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Hi, Art!

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Hi, Art!

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Hi, art lovers!

 
Still from the documentary Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane story. Musician Jackie Shane appears in a black and white photograph, likely taken in the 1960s. She is a Black trans woman wearing a dark long-sleeve satin dress, rhinestone collar necklace and short light wig. She wears a blank expression and stares off into the distance.

(NFB)

 
Here in Toronto, Hot Docs is underway, and while the future of the festival remains uncertain, if you love documentaries, now is the time to carpe those diems. 

I’m plenty excited about this year’s program, and on the site, you’ll find articles by festival filmmakers, including Josephine Anderson (Curl Power) and Tasha Hubbard (Singing Back the Buffalo). Yes, Cutaways is back — the CBC Arts essay series that puts directors in the spotlight. And there’s more to come this week. 

If it’s movie recos you want, we’ve got you. (Still want more? Here’s another list from CBC News.) But if there’s one film nearly everyone in the CBC Arts-osphere is talking about, it’s Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. A tribute to a trailblazer, a Black trans R&B singer from Nashville who became a legend of the Toronto music scene, the doc had its Canadian premiere Saturday (watch a clip). CBC Music has a primer on the film, and over at Commotion, artists Rodney Diverlus and Ravyn Ariah Wngz (who played Jackie Shane in this Heritage Minute) react to the doc. Plus, hear an interview with directors Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee on Q.
 

And because we promised you eye candy ...

 
Painting in an abstracted style. Suggests a star exploding in space, a burst of light and colour (violet and blue).

Stephen Andrews

No Knowing by Stephen Andrews.
 
Photo of a ceramic figure in a surreal cartoonish style. It stands and appears to shed a skin suit of rough terra cotta. The figure is revealed to be glazed and spotted with pastel colours. It has two sets of eyes, a long nose and open mouth: all gold.

Natalia Arbelaez

The International Ceramic Art Fair will return to Toronto’s Gardiner Museum on May 23. Natalia Arbelaez is one of this year’s exhibiting artists.
 
Circular illustrative painting in shades of blue and green. Suggests a person tubling down a dark river toward a yellow light.

Charlotte Fleming

Change in the Weather by Charlotte Fleming. Charlotte is among the dozens (and dozens and dozens) of artists participating in the spring edition of Online Canzine, Broken Pencil’s virtual zine fair. It runs through Tuesday. 
 
Photo of a building's exterior. A photo mural covers a portion of the facade. It depicts a seated person wearing a painted mask and a red sweatshirt. They are seated in front of a fireplace.

Katie Green

New mural by Katie Green (previously seen here). The Calgary artist recently unveiled this project at the Crystal Ship street art festival in Ostend, Belgium. 
 
 

You've got to see this

 
 
 
Medium shot of performer Peaches singing on stage, bathed in purple and blue light. She appears in profile holding a microphone.
Avanti Media Fiction

What are we watching at Hot Docs?

 
The festival is on in Toronto through May 5, and there’s no time like the present to see these films.
 
Illustration of singer Jackie Shane performing under a spotlight. Perspective is as if she's viewed from backstage. The singer's back and side profile is visible, rendered in an impressionistic but realistic style. She wears a white pixie cut and a shiny blue top with a white ruffled collar. She peers down her nose through heavy eyelashes.
NFB

Jackie Shane finally gets her moment in the spotlight

 
Now screening at Hot Docs, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story captures the life of a pioneering musician.
 
Still from the documentary Adrianne & the Castle. Close-up of a white woman singing. She has bouffant auburn hair and wears ornate pearl costume jewelry. She is shot through a kaleidoscopic lens and the image is refracted through a pastel prism.

Intuitive Pictures

 

The greatest love story you’ve never heard

 
Do you believe in happily ever afters? The new documentary Adrianne & the Castle is about love and loss … and a fairy-tale palace.
 

Follow this artist

 
 
 
Instagram

Rocky Dobey

@rockyzenyk
Photo of a brass plaque mounted to a signpost. It reads in crooked type:

Rocky Dobey

Rocky’s a veteran street artist from Toronto (remember this short doc from last summer?), and his DIY plaques can be found all over the city. Ever spotted one? No? Well, Rocky will be leading a free walking tour of Chinatown and Kensington Market this Saturday, and he’ll be talking about the work he’s hidden in plain sight. The event will be hosted by Onsite Gallery. We recently ran this feature about the gallery’s current exhibition, which happens to feature some of Rocky’s work.
 

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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time!

 
XOXO CBC Arts
XOXO CBC Arts
 
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