One of TO DO’s founding exhibitions, and a huge Festival Week draw, CUTMR 2018 explores how people interact with art and design. But this year’s exhibition asks, is it a shared experience mediated by an artist or designer? Or is it an individual response triggered by personal experience? Looking at some of the feminist-leaning art projects at CUTMR this year, maybe we can say it’s a little bit of both.
Framed within the backdrop of the historic 128-year-old Gladstone Hotel, Come Up To My Room invites artists and designers to create 4 Day site-specific, immersive installations that stimulate the imagination and encourage discussion and dialogue between contributors and visitors alike. #CUTMR2018 will feature over 25 Projects with over 50 participants! Join CUTMR2018 Curators Jana Macalik, Christophe Jivraj + Lukus Toane in celebrating 15 YEARS of Art + Design at Toronto’s leading Art Hotel.
People interact with art in order to have a shared experience that is mediated by an artist or designer, but can only be completed by the viewer. This completion, of course, being the viewer’s individual response. The capacity to understand and share common experiences is not only a privilege but also a social, political, and cultural imperative in the 21st century. As the world becomes smaller and more intimate, the narrative reach grows larger, broadening our views of how to exist in the world. These uncharted spaces can use art and design as the bridge between ourselves and the human condition being explored. CUTMR 2018 is a platform for artists and designers to challenge themselves and try new things in an unconventional setting. It is also a safe space to explore difficult content in an experimental context. For the viewer to fully engage in shared and unique experiences we must employ an open and willing mind, and create a space where our uncertainties and preconceptions can speak to our communal empathy and compassion. And amid any apprehension, artists and designers signal willingly—this is the time to build new connections and forge new narratives.
Buy tickets here: https://cutmr2018.