TORONTO, ON.- Collectors, curators and art enthusiasts converged on Toronto to experience the twelfth edition of Art Toronto - a four-day fair which showcases exhibits by 109 leading and emerging international galleries from 13 countries. Art Toronto 2011 runs from October 28 to 31, and features alternative spaces curated by The Drake Hotel, Canadian Art magazine, the Art Gallery of York University and the Art Dealers Association of Canada. Other highlights of the fair include solo exhibitions, installations and curated projects by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Kent Monkman, Edward Burtynsky, Chuck Close and many more.

“Art Toronto is more than a place to buy and sell art, it’s also about opportunity: opportunities for galleries to meet artists, fellow dealers and curators,” said Linel Rebenchuk, of Art Toronto. “It also allows visitors to see the best of what the art world has to offer, and gives attendees the opportunity to learn and take part in forums, interviews, performances and panel discussions.”

The Art Game - Commissioned Flagship Project by Kent Monkman
Curated by Steven Loft, The Art Game is a life-size maze, constructed from booth walls identical to the Art Fair itself, which takes the audience through an art world “funhouse”. The meandering corridors are made more confusing with the use of double-sided mirrors, trick windows, and fake doors, forcing the audience into a challenging experience of disorientation and multiple choice – not unlike the real art world. Dispersed throughout the maze are four “dioramas”, in the form of four small rooms, each one presenting the four key players in the Art Game: artist, curator/museum director, gallerist, and collector.

Art Toronto 2011 MOCCA Benefit Edition
With the support of Art Toronto, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art announced Edward Burtynsky as the Art Toronto 2011 MOCCA Benefit Edition Artist.

The BMW Art Car
As the official vehicle of Art Toronto 2011, BMW Canada presents iconic artist Andy Warhol’s 1979 Art Car – the BMW M1. Since 1975, artists from around the world have turned BMW automobiles into art, signifying a particular period through the Art Car program. The name Andy Warhol is the quintessence of pop art. He began his artistic career as a commercial artist and was successful in holding his own exhibitions in New York as early as 1952. BMW Canada is extremely proud to bring Warhol’s Art Car to Toronto as a means of sharing one of the company’s many cultural initiatives with Canadians.

RBC Canadian Painting Competition
Established in 1999, with the support of the Canadian Art Foundation, the RBC Canadian Painting Competition is a tribute to Canada’s artistic talent. The goal of the competition is to support and nurture emerging Canadian visual artists by providing them with a forum to display their artistic talent to the country and hopefully open doors to future opportunities. Selected works from previous year’s semi-finalists are on exhibit at Art Toronto 2011 or see the paintings of all 15 semi-finalists by visiting www.rbc.com/paintingcompetition.

Curatorial Program
Entitled Place, this initiative is curated by William Huffman and explores the notion of navigation as a unifying theme – ultimately moving people through the fair and activating existing elements with a four artist, intervention-based mechanisms. This initiative is a presentation partnership between Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF), Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) and Art Toronto.

Mapping an Exhibition with William Huffman
This project is intended to highlight individual artworks already on display in the various booths by creating an exhibition that links the works physically and conceptually through route instructions. This component will be activated by a take-away map and instruction kit, which guides visitors through the fair occasionally highlighting works of particular interest at various gallery booths. Along with the map device, signage will identify the featured pieces and provide didactic or narrative information. The selection of works may change daily, thereby telling a different story and, incorporating as many galleries/artists as possible.