 Hi, art lovers! | | |  | CBC Arts | | | At the top of today’s list of featured stories, you’ll find a Q&A with Diane Borsato, a Toronto-based artist who’s just released a book about mushrooms and her love of foraging. It’s a hobby she picked up long before the current frenzy for fungi, and the book includes chapters on contemporary artists and designers who’ve been similarly inspired by this particular kingdom of life. One Canadian who escapes her mention, however, is Xiaojing Yan, an artist we covered way back in 2017 and who’ll soon feature in an upcoming episode of a video series we debuted earlier this month. Natural Collaborators tells the stories of artists who aren’t merely interested in the natural world: these folks have found ways to actually share the art-making process with wind, plants — and in Xiaojing’s case, lingzhi mushrooms. The first short doc follows Honeypaw, a duo from Ontario who make music on “tree harps” they build in the forest. Curious what that all means? Watch them in action and look for future episodes of Natural Collaborators in the weeks ahead. | | | | | And because we promised you eye candy ... | | |  | Daniel Barrow | Art Toronto opens Thursday, and because I’m apparently incapable of waiting that long, I’ve been clicking through the fair’s online exhibitor list. Here are a few images that immediately pinged the “ooooooh” centre of my brain mid-scroll, starting with … Madam Bouquet 1 by Daniel Barrow. (If you’re going to the fair, you’ll find it at Galerie 3’s booth.) | | | | |  | Emmanuel Taku | | Hold your head by Emmanuel Taku (Rochemont Projects). | | | | |  | Rebecca Munce | | Forever World by Rebecca Munce (McBride Contemporain). | | | | |  | Hugo Alonso | | Double Check by Hugo Alonso (Galerie Youn). | | | | |  | Hans Wendt | | Regnum Animale #1 by Hans Wendt (Michael Gibson Gallery). | | | | |  | Courtesy of Diane Borsato | | | | | Mushrooming: The Joy of the Quiet Hunt is a new book by artist Diane Borsato. More than a field guide, it’s a method for finding beauty all around you. | | | | |  | Penguin Random House | | | | | Anoosha Syed takes a tender look at an experience familiar to many children of colour. | | | | |  | François Nadeau/Audiogram | | | | | | | For 25 years, Canadians have been singing along to Bran Van 3000’s breakout hit. Stéphane Moraille, the woman behind that anthemic chorus, appeared on Q to talk about the making of the song and how she was pushed out of the spotlight as the band rose to fame. Read highlights from that interview. | | |  | Kent Monkman | | As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we got a look inside Being Legendary, the Kent Monkman exhibition that’s on now at the Royal Ontario Museum. And if you need further incentive to make a visit, the artist has been Instagramming the works appearing in the show. | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
