Canadian Art: 1995-Today

In the early years, Canadian works of art are known to have portrayed the world the way we saw it, through landscapes, portraits, animals and still life, to name a few. With our growth and evolution as human beings and advances in technology and urban planning, our ways of life along with our subjects, mediums and works of art have advanced and changed.

From the 1980’s to mid 1990’s, the world’s technologies have advanced immensely. From digital photography to video games, a new wave of different art mediums hit the world. Below I've mentioned some different mediums, works and artists that have greatly impacted me, my work and Canadian Art History.

Painting

Throughout history, painting is one of many mediums that we have seen all over the world. Over time, the subjects of our paintings have changed as we have as a people. Our landscapes, people and professions and inventions and technological advances are not the same as they once were.

John Kissick (Montréal, 1962)

-creates abstract paintings combining color, historical allusions and references to pop culture

-studied at Cornell University, Queens University and the Harvard School of Education

-now currently is the director at The School of Art and Music at Guelph University

-has had works exhibited at the Shanghai Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and the Mendel Art Gallery

Dominik Modlinski (Poland, 1970)

-immigrated to Canada (Toronto) from Warsaw, Poland in 1987

-studied at the Ontario College of Art (when he was first introduced to the Canadian wilderness)

-works based on his experience travelling through the “barren lands”

-now has a TV series on SHAW called “Changing Landscapes”, where him and his friend film their adventures and painting locations

Mixed Media

General Idea (Toronto)

-group of artists from Toronto together from the late 1960s to the mid 1990s

-members are Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson

-works used to promote AIDS awareness

-1986, moved from Toronto to New York City (around the time of AIDS crisis)

-works seen in Berlin, Amsterdam, etc.

-1994, Zontal and Partz passed away

(Placebo: Floor: Fiberglass, Wall: Vacuum formed styrene with vinyl)

Digital Photography

The first digital cameras were globally marketed between the mid 1980's and the late 1990's. Some of the most popular makes and models are:

-Kodak DC-20 and DC-25 (1996)

-Canon Powershot 600 (1984)

-Nikon SVC (first DSLR) (1986)

-Sharp J-SH04 (first camera phone) (2000)

By 2007, cameras were built into all smart cellphones, which led to its increasing popularity and numbers in sales.

Petra Collins (Toronto, 1992)

-photographer, model and director

-creates ethereal, feminine “in a dream state” work

-started practicing photography at the age of 15 and currently studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design

-directed music videos for artists such as Carly Rae Jepson, Cardi B, Lil Yachty and Selena Gomez

“Social media has been such a big important thing for young artists and minorities because its a community to get noticed. It’s having an audience that was never there.”

-Petra Collins, Toronto, Photographer

Hip Hop Culture in Canada

Music

DJ Skratch Bastid (Bedford, 1982)

-Juno nominated, 3 times Scribble Jam DJ winner

-Global Ambassador for Red Bull’s Thre3style DJ Competition

-the first Canadian DJ to be nominated for the Juno for Producer of the Year in 2008

-now hosts Bastid’s BBQ, a block party type of event in cities like Ottawa and Toronto

Rappers and Hip Hop Groups

The Canadian rap scene was slow and small as we did not get the worldwide recognition that we now have. It all started in 1998 when Rascalz released a track called Northern Lights featuring four other artists: Thrust, Kardinal Official, Checkmate and Choclair and since then, Canadian rappers have gained popularity.

Drake A Tribe Called Red

Kardinal Official Rascalz

Michie Mee Winnipeg’s Most

K-oS

Maestro Fresh Wes

K’naan

Graffiti

Much like the Canadian rap scene, the Canadian graffiti scene was not well known. It is said that the Canadian graffiti started in Toronto in the 80s although no one knows for certain. Often seen as an act of vandalism, over time, graffiti has been accepted and seen everywhere on bridges, cars, buildings, walls and many more…

Graffiti Alley (Toronto) Mique Michelle (Ottawa)

House of Paint (Ottawa) Sterling Downey (Montréal)

Tech Wall (Ottawa) Richard Hambleton (Vancouver)

MURAL Fest (Montréal) Joel Richardson (Toronto)

Under Pressure (Montréal)

Street Dance

With the Hip Hop community surrounding the 1960s in the United States, Canada soon followed suit. Even though the scene in Canada started in the 70s, it was not globally recognized until the 80s. Now, Canadian dancers are seen all over the world: performing, teaching, judging and sharing.

Canadian Floor Masters

Formed in 1983, CFM is Canada’s first original bboy crew. In their earlier years, the crew have opened for big acts such as James Brown, Ice T, Grandmaster Flash, George Clinton, Public Enemy and the Kirov Ballet. The members of the crew are Buddha (Stephen Leafloor, co-founder), KidQuick (Wayne Lacasse, co-founder), TrickyT (Trevor Walker), Dexter (Chris Albrey), Lil Glen (Glen Walker), BeatStreet (Rob Giroux) and Coach (Matt Sparks). Some of the crew members are still active. Coach is a dance captain for Cirque de Soleil and Buddha leads a a program called BluePrintForLife, a hip hop outreach program for indigenous youth and Canadian youth prisons.

Bboyizm

Founded in 2004, Bboyizm “promotes and preserves the foundation, authenticity, and essence of all street dances. Bboyizm believes that authentic self expression enables an individual and by extension, a community, to realize its full potential.” The members of the crew are Crazy Smooth (founder), Frost, Melly Mel, Julie Rock, Bourrik, SoulStep, Dirty D, Miss Marie Monsta, NosB, Wary the Warrior, Strife, Lynx, Nubian Nene and Zepol Rock. With members that live in the Ottawa/Gatineau region, Montréal, New York and France, Bboyizm has toured and performed globally.