Every year the Drake is honoured to collaborate with local and international artists creating site-specific installations inside and outside the building. This spring Balint Zasko and Micah Lexier were commissioned to paint new murals for the Sky Yard.

Balint Zsako
Untitled (Romance), 2010
Site-specific mural
Approx 3.6 x 10.6m/12 x 35ft

Zsako came from New York City in May to paint this piece on the Sky Yard’s east wall. This playful cast of characters illustrate the connections between us – they play and tease each other, lend a helping hand, grow closer or apart, some get a little carried away, others are friends, enemies or lovers. The painting is richly detailed, take a moment for a closer look, you’ll see something new every time!

Balint Zsako is represented by Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects.

Micah Lexier
Yes, 2010
Site specific mural
Approx. 2.75 x 6.5m/9 x 22ft

Lexier is a Toronto-based conceptual artist, who has exhibited his spare, witty drawings, sculptures and assemblages internationally since 1986. For this piece, he conceived of an elegant text-based work that calls attention to the massive painted signs that decorated city walls through most of the 20th Century. It could be said that this piece playfully gives license to all your fantasies, just check YES.

Micah Lexier is represented in Toronto by Birch|Libralato.

Maslen + Mehra . Robert Waters . Eva Michon . Mateo Rivano . Alena Skarina . Kelly Jazvac . Stefan Hoffmann . Ricardo Rendon

While artworks are often expected to stand the test of time, some artists have challenged our traditional notions of the art object by producing impermanent work. For Now is an exhibition in Drake's Public_Spaces of episodic artwork that collectively investigates the nature of temporality in contemporary art with works that refer to the past, present and future simultaneously.

For Now includes works that are constantly changing, requiring the viewer to visit the exhibition on several occasions to witness these shifts; as well site-specific performances and interactive artworks will be in place for the duration of the exhibition.

On the one hand, For Now deals with work that is entirely in flux. Drake’s monumental lobby chalk board will play host to some of the most dramatic transformations in the show, with two separate installations by two different artists. First, Toronto-based illustrator Alena Skarina will be onsite the first week of the exhibition, developing a chalk drawing to fill the board. After a month, the piece will be washed away, to be replaced by a new work by Mateo Rivano. Based in Bogota, Columbia, Rivano will make his first appearance in Toronto this fall with a combined residency hosted by The Drake and the AGYU.

Mexico City’s Ricardo Rendon contributes two site-specific installations, made from modified roller blinds. Installed over the windows in the lobby and the Hotel stairs, the perforations in the blinds will change the character of the space depending on the time of day.

Currently based in Spain, Robert Waters brings his site-specific installations to the Drake after their most recent incarnation at Mizuma Art Gallery in Tokyo. The artist establishes a surface of tape, then cuts away at it to reveal images of people gazing at computer screens. Expect to see the café transformed by his startlingly beautiful, yet extremely fragile temporary illustrations.

For Now, also includes artists that have carefully preserved their fugitive subjects. Kelly Jazvac’s site-specific work made of reclaimed advertising vinyl fills the Hotel stairs with undulating waves of colour. Used primarily for outdoor signage, these vinyl sheets carried a temporary message, yet are made of permanent materials.

Toronto-based Eva Michon photographs reflections in puddles on roads and sidewalks. Playing with perspective and the transience of weather conditions, Michon’s images seem to present portals to a parallel reality, accessible by one step.

London-based photographers Tim Maslen + Jennifer Mehra have built an international reputation for their photo-based works that call attention to the passing of time. These images of urban landscapes feature life-sized mirror sculptures cut in the silhouette of an animal who was once indigenous to the area before the city arose. In these images, deer graze in London, rams challenge each other in front of the Louvre and lynx roam Berlin.

Watch out for another transformation when Stefan Hoffmann arrives from the Netherlands in late September, Hoffman will be developing a site-specific screen printed installation on the front windows of the Drake, essentially transforming the facade of the building with patterns of symbols and graphics for a few short weeks.

Together, the work in For Now is underscored by an ephemeral quality that calls for a reconsideration of the permanence of art objects. The artists exhibited at once challenge the collectibility of artwork through creating pieces that change, or are even discarded, upon the completion of the exhibition's run. As such, For Now is an exhibition bounded in time.

Special thanks to Priska C. Juschka Fine Art, Art Gallery of York University, Diaz Contemporary, Show and Tell Gallery, Other Gallery and Printopolis for their gracious support of this exhibition.

Queen West Gallery Tour
Every Saturday, 11:45am
Meet in the Lobby
$15 per person

Put your walking shoes on and join us every Saturday at 11:45am as Drake's art concierge Betty Ann Jordan explores the galleries and project spaces along the Queen West strip with an eye out for the best of the best. Whether you are an art aficionado or culturally curious, Betty Ann is sure to show you something a little unexpected.

Slept in, but still want to catch the tour? No problem, just ask at the front desk and they'll contact Betty Ann so you can meet them on route.

For updated tour information and weekly schedules please check out Art InSite.

Drake Loves Art

The permanent art collection has been a labour of love since before we opened our doors in 2004. From Drake’s inception, promoting and sharing art has been an integral part of our vision and over the last few years we have had the pleasure of working directly with artists, developing site-specific installations to create a feast for the eyes throughout the building. The collection is grounded in contemporary Canadian art with most of the large-scale works developed by artists from across the country. These pieces are augmented by selected works from international artists, creating a context for contemporary art practices that look to global culture, but know that home is where the heart is. Here, travelers, diners and neighbours alike are surrounded with unique artwork that set the tone for our hotbed for culture.

In addition to commissioned works, visiting artists regularly take up residence within Drake’s decorated walls, to further develop their work and become acquainted with the art scene here in Toronto. Some of the works that have resulted from the Artist In Residence program were gifted to the collection and now take centre stage in each of our hotel rooms.

The images below highlight some of the remarkable works installed throughout our public and more private spaces that include works by:

Micah Lexier
Tyler Clarke Burke
Bruce LaBruce
Matt and Susan Gorbet
Isabelle Hayeur
Marianne Lovink
Evan Penny
Icelandic Love Corporation
Balint Zsako
Francesco Pignatelli
Ross Bonfanti
Paul Butler
Michael Toke
TM Sisters
Dearraindrop
Elaine Stocki
Joe Becker
Søren Lose
Ms. and Mr.