Media Release

The Power Plant launches the new exhibition ‘Candice Breitz: Same Same’ with an opening party on Friday, 18 September, 2009, followed by an impressive lineup of programming for the fall season.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, 11 September 2009 – The Power Plant launches the fall season with an opening party for one of its most dynamic exhibitions. ‘Candice Breitz: Same Same’ is the largest North American survey of Candice Breitz’s work to date, and it will officially open to the public with an exhibition opening party on Friday, 18 September, 2009, from 8 to 11 PM.

The opening party will begin at 8 PM where guests will be among the first to experience Breitz’s new work, Factum. Commissioned by The Power Plant for this exhibition, with the support of Toronto benefactors Partners in Art, this spectacular new work features several sets of twins from Toronto. Each was separated from their sibling and asked the same questions. Breitz recorded the responses and created a series of dynamically edited video portraits. Factum explores the myriad ways that twins differentiate themselves in a world that values nothing more than the individual.

This project was made possible by Partners in Art (PIA), a non-profit group of Toronto art enthusiasts with an interest in supporting the visual arts in Canada in two ways: first, by partnering with established arts organizations on collaborative fundraising projects; and second, by furthering members’ own understanding and knowledge of the visual arts through an active education program. The group cultivates alliances among artists, dealers, curators, educators, businesses, and the public to develop vital and exciting contemporary art projects that raise the awareness of Canadian art and artists nationally and internationally. PIA was The Power Plant’s Commissioning Partner for the gallery’s 2008 and 2009 commissions. “Partners in Art (PIA) is very excited to have contributed to the production of two new contemporary art commissions, including the eight works in Factum,” says Eleanor Shen, PIA co-chair. “It’s especially exciting to know that Candice Breitz, a renowned Berlin-based artist, chose to create her commissioned work here in Toronto with totally Canadian content; potentially leading to the positive cross-pollination of ideas and energy with the Toronto art community.”

Gregory Burke, Director of The Power Plant and curator of the ‘Candice Breitz: Same Same’ exhibition says: “Breitz is an internationally-acclaimed artist and has a close relationship with Toronto and The Power Plant. Having worked here to produce Factum and having exhibited here in the past, Breitz now has many Canadian friends and supporters. It is very fortunate that we can present the largest survey of her work here in this city, the place where her most recent creation came into being.”

Candice Breitz investigates contemporary media culture using the language of the entertainment industry, including pop music, television, and Hollywood films. Straddling the sometimes ambiguous terrain between art, entertainment and consumerism, she edits, re-contextualizes or otherwise re-interprets familiar elements of our mediated mass culture landscapes to produce aesthetically dazzling and critically engaging multi-channel video installations that explore the performance of identity and self-fashioning.

After the exhibition opening party, the weekend will feature Candice Breitz in conversation with Lynn Crosbie. A teacher at the Ontario College of Art and Design and a columnist for The Globe and Mail, Crosbie is a cultural critic and poet who will speak one-on-one with Breitz about issues in contemporary media culture involving popular music, film and television.

A diverse range of related programming is scheduled to continue throughout the season until the close of the show on Sunday, 15 November. One of the highlights is the gallery’s International Lecture Series, which continues this fall with internationally renowned UK artist Phil Collins, who will speak about his politically engaged media practice and screen his acclaimed film zasto ne govorim srpski (na srpskom) (2008). And for the fourth year running, Power Talks presents influential museum directors, curators and critics discussing their projects and ideas and reflecting on the art world in a time of flux. Power Talks is organized by The Power Plant for the Toronto International Art Fair. With everything from special lectures by some of the world’s most renowned artists and scholars, to a workshop for children and Sunday Scene tours, fall programming at The Power Plant is sure to appeal to all. An extended listing of programs is attached, and the gallery is open later on Wednesday evenings so visitors can enjoy the gallery FREE from 5 – 8 PM.

The exhibition ‘Candice Breitz: Same Same’ has been generously supported by Factum Commissioning Partner Partners in Art, with additional support from the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Support Donors Elisa Nuyten & David Dime and Ken Zuckerman, Catalogue Donors Sarah Dinnick & Colin Webster, and presented in association with Future Projections, Toronto International Film Festival. The Power Plant is extremely thankful for their integral support.

Candice Breitz will be available for an interview during a press conference on
Friday, 18 September at 10 AM.

Curator of the exhibition, Director Gregory Burke, is available for an interview upon request.

_____________________________

For more information on exhibitions and all public programs, call 416-973-4949 or visit www.thepowerplant.org

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre
231 Queens Quay West, Toronto

Admission:
FREE Members
$6 Adults, $3 Students/Seniors
FREE Wednesday 5 – 8 PM

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 12 – 6 PM
Wednesday 12 – 8 PM
Open holiday Mondays

-30-

Media Contact:

Robin Boyko
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
The Power Plant
416-973-4927
rboyko@harbourfrontcentre.com

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

IN CONVERSATION / Candice Breitz and Lynn Crosbie
Saturday, 19 September / 6 PM / $4 Members, $6 Non-Members
Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre

Join us on opening weekend for a conversation between artist Candice Breitz and cultural critic and poet Lynn Crosbie.
_____________________________

LECTURE / Chris Kraus: Indelible Video
Tuesday, 22 September / 7 PM / $4 Members, $6 Non-Members
The Power Plant

Chris Kraus is a fiction writer who often writes about art for international magazines and will discuss ideas of time and space as reflected in work by artists such as Candice Breitz.
_____________________________

LECTURE / Mark Kingwell on Glenn Gould
Thursday, 1 October / 7 PM / $4 Members, $6 Non-Members
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre

Author of fifteen books about philosophy, design and architecture, Mark Kingwell has written a new book, Glenn Gould. Kingwell’s lecture links to the Candice Breitz exhibition by examining the connections between live and recorded performance, repetition and improvisation.

This event is dedicated to the Toronto Arts Council in honour of their 35th Anniversary.
_____________________________

FORUM / The Scripted Life
Tuesday, 20 October / 7 PM / $4 Members, $6 Non-Members
The Power Plant

This panel of artists and curators will be moderated by Carl Wilson and will discuss the relationships that develop between mass culture and its active consumers, who both follow and break from what Candice Breitz has called “the scripted life.” Including Dave Dyment, Jocelyn and Natalyn Tremblay, and Jason St-Laurent.
_____________________________

INTERNATIONAL LECTURE SERIES / Phil Collins
Saturday, 17 October / 6 PM / FREE to Members, $12 Non-Members
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre

The Power Plant presents internationally renowned UK artist Phil Collins. He will visit Toronto to speak about his politically engaged media practice and screen his acclaimed film zasto ne govorim srpski (na srpskom) (2008), commissioned by the 55th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh.

2009 International Lecture Series Lead Donor: J.P. Bickell Foundation
_____________________________

SPECIAL EVENT / Power Talks
Friday, 23 October – Sunday, 25 October
FREE to TIAF passholders, $5 Members, $10 Non-Members per event
Room 204, Metro Toronto Convention Centre

For the fourth year running, Power Talks presents influential museum directors, curators and critics discussing their projects and ideas, and reflecting on the art world in a time of flux. Power Talks is organized by The Power Plant for Art Toronto.

23 October, 6 PM
Opening Keynote: Richard Flood / Tearing Down the House: Notes on Contemporary Curating

24 October, 11 AM
Power Forum: Curating in the New Economy
Richard Flood, Louis Grachos and Susanne Ghez, moderated by Sarah Milroy

24 October, 2 PM
Power Forum: Art Publishing in the Digital Age
Adrian Searle, Anton Vidokle and Melony Ward

25 October, 3 PM
Closing Keynote: Adrian Searle / Bribes, Threats, and Making Things Up: A Critic Speaks

_____________________________

FORUM / Automatiste Revolution
Sunday, 25 October / 12 PM / call 416.973.4000 for tickets
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre

Chaired by Ray Ellenwood, this roundtable discussion explores the resurgence of interest in Jean-Paul Riopelle and the avant-garde Automatiste group.
_____________________________

LIVE / Songs for Jesse Presley
Wednesday, 11 November/ 9 PM / $9 Members/Students, $10 Non-Members
The Music Gallery, 197 John Street

Curated by Carl Wilson in tandem with the Candice Breitz exhibition, this evening in honour of Elvis Presley’s stillborn twin features performances by some of Toronto’s most exciting independent musicians.
_____________________________

POWER KIDS
Sunday, 15 November / 2–5 PM / $4 Members, $6 Non-Members
For children ages 5 – 10 and their adult companions

Enjoy hands-on artmaking projects, interactive gallery tours and discussions about twins, movies and music, all inspired by the exhibition ‘Candice Breitz: Same Same.’
_____________________________

INSIDE TORONTO’S ART WORLD
Four-Week Series, Saturdays, 7,14,21,28 November / 2–5 PM / $180 Members,
$200 Non-Members

Experience a behind-the-scenes view of art production and exhibition, from the studio to the collector’s home, all led by members of The Power Plant’s curatorial team. Connect with artists, collectors and fellow art lovers, and deepen your involvement in Toronto’s vital arts community.
_____________________________

SUNDAY SCENE
20 September to 15 November / 2 PM / FREE

Every Sunday speakers from the world of art and beyond offer their responses to the current exhibitions.

20 September / Helena Reckitt & Bianca Semeniuk

27 September / Robert Lendrum

4 October / Cecilia Berkovic

11 October / Srimoyee Mitra

18 October / Amy Uyeda & Linda Chalmers

25 October / Livia Veselka

1 November / Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot

8 November / Katie Bethune-Leamen

15 November / Jacob Korczynski

235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8
Phone: 416-973-4600 | Fax: 416-973-6055 | harbourfrontcentre.com