whispers in the gallery

Random thoughts for Christmas

2011-12-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

I like Christmas. I like it for the spritual significance of recognizing a miraculous birth in a time of darkeness and uncertainty. I like Christmas for the family dinners of roask pork, drinking sorrel and nibbling black cake while listening to Parang music.
I also see Christmas as time that people seem more gentler. At work, people exchange small trinkets between each other and enjoying the festivities of decorating our cubicles with cheap tinsel and greenery. I know that the bustle tends to turn people off but I sometimes wonder if people secrretly like the bustle. If they really despised the bustle, the would stop the gift giving and go into a hibernation until January 2. But they don't and they continue running the treadmill of buying gifts. I don't advocate the hustle but people should be a little more conscious of why they are partaking in the shopping. I try not to be taken up with the bustle by shopping early, keeping the recipient list small and keeping the gifts small as well.
I try not to leave out the people who don't celebrate Christmas. This is the sticking point in a multicultural society; how to you balance the desire to a large segment of society to celebrate a holiday without forcing those who don't share the religious/cultural impetus to celebrate. I guess the best compromise includes accepting the fact that some people don't want anything to do with Christmas while not putting down those who do chose to celebrate. It is a give and take that signifies a mature society.

Well, I must get back to decorating the tree and sipping some egg nog.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Ross Douthat Speaks Truth!

2011-11-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

Ross Douthat, resident conservative of the New York Times summarizes the problems we have in electing politicians with this cutting sentence:

We confuse charisma with competence, rhetoric with results, celebrity with genuine achievement.

These people will stop at Nothing!

2011-10-28T18:10:00.000-04:00

The plague of the OWS reached Toronto last week with the granola crowd occupying Bay street and chanting the tired slogans of solidarity. Just yesterday, protesters were banging on a TD Bank even chanting 'solidarity'. The finance minster Joe Flaherty said that Canada's system was not as bad as the US one with statements describing the Canadian financial system as, "very progressive tax system," a "generous social system" and strong regulations in the banking sector." He was saying to the protesters, " Why are you protesting our quasi-socialist system. We're doing everything that the bad Americans won't do: socialized health care and a larger welfare state." As a Canadian, I know we have a larger social welfare net but we also don't have the government that excessively meddles in the financial market ( see housing, cars).
The message of the OWS isn't entirely bad, since when large businesses become intertwined with large government becomes problematic. In the US, people saw the government bailout large corporations and these companies have yet to invest in the economy. I support markets but not necessarily big businesses. My problem with OWS is more of with the composition of the groups that make up the protesters. The granola crowd of communists, socialists, unions all demanding a larger role of the government makes me queasy. The true 99% really want a place to earn enough to support themselves and their families without the government standing in the way.

It's a gorilla juice head world

2011-10-02T15:56:00.002-04:00

I just turned 31 yesterday and I am still recovering from the day. I found turning 30 difficult but now 31 is proving to be just as fraught with introspection. Every decision I make financially or career-wise has large repercussions and I've become more cautious. I even notice that dating and marriage is looming large with many friends becoming 'adults' and marrying. Being single at 25 is different that being single at 30; now people start hinting at marriage and friends become pickier at socializing. Where does gorilla juice head come into play? My sister and I watch Jersey Shore every Thursday. There is nothing morally uplifting about the show but its funny to see that when your early 20's, the mistakes are not permanent and painful. Last night I went to a club called Rehab. It's a younger clientele but with better music than our regular hang out Dirty Martini. The crowd looked like that they took their behavioural and style points from Jersey Shore. There were a lot of guys looking very buff and muscular, looking like Snookies' ideal male-the gorilla juice head. The guys also wore tight t-shirts and rosary beads while fist pumping to the latest mainstream dance music. Why was I attracted to this? The freedom of just dancing around to the latest dance music without thinking about my 5 career/personal life plan is a relaxing feeling.
PS-Please keep in your thoughts and prayers possible execution of Youcef Nadarkhani. The Iranian government is about to execute this pastor for deciding to live his life as a Christian. This situation highlights some troubling realities of religious minorities in Muslim-dominated countries.

Charges dropped in DSK case

2011-08-23T21:24:00.004-04:00

The charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn were dropped today with the urging of the NYC prosecutor. This is no surprise since the victim's actions undermined her credibility. We may never know what happened in that hotel room. The forensic evidence suggest that a sexual encounter did take place but not clear enough to suggest that it was forced.
This case was compelling on a number of levels; the wealthy european against the poor maid, the intersections of race and class were played out for everyone to convict DSK and canonize the maid, Nafissatou Diallo. This case has echoes of the Duke lacross case. These cases both have white perpetrators, a black victim, media spotlight and endless analysis. I made the classic mistake of assuming that a white perpetrator is always guilty with a black female victim without the benefit of a trial. The flaw in seeing the cultural groups as victims/perpetrators, we gloss over the foibles of the 'victim' class and ignore the possibility that the accused may not be guilty.

NDP Jack Layton dead at 61

2011-08-22T19:25:00.002-04:00

Our opposition leader, Jack Layton, passed away this morning of complications from cancer at 61. I didn't subscribe to political philosophy of the NDP but I felt he deserved to become opposition leader due to his many years in public service. I also felt that his leadership would keep PM Harper on his toes. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

adventures on the 401

2011-08-22T11:32:00.002-04:00

I just completed driving on the 401 for the past week to see if it is worth it to drive to work on a regular basis. After one week, I came to a couple of observations....

1. I prefer driving into work rather than driving home. I like the idea of pulling into the parking lot and staring work at 7:30 am.

2. I like leaving work early but not the traffic on the 401, one of the busiest highways in North America. Out of the 5 days I drove to work, two days had me stuck in traffic until 5: 30 and 5:50 respectively.

3. The traffic on Friday, even in the mornings, is the lightest. Even with a trip to Whole Foods at Square One, I got home at 2 pm.

I still thinking about the idea of driving to work on a more regular basis. My trip home on transit made me prefer being in traffic in my own space over standing on a bus, subjected to conversations I don't want to hear and odours I don't want to smell.

Why is London burning?

2011-08-14T22:28:00.003-04:00

My sister and I like watching a show, How the Other Half Live, on BBC Canada on Saturday mornings. It shows the interaction between a family living in poverty and a wealthy family in Britain. The relationship involves the wealthy family giving money to help the impoverished one. Some could argue that this is paternalistic but how much more is this paternalistic than the government giving money to families? Usually the impoverished family is in a single female-headed household while the wealthy family has the traditional nuclear family. I'm not sure why my sister and I are fascinated with the show. Maybe it has to do with seeing the extremes of British life; the gritty urban slums verses the large homes in the English countryside.

After reading about the riots in London, the show has a stronger meaning to me. In Britain, 1 in 6 people live in public housing or 10 million people. I'm starting to think that the government as landlord is not a wise idea. The scenes in How the Other Half Live show the housing units as very rundown and dirty. The air of violence and danger permeate the public housing scenes in the show. The riots this past week suggest to me that when people don't have any personal ownership in their housing or their neigbourhoods, an attitude of carelessness thrives. The impoverished families featured in this show look sincere in their attempts to improve their lives. But I can't help thinking that the large amount of public housing in Britain has contributed to the violence.

Is he just lucky or innocent?

2011-07-03T01:20:00.003-04:00

We are finding out that the woman that accused DSK of the assault may not be the hardworking, upstanding victim that we once thought. The holes in the victim's credibility include lying on her asylum application and her relationship with a drug dealer. These revelations have led to DSK released on bail. Do I think she could have been assaulted...yes. Does this mean that the trial will be nasty and brutal? Definitely. Do I think people jumped to a quick judgement? Of course. I still believe that French culture does need to do some soul searching on the elitism of their public officials. This is a lesson that everyone, even sleaze ball bureaucrats have a presumption of guilt in a court of law.

The eleventh commandment

2011-05-26T20:14:00.012-04:00

Earlier this month, university professor/gadfly/rapper Cornel West questioned the racial identity of President Barack Obama. Here is a portion of the interview:

"As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he’s always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white. He is just as human as I am, but that is his cultural formation. When he meets an independent black brother, it is frightening. And that’s true for a white brother. When you get a white brother who meets a free, independent black man, they got to be mature to really embrace fully what the brother is saying to them. It’s a tension, given the history. It can be overcome. Obama, coming out of Kansas influence, white, loving grandparents, coming out of Hawaii and Indonesia, when he meets these independent black folk who have a history of slavery, Jim Crow, Jane Crow and so on, he is very apprehensive. He has a certain rootlessness, a deracination. It is understandable."

I realize the quote is long but it does illustrate a tension in the community with racial identity. I have no problem with people on the left or right critiquing/criticizing the policy decisions of Obama; he is a public servant and needs to be held to account for his decisions. What I find distasteful is West questioning the 'blackness' of Obama.

This little episode teased out a lot of different feelings. First, the left is disappointed that the US has not become the European Socialist state overnight. Secondly, this event reveals that even members of the left can't afford to criticize Obama without some blow back (See Ted Rall). Finally, this episode highlights the fact the Cornell West in the past questioned the 'Blackness' of other black people such as Clarence Thomas and people said nothing while now he questions Obama and Cornel's friends in the academy accuse him of pettiness.

The broader implications of the battle between Obama vs. West is the idea that we should never question the actions of individual members of our community. We will pull the 'you're not really black' card in a heartbeat to stifle ideological dissent but we will never question poor service and shifty actions. This idea of unity at all costs runs a link though tolerating two hour wait at a salon because it's black owned. Or not questioning the extravagant spending habits of a preacher. Or enduring foul service at the local soul food/Caribbean restaurant. Even the stop snitching campaign harkens back to the eleventh commandment of thou shall not question the actions of another black person. I understand that we as a people need all the support we can get but this not questioning the abhorrent behaviour is our downfall. So I implore you to stop going to the salon with the two hour wait, to talk discreetly with other parishioners about suspect behaviour and don't go back to the Jerk place until they get rid of the sour-faced server!

Thoughts for Paris

2011-05-20T16:45:00.004-04:00

During this week, I've been thinking about my trip to Paris two years ago. I will always have found memories of walking around the cobbles streets, eating Macarons and absorbing the aged sophistication. But why this Parisian feeling? Strangely, the arrest and inditement of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. This ugly situation of the attempted sexual assault has revealed some unsavory elements of French culture. Much of the French press has accused the US justice system of harsh treatment of one their elite and suggested that the frigid Protestantism of Americans is what is really to blame for DSK's treatment. The fact that DSK and his friends in the French elite are Socialists is shocking and yet not surprising. It is surprising in the sense that the French press has shown so little compassion towards the victim, an African single mother by publishing her name and making comments on her appearance. These socialists say that they are for the little guy while deriding the center and the right as anti-compassionate. These wealthy socialists are compassionate towards the 'little people' until the worker throws a wrench into their plans, (look at accusations of sexual harassment from members of the left, Al Gore and Bill Clinton and the reaction from Feminist group NOW). Also, the French press plays into the meta-narrative of the Puritan Americans vs. Libertine French. There are many elements of French culture that I like; the desserts, visual arts and casual chicness. The Libertine attitude towards male-female relationships is something I can't romanticize.

West by East

2011-05-16T21:37:00.009-04:00

It's rare for me to combine my interests of visual arts and politics but I was given this opportunity when visiting the West by East exhibit and it's sister exhibit Landscape, Revolution, People at Queen Gallery. Both exhibits look at life in Iran through artists of Iranian descent. The gallery owner graciously gave some background to life in Iran. The picture above by Shadi Ghadirian looks at how the authorities censor magazine images in Iran by applying black marker to any exposed body parts. Ghadrian uses this form of censorship with models in a variety of poses with black marker applied over their arms and legs. The use of the black marker illustrates the Iranian authorities oblitering the identities of the women. They wear typical western clothes but much of their image is redacted from the viewer.The individuality of the women is disfigured by a black marker.

In another series of pictures, Be Colourful, the artist obscures the images of the female models. In the group of four images, each woman is dressed in colourful chadors and their image is obscured by a screen scrapped with dirt. These photographs also show that the Iranian government tries to hide the individuality and personality of women in a drab shell.

The exhibit continued across the street with the unique series of images by artist Gohar Dashti entitled Me, She and the Others. The piece features twenty women each with three images that show each woman with her indoor, working and casual wear. The images are unique in the sense that the women in their indoor clothes mostly reflected a western style of dress while the clothes that they wore outside hid and shrouded their personalities in tombs of black. A Christian woman had the unique images of western-style work and home clothes but a Chador for running errands around town. The gallery owner explained that the woman must live in a separate community where she could wear those types of clothing.

Artist Aydin Matlabi gives the viewer more scenes of Iraninan life with Landscape, Revolution, People #5. The large 30 x30 inch photo looks like you typical portrait. But looking closer, the young woman's piercing blue eyes are framed by plucked and arched eye brows. The hijab around her head allows for a peek of gelled and teased hair. The enforced dress code of the Iranian government can't hide the beauty and style of this woman.

These photographs give the viewer a taste of Iranian life through the eyes of the women. The Iranian government seeks to suppress their individuality and these women in subtle ways try to push back against it.

Final Analysis of the Election

2011-05-02T22:55:00.004-04:00

Stephen Harper finally gets his majority government with NDP leader Jack Layton forming the opposition. This election also revealed the decline of the Liberal brand with their third-place showing and the evisceration of the Bloc Quebecois with their three seats in parliament.

The results of the election reveal a number of things on the Canadian electorate:

Canadians wanted stability not radical change. Stephen Harper may not inspire the warm fuzzies but the economy is stable and our dollar at one point was worth more than the US.
The NDP dominating Quebec suggests that the people of Quebec are more interested in becoming full participants in Federalism rather than sitting on the sidelines.
The Liberal brand's decline began with the end of Chretien's time in office and has only accelerated with the lack of leadership by Ignatieff. Fortunately for Canadian public, Ignatieff resigned from his leadership position. Of course, he couldn't be very much of a leader since he lost his riding.
The huge inroads by the left-leaning NDP is no surprise. When you strip the sovereignty veneer off of the Bloc, it is a socialist party.

This election has changed the political goal posts in Canada. We have two parties, Conservative and NDP that provide Canadians definitive political perspectives while the Liberals offer lukewarm centrism. These elections reveal much more than the political whims of Canadians but where we see ourselves now and in the future.

Election in the Great White North

2011-05-02T20:42:00.002-04:00

An American friend asked if our PM Stephen Harper was thrown out of office. I had to think about my response to her question for 24 hours and then I explained that some political maneuvering caused Harper to call and election.

Usually Canadian elections are pretty staid and you can call the winner out weeks in advance. But this election has proven to be anything but stale. Harper, like everyone else, is on the elusive hunt for the majority of the House of Commons. His competition, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, thought that Canadians were sick of Harper's authoritarian attitude and ditch the current PM. Ignatieff thought wrong and now is barely holding on to third place. NDP leader Jack Layton, injecting the charisma that Harper and Ignatieff lack is in a surprising second place. I'm watching this election closely. I will admit I voted for Harper. He could lose the secretive attitude and learn to break out a smile. I just have to look at the US and realize that I would rather have stability than radical change. I will keep you posted.

The Capture of Osama

2011-05-02T20:28:00.002-04:00

Last night, they captured Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11. I don't shed any tears for his demise but I want proof since I am still suspicious about the whole burial at sea. I want autopsy pictures and a fingerprint. While it is gratifying to get the person behind this horrible tragedy, Osama and his kind have franchised the Jihad movement. The US only killed the head of Jihad Inc. but his franchises span the globe. Maybe he took lessons from McDonald's. Ray Kroc has been dead for decades but McDonalds span the globe. Lets hope that the Jihad movement does not have such a long life.

The royal Wedding

2011-04-30T00:17:00.009-04:00

On Friday, Prince William married Kate Middleton after a very long courtship/shacking up. I don't normally follow the British royals; why follow people who have messier lives than I do but with nicer clothes. But today, I got up earlier than my normal 5:30 am and became misty eyed at seeing Queen Elizabeth walking into Westminister Abbey and Kate and her father driving through the clear streets of London. I'm not sure why I became interested. I suspect that this wedding symbolized the Britain that I love; the formality, beauty and tradition that was the British Monarchy before the tabloids. Unfortunately, when I read about Britain, I read about images of violence, terrorism, a large portion of the public on one form of government assistance and a horrendous health care system. The wedding temporarily showed a pageantry and beauty that we occasionally need in a difficult world.

I apologize for the last two years of not contributing to this blog. I also went to Rome during the hiatus and also made another trip to Trinidad and taken a couple of writing courses. But we talk about all those things later.

morning in Paris

2009-05-16T03:56:00.002-04:00

I just spent my first morning in Paris. After an crampted and sleepless night on an Airtransat flight (we are so going to save our money and fly Air Canada next time) and walking around unwashed until the hotel room was ready, I have taken a shine to this place. I still smile and wonder if this is for real. The neighbourhood is in the 13th arrondisment with a multicultural mix of people. Right after we got out of the bus, a woman asked us in french if we knew where an internet cafe could be found. So much for being worried about sticking out and seen as tourists. There is so much to say about our language barriers and the trip to the mall that this blog could become an endless saga. But I will save the best parts for later.

Permanent Residence in Middle Class Land

2009-01-31T22:57:00.003-05:00

I finally joined the ranks of the middle class...I got a car. It isn't the most flashy or trendy car, a sensible 2002 Nissan Sentra. I recieved a call from Dad about a potential car. I was coming out of Pacific Mall, an Asian-themed mall north of my workplace. A friend of the family knew a mechanic that bought cars and fixed them up. He found a Sentra at a price I wanted to pay;$5000. Dad wanted to know if I was interested in seeing the car. I was in no hurry to buy a car; at 28, I had become accustomed to planning my day around public transit. But I liked the taste of independance. The friend of the family picked me up to see the car; Dad would meet us there. The mechanic was at Weston Rd and Steeles. We had to go behind a building and I had visions of an underground chop shop. The cars surrounded the garage included a shiny Honmda Accord for $7,000 and and a couple of carcasses of cars. The owner wasn't there but a couple of the emloyees were there. I saw the car, a beige Nissan Sentra; it looked decent. Dad said, " You should get the car, just put it in the garage since its a good deal. I liked the idea of getting the car and said, " Lets get the car." The friend of the family said that the would make the arrangements.

After a week of signing forms and arranging insurance, I finally took possession of the car. When I wrote the check and entering the last zero, I remarked to Dad, I feel like an adult now. Dad laughed. The following Saturday, I drove the car back home with Candice. I could go where I wanted and when. I migrated from the land of bus to the kingdom of the drivers.

Obama World Order

2008-11-02T19:58:00.002-05:00

The US election is coming to a climatic close. Barack Obama is looking very close to living at the White House. I am cautiously optimistic on his win but nothing is sure and people will say one thing and will do another (see the Bradley effect). I would be happy to see Obama win but I hope the diaspora will see that Obama can't right the wrongs of the community. People are talking about taking the day off and celebrating his potential win. I hope his win will prompt some members of the community to step up their game and seek ways to improve their lives. Racism does not end with his win but forces members of the community to introspection. We need to realize that the anti-intellectualism and lack of personal standards harms the community just as racism. I believe that when we take an interest in cultivating knowledge and education in our young and understanding when we control of bodies, we control ourselves. Racism would be a minor setback and not something that would stop us cold and shun the opportunities give to us. Obama's win might also show an interest in trying to improve black relationships. Obama and Michelle show a positive view of black couple together with their daughters that contrasts with the visions of baby mama's and daddies' and the drama and tension that comes with a broken home. We shouldn't demand anything from Obama's win but this victory will demand a vision and plan from us.

Rental #2

2008-09-30T23:14:00.004-04:00

I rented a car for a friend's wedding on the 13th. I was thrilled to get access to a car to dive around North York. The wedding was close-knit and held at Immanuel Baptist Church at Don Mills and Finch.

I rented the car on a Friday afternoon. Before I get behind the wheel of a car, I feel my stomach burn at the thought of getting behind the wheel. Don't let anyone tell you that driving is a right because frankly driving is a privilege that one must earn. The prospect of driving at high speeds in a half ton car is a humbling responsibility.

I drove the red, two-door Ford Focus from Winston Churchill and Steeles to Don Mills and Finch. I avoided the highway which made the trip an epic cross country trek. I passed through the cities that make up the GTA and had to bypass an accident at Don Mills.

After the ceremony, we had to kill some time and we decided to drive around the area. First, our trip to Bayview Village, a tony mall at Bayview and Sheppard encountered more traffic that I had imagined. After realizing that the mall required more money that we wanted to part with, we went to the supermarket. We took advantage of the car by purchasing cat litter and other supposed neccesitities.

The next mall was Fairview and we decided to have a bite to eat before the reception. While drinking our long island ice teas and peach bellinis, I was reminded that I was driving and I became concerned about my ability to drive. I just had one drink and the drink was mostly juice but my driving skills are suspect and I felt any change in my sobriety would cross the line in irratic driving.

The reception was intimate with a corner portioned off for us at a Chinese restaurant. We watched videos, played kissing games (sorry, I did not participate) and enjoyed authentic Chinese food. Marilyn changed into a number of outfits as reference to her chinese heritage. We concluded the evening at 10 pm to pick up mom.This is where the true adventure began.

The rain poured and beat down on the car. Driving on the highway was completely out of the question. The rain washed and bather the car in sheets of water. For a couple of moments, I could not see where I was going and swerved in the other side of traffic. I felt the water was sppeding me up and I tried to ease off of the gas but I wanted to pull off the road and stop but mom and Candice wanted to get home after a long day. I had no choice but to continue driving down dlick black streets.

We made it home after midnight. I was glad and said a silent Halleluia. Driving is a rush to some and a burden to others.

Workin' it Out

2008-09-10T21:49:00.002-04:00

I started working out. This statement feels like a foreign language; harsh on the tongue but words that needed to be expressed. I started working out for very shallow reasons. I didn't want to continue going up another size and shop in specialty stores. Some may think that I'm caving into societal pressure but a part of me always felt homely and invisible.A couple of events cause this shift. In my journalism class, surrounded by size zeros and long hair caused me to become more withdrawn. I also suspect that the weight gain began gradually, every couple of years going up a size. A comment by an aunt also triggered a change when she said I looked like my grandmother before she lost a significant amount of weight.

My cheapskate mentality shunned going to a gym and I settled into a community center 5 visit pass. I packed my clothes in my TNA bag and toted this suitcase every couple of days. The first class I took was Tai Box, a combination of boxing, martial arts and aerobics. During the class with the repetitive jumping, kicking and jabs, I felt like my body was violently coming out of a coma. My mind was stimulated with daily reading of the New York Times and I could explain the inner workings of the government of Zimbabwe but a back kick was awkward. Every movement during the class felt like was my limbs were pulled in different directions. I kept looking at the other participants, trying to fall in line with then rhythm but I was slightly off a beat.

After the last couple of classes, which included taking a Yoga and Tone and a Pilates inspired class, I still feel the need to continue moving. Everyday, a new part feels sore and tightened. I often need to stretch and readjust my sitting position. The resuscitation will continue.

A rental class

2008-08-24T21:07:00.005-04:00

The car is not a popular item these days. It's blamed for global warming and eating into the earnings of average people with high gas rates. I see the car as a convenient way to get from Point A to Point B. I grew up in a house in which Mom didn't drive and no emphasis of driving from Dad. I was happy believing that I could survive with out a money pit of a car but I live in Mississauga, a suburb where my life revolves around the bus. This dream ended when I wanted to get into Journalism. No car meant competing for the limited amount of media jobs in Toronto. The quest for a full licence involves three years, thousands of dollars in driving lessons, and tearful failure when I did not pass the G2 after the second try.

I finally got the licence but I made excuses not to get a car; the analogy of the money pit , diverting funds from my bank account from handbags, lattes and books to insurance, gas and repairs. I also toyed with quitting Bell and needed the money for a 6 month cushion of unemployment. I felt the need to refine my driving skills and decided that renting a car was a good way to get driving experience.

I rented a late model Ford Focus. The car was a subcompact but it felt large a roomy. I started to sweat when I had to make a left and get on to Erin Mills Parkway and prayed while pulling up to the driveway. I beamed inside when I crookedly parked the car into the drive way. I drove the car around the neighbourhood, inventing errands to press my foot onto the gas pedal. Candice beamed as well and said it was a nice change to see a car in the driveway. I drove to Erin Mills to try on a coat (no luck) and dropped Candice to meet her friends. I picked up mom from the bus stop.Time had expanded. Taking the bus everywhere ate into my personal time.

Saturday allowed me to drive Candice to work; she didn't have to get up super early to take the 38 bus. I spend the day lounging around until I went to Dominion and Superstore to pick up some groceries. I also picked up Candice 20 minutes late but a drive is better that waiting for the bus anytime.

Later that night, Candice and I did a fast food run to Wendy's. Sitting in the parking lot, listening to music reminded me of what I missed because of not having a car; the freedom to pick up and leave home without having to depend on a cab driver or a bus driver.

On Sunday, driving to church changed everyone's mood from silence while shilling out $7 for a ride to leaving the house when we wanted and leaving the church when we wanted. Candice and Mom appeared relaxed and unhurried. After church, Candice and I dropped Mom at home and we made our way to Erin Mills town center. After picking up some items and circling the mall, my trip to middle class land would end abruptly when I had to return the car back to the rental agency. Candice nor mom did not want to go with me to return the car. I had to refill the car and I had my first taste of going to the gas station and filling up the car. I had visions of the car sparking up when refilling but it became a mundane task.

I pulled into the same spot the I got the car from, paid my bill and went back to spending an hour by bus to go back home when I would take me 10 minutes by car.

Obama fever hits the Caribbean

2008-05-28T21:19:00.003-04:00

My aunt Joan a couple of days ago sent an email with a You Tube clip of a Calypsonian singing the praises of Barack Obama. The question that is looming in my mind is why Trinidad and Tobago is so interested in the US presidential election. One could argue that when a world superpower is about to go to an election, the world has no choice but to stay glued to the battle. I see something more that mere interest. The fact that the US is about to consider a viable Black candidate is perking up interest in the African Diaspora. It does make me proud that Barack is very close to winning the nomination and maybe even a presidency. I'm even taking interest and I'm in Canada. I hope we realize that for Barack to win, he has to inspire hope in everyone and not just one portion of the population.

here is the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgy6vL8ch8w

Friday March 21 2008

2008-05-22T22:03:00.003-04:00

Good Friday in Trinidad is a quiet and solemn affair. I tried to hustle to a Church service for 6 am but strolled in around 7 am. The service followed the solemnity of the day with looking at the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifices that we must make in our own lives. I often reflect on my own sacrifices. Did I try to take the easy way or the right way in my own affairs?

After the service ended, I met with many of my relatives and shared small talk, but I realized that the early morning heat and not taking a shower make for a bad combination. I ran back to ma's house to take a desperately needed shower.

The rest of the day was quiet and I spent some time at my aunt Sheila's house with my cousin. It's customary to eat fish on Good Friday but I suggested to my aunt that I will pass on it and just eat the vegetables. I wanted to endure eating the fish but then I would have insulted her by picking at the food. She cooked some chicken instead. As usual, her stewed chicken served with boiled cassava proved to be a tasty and unusual combination. I identify cassava as a starchy "hard-time" food, not as the fluffy side dish that sopped up the juices of the chicken.

Later on in the day, I strolled back to ma's place and retired for the night. A quiet day in observance of a sacred event is hopefully not lost in the ambition of becoming 'developed'.

Trip to Buffalo

2008-05-04T18:15:00.003-04:00

While taking a break from writing about my trip to Trinidad, I went to Buffalo or at least the area surrounding Buffalo for the day. I was running low on my Bath and Bodyworks Products and needed to get cheap food and clothes. As usual, a bus full of mostly women crawled along the Lewiston bridge to the Niagara/Buffalo area. The customs officers ran down the lines, looking at passports and asking for ID when two members were getting a grilling about their place of birth. After looking at their passport and determining that there birthplace was Iran, the custom official asked when was the last time they went. The two women responded, 9 years. I shake my head and wonder how the War on Terror has devolved into harassing two women on the hunt for cheap clothes on a day trip to a border town.
The trip continued with stops at Wal Mart, Target, Walden Galleria and the ever-popular Niagara Factory Outlet Mall. I got my lotions from Bath and Body Works and gourmet food from the thrifty counterpart to Williams-Sonoma, Le Gourmet Chef.

The drive back to Mississauga always involves some uncertainty. In theory, you can only claim $50 for less that 24 of shopping in the US. This emphasis of only staying within that amount and the frantic packing of good to disguise the $300 Coach bag makes me think that Canadian Customs should put their focus on people who intend to harm the country rather than threatening to strip a bus if someone bought way too many goods in a 6 hour period.

The waiting to enter the US, customs threatening to strip the bus and invasive questions by customs has not dulled my need for cheap clothes, gawking at the people of Western New York and Bath and Bodyworks products. Sign me up for another bus trip!

Thursday March 20 2008

2008-04-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

My real first day in Trinidad was spent getting acquainted with the neighbourhood. I've been to ma's place so many times but every time I go, I approach it like its the first time I've been there. The house is divided into two living areas with my grandmother living upstairs with three bedrooms and the wacky situation of an uncle's ex-girlfriend living in the lower area.

My aunt Sheila, a hospital administrator was about to pick up my cousin from school, the University of the West Indies. My aunt cruised up in her lat model Nissan Sunny. They bought the car recently since my uncle Richard did not want to using his maxi to go out. However, my aunt uses the car to drive to San Fernando Hospital. I met her outside of ma's place and took a winding route to San Fernando.

The drive into the city involved cutting and changing through roads that were never made for multi-lane use. I said that I just go my licence but I was afraid to drive. Auntie Sheila chuckled, "I was chicken when I first started driving but as I continued driving, I got used to it." I saw signs for high speed Internet, broader access for cell phones and other goods.

We pulled into Gulf City, a major mall in San Fernando. The mall morphed and took over the parking lot with American restaurants such as TGIFriday's, Subway and Long John Silvers. Even the upmarket Hagen-Daaz has people eating creamy ice cream in the parking lot. Since the restaurants took over the parking lot, parking is a waiting game of looking for a parking spot.
We met Richelle and walked around the mall. I was trying to get all the tacky souvenirs and requests from friends.

After catching up with my cousin, I continued the drive back to tableland and stopped off for some barbecue. The place was a tent set up outside of a factory, where the smell of burning charcoal surrounded the area. We ordered our food. The barbecue sauce is what made this dinner unique. It tasked like a combination of ketchup, Tamarind and the spicy green seasoning used to flavor meat. I even dipped my french fries into the sauce. I tried to eat my dinner while battling the winding roads and sharp turns of the route back to Tableland.

Wednesday March 19 2008

2008-04-13T20:20:00.003-04:00

After what seemed like a sonic plane ride, I arrived in Trinidad around 5 am. I went through customs and regardless of any country you go to, there is always a slighlty bored government worker asking the same questions; why are you hear, how long are you staying and where are you staying? I answered all questions easily since I didn't plan to smuggle drugs or overstay my 10 days. One thing that struck me as odd is that the customs officer was wearing a shirt and a sweater. A sweater?!
I continued killing time before my ride, which was either Uncle Franklin or Cousin Jeremy. I roamed the Duty free shops, eyeing the gold bangles that I wanted since Dad went on his trip in August. I realized that I left my makeup at home and that I sooo needed FashionFare cosmetics. I picked up the right shade and slapped down my plastic.
The sun slowly rose over the mountains, turning the sky from deep purple to an azure. I walked back and forth between the outside and inside. The KFC and Royal Castle were up and running with people eating fried chicken at 5:30 am. I was hungry but all I had was 7 TT dollars in my pocket;a KFC Biscut will suffice. I eventually saw my cousin Jeremy. We greeted each other and he asked if I was waiting long. I said no. He gave me a box of KFC. A little early for Fried Chicken but the thought was nice.
While driving down the Soloman Hoychoy Highway, the traffic going into Port of Spain ground to a slow crawl. I asked Jeremy if this is normal. He shrugged, "It's normal for the traffic to be this heavy." I didn't remember the traffic so heavy but jet lag was slowly creeping in.
After the prerequisite stops to other relatives homes, I made it to Robert Village tableland, the ancestral home of my father. I greeted my grandmother while Jeremy brought up my two suitcases and TNA bag. As normal for a mother of 8 kids, Ma asked if I was hungry. I replied that I had the Cold KFC to eat. I picked the food off and suddenly felt the heat wrap around my jeans and long sleeved shirt. I got to Ma's at 11 am. I went into a deep sleep and didn't wake up for six hours. Jet lag will always get you in the end!

Want to see a developing country become developed?

2008-04-04T17:05:00.003-04:00

I decided that after a stressful month and a half of taking calls, I decided that I needed to spend my Easter in Trinidad and Tobago. The mere 10 days in this land of limin', soca and steel pan showed the growing pains of a society moving towards the rewards and punishments of a developed nation. The aim of the current administration for the twin-island nation to become developed by the year 2020. The cars looked better with Nissan models Winograd and Almira crusing the narrow and winding streets. Ads on televison proclaim the benefits of a Scotiabank Master Card with inducements of 300 TT bonus or roughly 50 Canadian on their card. If only the millions of people living with excess credit card debt card submit a PSA on managing credit. Instead of giving a lengthly report on my trip, I will give bite size portions on what live is like with a nation living on the profits of oil and gas.

Socializing for Career

2008-03-08T21:05:00.008-05:00

While this blog entry does not directly deal with visual arts, it does deal with the continue dance of networking and socializing to get a foot in the competitive world of print media. First, I decided to eat my breakfast, lunch and dinner at my favorite supermarket at the Whole Foods at Hazelton Lanes. Then I spent an hour wandering around the golden stroll of Bloor between Bay and Avenue Road while waiting for my sister. The snow fell in great clumps and people walked quickly to get out of the snow. I kept wondering why I decided to spend my time wandering in the dark to put myself in an awkward position to socialize and make connections. Candice was still on the GO bus crawling along the Gardiner. She had no interest in media night for the First Friday's social event for Black Professionals but I needed back up. The social took place as Manyata, the second part of Spice Room/Chutney Bar on Avenue Road and Bloor in Hazelton Lanes.

After many missed phone calls on my cell and thinking that Candice decided go go back home, Candice called and said that she was outside of the Rolls Royce dealership up the street. The strange combination a show room dedicated to a plush yet gas-guzzling car and a store that sells 20 different types of tofu meat substitute sitting on the same street is lost on me.

Manyata was on the lower level of Hazelton lanes but in the other direction of Whole Foods. We power walked to the large dining room that was across from a dark-wood bar. We paid out $10 entrance fee. The dining room was draped in white cloth panels from floor to ceiling and woven rattan chairs straight our of Pier One was stationed at each table. A small buffet of covered food stood at the front of the room. We asked how much was a plate and a bored but well dressed woman flatly said $25. I was glad that I had the $5.99 quarter chicken meal at Whole Foods.

Candice and I sat, drank our glasses out water and looked around of the crowd of well dressed Black Professionals. Then a guy in leather pants came to out table and said, "How are you my sisters?", We both mumble o.k and continued looking around. People slowly ate their over-priced food and servers dressed in black hovered around the tables. I recognized the President of the Black Journalist Association sitting beside Dwight Drummond from CITY-TV but I dared not go over to them. What could I offer? I'm just an underemployed journalism grad working for a call center. I glanced over to the other side of the room and thought I saw the Toronto Star sports reporter that I've been playing email tag with for the last couple of days. As I got closer, I realized that it wasn't the reporter. For our purposes, I will call him Charles. For about ten minutes, we discussed out backgrounds and my struggle to get into the biz. One thing that he said, " What ever industry you belong in, always treat it as a business." He said this after giving me his business card. We said good-bye and I returned to my seat. Conservative Candidate Don Meridith made the rounds to announce his candidacy. Maybe he's hoping the momentum around Barak Obama might give him a chance in getting elected in the by-election for the Liberal-for-Life riding of Toronto Center.

At around 9 pm, the DJ equipment appeared at the front of the room but the snow continued falling and threatening a slow crawl back to Mississauga. While taking sips from my $10 Fuzzy Navel made from freshly squeezed orange juice, I said to Candice, "We need to move to Toronto. We would be closer to the stuff we want to do." Candice nodded in a agreement. we bundled up and started walking out when we saw a former church parishioner across the room. We hugged and shared some small talk. As we walked out of the room, the person who took out $10 entrance fee said, " You're leaving so soon? What are you going to do when you get home?" I replied that We lived in Mississauga and with the weather, we needed to leave. She added, "We'll, live in Aurora." When you don't have a car, everywhere from Mississauga is a long trek. I also said my goodbye's to the President of the Black Journalist association as she came from the Spice Room. She also seemed disappointed that I was leaving early as well. Candice said, "Let's go back to Whole Foods to get some more food for Saturday." We turned the corner and walked away.

Potential article

2008-03-05T21:16:00.002-05:00

While this articles did not get published by a GTA based weekly, I figure I would post it up for everyone to read....The travelling exhibition Mask, coordinated by The Association of African-Canadian Artists features 40 pieces of works on display at Metro Hall to mark Black History Month. The exhibit features works from artists Sonia Farquharson, Izzi Ohiro, Georgia Fullerton and others. Curator Joan Butterfield said: “I chose the mask theme because I find them captivating, magical and mysterious and their paradoxical nature to reveal and conceal.” The mask collection includes some new additions to the collection shown at the Blue Dot Gallery in August.
The travelling exhibition began in 1996 under the name of Black History through Arts exhibition. Three- years ago, the group was renamed The Association of African-Canadian Artists. The association recruits from email list that asks for submissions from artists for travelling exhibitions. This loose association has no membership fee and just exhibiting with the group makes an artist a member.
Sonia Farquharson, a 12-year veteran of the association features three new pieces including Mask Mosaic, Mask 2 and Mask 3. Farquharson self-described realism style of painting often uses a black or dark-toned background to bring the main figures into sharp focus. The last painting in the Mask exhibit of the summer, Lost Identity, looked at the theme of masks with a black male figure in profile wearing a gold theatrical mask looking up and set against a deep brown background. Farquharson says the meaning behind Lost Identity, “When you don’t know your history of identity, you will always wear the mask. You release your identity when you remove your mask.”
The largest challenge for any artist involves making a sustainable living from their work and black artists are no exception to this struggle. Butterfield said this struggle comes from two problems: “Mainstream art galleries are not willing to take a chance and the audience for black art is not large.” Farquharson still works her day job as a corporate receptionist while painting on the side. Online interest in her work has led to spots in web sites art-exchange.com and artistsincanada.com. Corporate funding for the Mask exhibit is still pending with Ms.Butterfield funding the transportation costs.
The Mask exhibit allows viewers to see more that images on a canvas but to examine how they wear masks in their own lives.
After its presentation at Metro Hall from February 2-8, it moves around the GTA to Scarborough Civic Center , February 10-15, Mississauga Heritage Center February 18-March 7 and then on Vaughan Public Library from Feb 4-29. For more information, visit www.coloublindinternational.com

Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States

2007-09-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

While on vacation in the lovely town of Iowa City, an intriguing exhibit caught my eye, Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States casts a creative glance towards to the growing trend of women behind bars. This travelling exhibit uses a combination of comic book illustrations with topics such as the War on Drugs and Race and Prison. The Comic book illustrations, by Susan Willmarth, Sabrina Lones and Lois Ahrens look at the prison industrial complex. The comic book renderings give viewers an digestible form of this problem. In addition to the comic renderings, the exhibit also looks at individual cases of the justice not served with focus on cases such as Regina McKnight and Angela Rivera. Both these women are shown as victims of a justice system that is stacked against them. For Regina McKnight, she gives birth to a 'crack baby' and convicted of murder with no evidence that she took drugs.

Some of the work also used the theme of incarceration as inspiration. In the work Sonic Wallpaper, Darryl Hall, 2005, a white room has five black duffel bags placed around the room while the voices of women describing their feelings are played over speakers. In that same room with Sonic Wallpaper, Mapping the Lock Up by Kevin Pyle, 2005 looks at women in prison with a set of rods arranged in a circle and held together with barbed wire. A bare light bulb hangs in the the middle of the rods and a small female fertility statute stands at the bottom of the rods. Individual US states carved in wood are nailed into the rods and the nails represent a prison in the state.

One major section of the exhibit asked women in prison to set cards with images that answered the question, "What does it mean to be a mother?" Many of the cards featured drawings, collages and writings. The cards expressed feelings of sadness, longing and guilt over their situations. One particular card read,
Children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward
Psalm 127:3

The exhibit gives a unique voice to a segment of the population that is forgotten by the larger society.

Mask

2007-08-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

In keeping with the spirit of Caribana, the art exhibit Mask looks at the role of disguise and costume in carnival festivities. The collection is curated by Joan Butterfield, the same curator of the ColourBlind Exhibition earlier this year. While the collection of the artists remains the same, the art work revolves around the role of the mask.

Izzy Ohiro goes to the source of cubism with A Cry for Justice. Ohiro continues his use of blight, saturated colour from his previous works in March. In this collection, the face is the foundation for his exploration in colour. The viewer sees a long, bright yellow face with dark lips. The face does not betray any emotion but the thin tears stream down the face and the eyes are done in abstract squares. Ohiro goes to the African source of cubism with the use of circles, squares and lines. The hair is the only naturally formed image, with its twists sticking away from the scalp. The ambiguity of the gender telling, since the full lips could belong to a woman but the braids could be masculine.

Cheryl Rock's Totem also looks to cubism as a influence in the use of circle and lines. However, her rendering of masks has more organic forms surrounding the masks. The scene includes four faces of different sizes. The eyes, lips, noses and other features are treated in washes colours.Most of the eyes in the faces are closed. The face with the open eyes barely has any pupils visible. The faces also overlap each other. The striking detail in the scene is the white face. It has very little detail, with a couple of lines to distinguish an eye and a small mouth.

Finally, David Vasquez Taino, takes a different approach to the mask motif. This work looks at small circular figures done in a monochromatic brown palate. The figures' round eyes look all around the seen. The figures also cram into the scene and one figure is holding a jug to the lips of the other figure. This scene doesn't have the Cubist influence underlying the other images but look to Latin America. The artist uses white carefully to highlight and add tones to the images. The mask theme is more subtle since the images are not disguises but are new identities. The other works intentionally use the masks as the theme of different identities.

The theme of masks accurately characteizes Caribana. The festival allows for participants to creat new identities for a short period of time while dancing in the street. The public space allows people to hide their identities. Thus, the theme of the mask allows these scenes to have different identities in the public space of the gallery space.

A Couple of Ways of Doing Something: Photographs by Chuck Close, Poems by Bob Holman

2007-07-09T20:48:00.000-04:00

Chuck Close continues to challenge the tradition of portraits with his collection at the Art Galley of Ontario, from June 23 to September 16, 2007. The exhibit, A Couple Ways of Doing Something, combines the early photography technique of the daguerreotype, digital pigment prints and tapestries. His portraits evoke the timeless quality of the old time photo studio with the sharpness of digital images.

A couple of the photos that achieve this include Laurie Anderson, 2006, digital pigment. This photograph has a sharp portrait of Laurie set against a black background. She tilts her slightly to right side with her eyes, nose and lips in sharp focus while the rest of her face is in soft focus. The poem beside the photograph reads: Thank ends/waltz off/or twist limberly/ somni/loquacious/Yes Dream me. Yes, I hear you.

An image of friend, famous photographer Cindy Sherman, 2006, digital pigment, also follows the tightly cropped portrait format with her eyes, nose and lips in sharp focus while the edges of her face are in soft focus. The poem that accompanies her portrait accurately captures her own relationship with the camera: All those other portraits of me/All those portraits of me/Are just portraits/ Not of me, no/Not of Me, no/ All that artifice inside the frame/Hold it right there, hold my hand/ Walk into the camera/ Hold my hand/ Hold it right there.

The introduction of the tapestry also stretches the concept of how cameras capture images. With the image of Lorna, 2006, jacquard tapestry, the sharpness of the image combines with the subtleties of the thread in the tapestry. In this image, from a distance, the six foot tall tapestry of the portrait of Lorna appears in sharp focus, with the image focusing on the kinky texture of Lorna’s hair and the soft shadows of her collar bone. Upon further inspection, the image reveals the subtle grays, browns, blacks and whites that combine to form the portrait.

Chuck Close’s current work continues his interest in using the portrait form as a launching pad on how viewers perceive image. These images also look back to his earlier work of Jose, 1995, oil on canvas, with the monochromatic colours of black, gray of white painted into small squares that combine to form a portrait. This use of photography breaks the confines of photography of just merely capturing image but to use photography as a medium to manipulate and change the image.

The Constructed Image: Photographic Culture

2007-05-06T00:43:00.000-04:00

A crumpled bus in from of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art may seem strange but this is an installation with The Constructed Image: Photographic Culture.
The exhibit is a part of Contact, a month-long photography festival in Toronto. The Constructed Image features photographs that stretch the limits of the media. A some of the most striking images include the four surreal images by Sam Taylor-Woods, Self Portrait Suspended (2004). These images include the artist floating in the air of a brick-exposed room in different positions. Woods achieves this ethereal poses by mimicking bondage poses with ropes. Then Wood erases the ropes to give her images a soft and floating look.
Karen Ostrum’s Smoking Gun (2007) uses the mural format to create a scene that wraps around the entire room. Ostrum makes a finger gesture in the form of a gun and plays cowboys and Indians in a foggy and grey forest. She plays this game in a stampede of wooden sawhorses. The image wrapping around the room provides a momentum to this image by Ostrum playing the cowboy and the Indian.
A provocative series of images comes from Kim Joon. The four-picture collection, We (2005) looks at the role of corporate logos in our lives. Each picture has three figures with corporate logos painted on the bodies of the figures. The corporate logos of BMW, Adidas, Gucci and Starbucks have their own ‘models’ for each picture. These images make the viewer examine how we wear our corporate loyalty as a second skin.
The outside installation of MOCCA also looks at the role of images and creates a compelling vision. The remains of the bus are the setting for the installation Between Life and Death (2006), by Carlos and Jason Sanchez. The bus provides a dark theatre to see a projected hologram of the end-of-life experience as experienced by a bus passenger. The images look at the milestones of life. The haunting soundtrack by Jim Hecker allows the viewer to forget that they are in a crumpled bus outside of a museum.
This is just a sampling of the images found at this museum. The role of photography is not to just capture an image but a medium to manipulate and create entirely new images.

African Roots:Celebrating Black Heritage

2007-03-11T19:44:00.000-04:00

Another art show that revolves around the Black experience is happening at Gallery Streetsville, www.gallerystreetsville.ca. The show began in February as a part of Black History Month and continues until March 25. Gallery Streetsville is primarily a commericial gallery but owner Atiya Ahsan says that it's a gallery with a social conscience.This gallery in the past has also featured shows that look at Aboriginal, Muslim and South Asian artists. In African Roots:Celebrating Black Heritage, the artists featured in the show include Philemon Campbell, Georgia Fullerton, Jordan Clarke, Mourad Iskander, Ken Daley and others.
Some highlights of the show include painting Black Madonna, oil, 31 x 42, $800 by Ken Daley. The iconic stance of the Madonna is updated for the 21st century with a curly-haired, caramel complexioned woman sporting large hoop earrings. Her face is in a slight profile with the light dancing around the warm orange highlights in her hair. Her perfectly arched eyebrows frame animated eyes. The halo is updated with thickly applied reds, oranges and yellows that circle her head. Daley describes he motivation as, "After my arrival in Florence, this piece was inspired by the religious iconography in the frescoes and Byzantine mosaics of the virgin Mary. This Black Madonna reflects the warm saturated colors that surrounded me in Italy."
Georgia Fullerton's Young Massai, gouache and ink, 18 x 24, $2000, uses two different techniques to create a 3-Dimensional portrait of a warrior. A pointillist technique is used to highlight the physical features of the young man. The use of the small dots adds depth and light to the strong facial features of the young man. His eyes look off to side as if he is dreaming. The loose cloth that drapes over the body is treated with a wash of paint rather than the pointillist style of the body.
The show also features carvings by Mourad Iskander. These Ebony carvings range in size from 4 to 12 inches. The carvings feature small busts, figures playing drums and figures frozen in movement. One striking carving has small children clinging and intertwined with a maternal figure. The maternal figure maintains a stoic look with her lips slightly curled at the edges.
This exhibit is a treat for anyone looking for the many facets of the Black experience in the GTA. The list prices are current as of March 10 2007.

See you at the Gallery

COLOURblind?

2007-02-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

I attended a show last week at The Grange with Heritage Mississauga.While the house looked back to the 1800's, it housed a large variety of art work that looked at the African-Canadian experience. The house was small but this did not limit the colours and movements housed in these paintings.

My personal favorities included works by Jason O'Brien, Mark Stoddard and Izzy Ohiro. Jason's O'Brien's Ascension, 24x36, oil/acrylic channels the black power stance with a figure of a muscular black male, with strong features set against a beige background and sporting a fierce afro. The backgound also mimics the circular form of the afro with small circles set into the beige background. Mark stoddard's Blu, 34 x 27,www.kurupt.com takes the Hip-Hop pose of a young man set in monochromatic blues holding up the westside hand gesture. The picture avoids delving into the kitchy ganster pose by giving its figure personality with the narrowing of his eyes and the head cocked to the side. My personal favorite is Izzy Ohiro, www.izzyohiro.com. His works have a cubist influence with the sharp angles and geometric figures in his works, including Soulful Delight and Tribute. The first work, Soulful Delight, has six figures in their technicolour glory of purples, oranges and yellows. The figures include three female figures, two male figures and one androgynous figure. They all strike different poses as dancing to a song the viewer can't hear. A lone female figure stands in the foreground, bending down with hands outstrentched. Ohiro's other work, Tribute continues looking at the theme of music with a lone bass player. The base player almost merges into the instrument he plays, with the strong lines in purple, green and yellow. This is just a sample of the works at The Grange. This exhibit is curated by Joan Butterfield, director of the Association of African-Canadian Artists. To check out the other arts on-line, go to www.colour-blind.ca The show at The Grange ends on March 2.

The beginning

2007-02-28T20:13:00.001-05:00

My name is Russella Lucien and I have an enduring love for the visual arts. I remember in kindergarten that I liked going to the cut and paste area rather than playing with toys. When I entered the Art and Art History department at the University of Toronto, I realized that I needed to leave the creation of art to the professionals and stick to writing about art.

After completing university, I attended Humber College for journalism. After seeing myself on camera with an extra ten pounds, I went into the print stream. Into my second year of the program, I went on a student exchange to the University of Iowa. I wrote for the arts section of The Daily Iowan. I covered art exhibitions, film festivals and other cultural events. It was the perfect job;I covered what I wanted, my work got very little editing and I saw my name in the byline on a weekly basis. But all good things come to an end.

After returning from Iowa, finding a journalism job became a daunting task with more than ten interviews in one year and no results. I have resorted to working in call center until I can figure out my next move. I still want to write about art and this is why I started this blog. The blog will be sporadic but I will write about art exhibitions and other interesting things that I see in my neighbourhood. (My neighbourhood is the Greater Toronto Area-GTA for the locals)

PS
After a long hiatus, I have decided to also include some politics and other personal observations around me. I know that sounds lame but I need to expand the offerings of this blog.

I'll see you at the gallery.