Beach Arts Scene

Gerrard Art Space, 1475 Gerrard St. E., is in the midst of The Clown Show, featuring – you guessed it – clowns of all types and in all mediums.

The exhibition is intended to explore the craft of clowning and representations of clowns in culture.

“Are you a ‘Charlie Chaplin’ clown or a ‘Joker’ clown?” asks the gallery’s press release. The Clown Show is up until Aug. 2.

From Aug. 12 to 23, the gallery will host State of Being/State of Mind.

Inspired in part by recent changes to the province’s sex education curriculum and in a city with people from across the gender and sexual identity spectrum, the show will feature work that considers “gender, sexual and cultural identity and specifically what complications might arise for those with strong religious and/or ethnic identities.”

State of Being/State of Mind will have an opening reception from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

 

–

 

East End painter Monika Uesson Talpak will be among the many Canadian, Estonian, and American artists taking part in the Society of Estonian Artists in Toronto’s 60th annual art exhibition from Aug. 23 to 30.

From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, the Estonian House’s Osvald Timmas Gallery and Crystal Hall will play host to the society members’ work at 958 Broadview Ave., north of Danforth. Admission is free, and an opening day reception will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Uesson Talpak has a degree from University of Toronto and a Masters of Fine Art from OCAD-U, but began her training in the arts programs at Central Tech and Danforth Technical and Collegiate Institutes.

She has worked in the arts since finishing her education, including as an art director, creative director, illustrator, designer, and teacher.

Uesson Talpak has created work in many media as a fine artist, including watercolour, oil pastels, chalk pastels, encaustic, pen and ink, and more, though she has worked mainly in acrylic for about 20 years.

Her work has been exhibited at the Heliconian Club, the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, the Varely Museum, the former O’Keefe Centre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Cobalt on Kingston Road, and other galleries in Ontario, Sweden, and Estonia.

 

–

 

Arts on Queen, 2198 Queen St. E., is featuring painter Laurie Skantzos for the month of August.

Skantzos works in oil and mixed media, and lives in Guelph. She has been developing her abstract and semi-abstract work since graduating from the University of Waterloo’s fine art program.