The face of public transit across Toronto is undergoing a transformation.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is planning to adorn six subway stations with art, including five installations by OCAD U alums and faculty members, thanks to its Public Art Program.
The program is an extension of the TTC’s Graffiti Management Plan, which aims to reduce vandalism and replace it with vibrant, colourful and community-engaged street art. The TTC has hosted several informational events to showcase the proposed art concepts.
Five of the six artists selected to lead the proposed installations are members from the OCAD U community, including alums and current and former faculty members.
Former Assistant Professor Francisco-Fernando Granados’s site-specific installation, Confluence, is inspired by his experience as a refugee coming to Canada from Guatemala. The artwork draws on themes of inclusion and making a home in Toronto. Confluence, proposed for installation at Bay Station, is the result of a collaboration between Granados and his partner, Kurt Kraler.
Granados, who fondly recalled his time teaching at OCAD U, was also recently featured in Fortitude/Fragile, one of two new exhibitions currently on view at Onsite Gallery, the University’s flagship art gallery.
At Castle Frank Station, illustration alum Vivian Rosas will pay tribute to nearby flora and fauna with Earth Runs Wild, a three-dimensional installation spanning three connecting walls. The work is a timely reminder of community responsibility and stewardship in preserving and nurturing the planet.
“Inspired by Mother Nature, my design celebrates an important tie to the station's natural surroundings and Indigenous roots,” says Rosas. “It will bring a touch of the natural world to the station's walls, reminding commuters of their bond to the earth. My hope is that my design will inspire a sense of stewardship for our land and … a meditative moment of feeling held by the earth.”
Artist, educator, curator and photography alum Sanaz Mazinani’s proposal for Christie Station’s installation consists of eight large photographic works that invite visitors to engage in close examination and a scavenger hunt.
It aims to include vibrant colours and energetic forms to bring a sense of wonder and joy to the daily commute. Rise Together will draw from the culture of nearby Koreatown with images pulled from the TTC’s archive. The installation will also feature input from alum Myung-sun Kim, who will inform the work with elements of Korean culture.
Mazinani’s work is also featured in Light: Visionary Perspectives, an Aga Khan Museum exhibition that explores the omnipresence and impact of light through installations by prominent international and Canadian artists, including OCAD U Lecturer Tannis Nielsen.
April Hickox, associate professor in the Faculty of Art, is an educator, artist and curator with over 40 years of experience. Hickox’s Field installation, proposed for Donlands Station, will be a photographic painting on glass, featuring meadow flowers, indigenous plants, birds and insects.
Field will reference the environmental history of the surrounding neighbourhood and act as a contemplative space within the hustle and bustle of a busy transit system. As a dedicated environmentalist, Hickox is interested in our relationship to wilderness in urban culture, land stewardship and sustainability.
Sean Martindale will create an animated lighting system in the ceiling above the stairwell at King Station’s western entrance. Martindale, who holds an interdisciplinary master’s in Art, Media and Design from OCAD U, is an award-winning artist and designer.
His activations often focus on ecological and social issues, suggesting alternative uses for existing spaces and infrastructure. Martindale’s Light Canopy will consist of an array of programmed LEDs spanning the underside of a diffusing semi-translucent surface, recalling the sensation of walking under sun-dappled trees. The installation will constantly evolve, offering a new experience with each visit.
The TTC is currently working with each artist on the design and development process. Installations are expected to begin within the next few years.
Image: Concept of proposed installation at Christie Station by Sanaz Mazinani and Myung-sun Kim.
