is to come. It was a much harder process than I expected. There are so many talented and creative artists that applied, from so many different genres, styles and backgrounds. To be solely responsible would have been an impossible task. I’m grateful for the help, and expertise of the other three jurors and the TOAF team. The timing couldn’t be any better for this year's TOAF61. Congratulations to everyone who made this year's Fair." – Que Rock
Jurors' Picks
Richard Ahnert
Wanderer, Richard Ahnert, 2021, Oil on Canvas, 71 x 56 cm
"Richard Ahnert's paintings remind me of ancient myths from Kalila and Demna or ancient Rome, which use animal characters to simplify the philosophy of human life. There is no easier way to understand and feel the effect of modern life on ourselves than seeing a brown bear wearing a red plaid jacket with multiple backpacks on the road with a hotel sign in its background. Each painting motivates us to discover our wild and free nature while trapped in modern human civilization." – Hirbod Human
Katherine Curci
Mitchell Lake at Dusk, Katherine Curci, 2020, Charcoal & Conte on Paper, 76 x 56 cm
"Katherine Curci's pieces interchange emotional information between classical black and white landscape photography and charcoal drawings. Using a wide white border around each picture plays with the audience's senses to understand the resemblance of composition, shadow, and lights between two mediums, photo, and drawing." – Hirbod Human
Elicser Elliott
Us, Elicser Elliott, 2019, Spray Paint on Canvas, 183 x 122 cm
"Elicser Elliott bridges the worlds of fine art and street art… his work is strong and explores many images and subjects that are currently very important. Perhaps there is a parallel to the mid-19th century Salon des Refuses artists who shaped the world of modern art. The re-shaping of the art world is an exciting development.” – Judith Tinkl
Sofia Eleni Escobar
Double Weave, Sofia Escobar, 2021, Cotton Thread and Acrylic, 30 x 122 x 30 cm
“Sofia Eleni Escobar’s work is a very exciting and unusual area of the textile world. The three-dimensional works she creates are very beautiful and probably quite difficult to construct… I look forward to seeing them in real life as I can imagine the interaction of the yarn lines as one moves around them and they play off each other creating moiré like patterns which would be very exciting.” – Judith Tinkl
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is generously supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, City of Toronto, Toronto Arts Council, ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022, TD Bank Group, The Koffler Family Foundation and The Lindy Green Family Charitable Foundation and many individual donors and supporters.
