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Azure Magazine •

Top 10 of 2023: Our Favourite Public Spaces

Our shared environments come in all forms. From landscapes that address climate change (while welcoming cultural and social life) to a rich variety of parks, plazas and buildings — and even infrastructure projects — that engage the urban realm, the best public spaces are a celebration of community and collective spirit. While the scales, contexts and geographies vary, a commitment to nourish the communal good and promote civic equity unites Azure’s top 10 public spaces of 2023.
Founded by Garcia •

Founded by Garcia — A Portrait of Designer Derek McLeod

McLeod designs for people. During every step of his design practice, he tends to the human experience. Conscious that people respond to texture, McLeod looks to create pieces that people want to touch. Chairs that people want to sit on. Dining tables that people want to dine on. As McLeod has said, “A chair that is both beautiful and comfortable encourages us to sit together longer.” In other words, his designs strive to enhance real human experiences. When McLeod designs a bookshelf, it is born
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Hans Fonk: Dutch Bonsai Series III —

Amsterdam-based photographer and founder/art director of award-winning interior design magazine Objekt International Hans Fonk is drawn to drama. An exhibited artist in Beijing, Hong Kong, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and USA, his solo exhibition entitled Dutch Bonsai, series III, premiered at ARTERIAL on June 29th. It showcases a series of large-scale photographs printed on canvas and coated with Chinese pigments and tempera.

Fonk’s photography is acclaimed for its dynamism. His use of shadow
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Anthony Fieldman: Before the Fall —

Where in the world is beauty? New York-based architect and photographer Anthony Fieldman, sobriquet Nomade Civilisée, embodies a practice of immersive discovery to uncover beauty wherever it lies. His recent exhibition entitled Before The Fall at Toronto gallery ARTERIAL from April 26th to May 28th as part of Scotiabank’s Contact Photography Festival showcased photos of children from Ethiopia and Cuba on the theme of curiosity, play and open exploration.

“The reason I photograph kids is becaus
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Aline Setton: Visual Reverb —

An aging brick house drifts through time but not space, graffiti tattooing its garage door, weeds growing up its steps, and faces a titanium-grade home of futuristic charm across the street. How do these two architectural timelines exist on the same street, in the same space, in the same image? Artist Aline Setton lives for such urban juxtapositions, exploring the meaning of their rebounding vibrations and visual reverberations in her art.

Brazilian artist Aline Setton’s new solo exhibition “Vi
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Kathleen Finlay: Artist Spotlight —

Montreal-based Artist Kathleen Finlay calls herself a humanist. Inspired by the values of the literary salons of Paris in the 1920s as hives of creativity and community, Finlay strives to create community in everything she does.

“Most artists focus on themselves, which is fine, because that’s super important... but I’m also very interested in other people.”

Finlay is a long time collaborator with ARTERIAL. Created in association with her artist collective The Soulfood, she curated the first-ev
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Artist Spotlight: John Monteith —

Although some believe him to be an emerging voice in the design world, Monteith considers himself strictly an artist. “I don't really see my rugs created for the Urban Fabric collection or commissioned for corporate and private collections as separate from work created for a museum or gallery exhibition. It's just another extension of my practice that allows me to think through making.” In Monteith’s typical holistic manner of thinking, his own understanding of his practice is always in connecti
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Verona Sorensen: Artist Spotlight —

Another of Sorensen’s directions was her research into the real people of her past; exploring both her father’s Norwegian and her mother’s Filipino lineage. Initially anticipating spending most of her time on her father’s Viking heritage, this research into her ancestry yielded unimagined results. What she discovered instead was a long line of American ancestry, which included pioneer and frontiersman, Daniel Boone, and potentially even presidential figures (Eisenhower, Nixon, Lincoln). It was i
‏‏‎ ‎ARTERIAL •

Theo Willemse: Artist Spotlight —

Amsterdam-born artist Theo Willemse and his wife and partner Patricia Thornton have a unique and intimate connection with the Arterial exhibition space. For many years, it was their home. Willemse spent 21 years living on Adelaide Street in what is now Arterial Gallery. He lived in playful harmony with giant wooden and bronze sculptures, plinths, and more.

The space functioned as a casual gallery-by-invitation as well as a fully-equipped artist’s studio and residence. When Thornton joined him,

Going Gluten-Free Isn’t Always the Answer | Opinions

Going Gluten-Free Isn’t Always the Answer

Each environmental footstep you leave behind is considerably smaller than those of your peers.

Yet, however much your e-boy hat resembles that of the person waiting in line behind you at People’s Potato, these trends are nothing to joke about.

Reducing your ecological footprint and opting out of a massive monolith like the Canadian dairy industry, for a local and sustainable alternative, is a very worthy practice.

There are some trends, however, that

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