Grow Op, Toronto’s wildest earth-inspired exhibition celebrates its fifth year at the Gladstone Hotel.
The exhibit takes over the hotel, from the ground floor to fourth floor levels, and explores specific ideas within the broader fields of landscape and ecology through art and design. It's only on from April 19 - 23, so don't miss the opportunity to view these captivating works.
Here's a peek at five works on display at Grow Op 2017.
Extreme Cloud Gazing by Julie Gladstone
Julie Gladstone's installation of captivating pop art storm clouds (and the storm sounds that accompany them) are the first things you see (and hear) when you enter the hotel's lobby. The extreme clouds raise questions about climate change and the effects it has on our weather systems.
Fallen in love with an extreme cloud? You can take one home. 50% of the proceeds go to the David Suzuki Foundation in support of their work on climate change and renewable energy sources.
Rewilding by Melanie Billark
Rewilding is made up of a wall of clear bricks, home to moss colonies collected by the artist from various alleyways and roads across Toronto. Melanie Billark's work has been years in the making and addresses the human domestication of nature, removing these colonies from their previously inhospitable landscapes into sealed safe sanctuaries.
Cracked by Michelle Hunniford + Magdalena Milosz
A piece made up of hundreds of cracked and empty egg shells expands across an entire room's floor, Cracked invites viewers to think about their place within the processes of industrial agriculture and mass food production.
Avocado Room by Becky Lauzon
For the past five years, artist Becky Lauzon has been dedicated to growing a small avocado forest in her apartment. The Avocado Room invites viewers to meet her collection. Each avocado takes on anthropomorphic qualities and personalities through the cause of their relationship with Lauzon.
Augmented Topography by Shadi Ramos
Shadi Ramos uses augmented reality to create an interactive landscape learning tool. Augmented Topography allows users to actively create topographic forms in a sandbox, giving visitors a way to understand topography, contour lines, geology, erosion, and the flow of water in the earth's surface in a completely unique way.