Tepkik by Jordan Bennett

Commissioned by BFPLTO, Tepkik, a 100-foot-long site-specific sculptural work by visual artist Jordan Bennett, graced the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place Toronto from July 30 to August 24, 2018, with a striking visual representation of the intersection of Mi’kmaq ancestral and contemporary traditions. Shortlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award, Bennett finds inspiration from images and stories created by the practice of artfully removing rock to create a petroglyph. Tepkik draws on the Mi’kmaq petroglyph that depicts the Milky Way, which has been found on the rocky shores of the lakes and rivers at Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia.

Bennett’s work employs both large, printed fabric panels and highly reflective surface elements. The piece creates a link to Mi’kmaq ways of being and understandings of our known universe by presenting a visual conversation exploring Mi’kmaq creation stories.

Jordan Bennett’s largest piece to-date, the sweeping, colourful Polysilk fabric panels used in Tepkik will transport visitors into the realm of the night sky, bringing the stars and stories of our galaxy into view at any time of day. The installation title, Tepkik, is a Mi’Kmaq word for “night”, reflecting on the creation stories that are told through the stars in the sky. Historical references to the sky, land, and our galaxy are illuminated by Bennett’s bright treatment of colour, both traditional and pop, as well as his interpretation of Mi’kmaq quillwork patterns and motifs. By pushing his limits and employing new materials in his art practice, Bennett has given a new forum for these oral traditions to be told and shared. Using over 200 ft of Polysilk fabric and custom reflective vinyl typically used for road signs, Bennett uses contemporary materials to evoke cultural markers of the past.

Tepkik was presented at Brookfield Place New York in the summer of 2019 and was a featured exhibition of The National Gallery of Canada’s Abadakone / Continuous Fire / Feu Continuel in the fall of that year.

Into the Clouds by FriendsWithYou

Little Cloud and three friends are spent their lazy days of summer hanging out in the Allen Lambert Galleria in August 2019. Presented by BFPLTO, Into the Clouds featured four large-scale inflatable clouds created by the Los Angeles based visual arts collective FriendsWithYou.

The cloud has been a recurring image in their work – an enduring symbol of love and light. By animating these simple forms with universally recognized human expressions FriendsWithYou continues to promote a positive message of happiness in their work and connectivity in the world.

{float}

Artist Anne Vieux’s { float } is a site-specific piece engaging with the common perceptions of painting as a window, mirror, or frame. Created digitally, this commissioned vinyl artwork has been compressed into screen space dimensions, playing on historical models of abstraction like color field painting and the sublime. This luminous hyperreal “painting” calls into question and consideration perceptual boundaries between the virtual and that which is embodied within the physical artwork.

About the artist: Born in Michigan, Brooklyn-based artist Anne Vieux received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Vieux has previously exhibited work with Brookfield Properties. { float } was commissioned by Arts Brookfield for Brookfield Place New York in 2021.

Learn more about Anne Vieux