Currently showcasing their Art of Music pieces from some of Toronto’s top artists, The Local Gallery is your destination in Toronto for creative contemporary pop art.
Contemporary pop art has been a rising trend and now Toronto has a gallery exclusively for local artists.
The Local Gallery is a trendy, eye-catching contemporary art gallery located in the heart of downtown Toronto. It features work from some of the most creative minds in the city. Art lovers from all walks of life will love the pop/street art vibe the gallery offers. There are a variety of art pieces available to view or purchase aside from just traditional paintings.
Every few months the gallery launches a new exhibit. The Art of Music show is currently on display, showcasing imagery of music icons like Kanye, Drake, Prince, and others. Earlier this year during the Raptors playoff run, the gallery featured creative pieces for their In The Paint show. The exhibit showed how deeply basketball is embedded in urban pop culture, represented through creative art.
The gallery itself is visually stimulating. With the interior walls being all white, it’s not hard to appreciate the details each artist applied to their pieces. The vibe of the location is welcoming to anyone who appreciates art, buyers and admirers alike. Anyone can feel right at home in their J’s and jeans. By design, that’s what part-owner Pepe wanted visitors to experience when they walked through the door.
“What me and my partners wanted to do with this place is make it more approachable when it comes to art. You know how sometimes people feel about art – ‘it’s an art gallery, should i go in? Is it for me?’. So we’ve tried to encourage people to come in, look at the art, discover new artists and just appreciate it without having to buy it. Our approach in being so immersed in culture makes it more approachable.”
Pepe and his two partners spent the better part of their careers in the creative industry – more specifically advertising – and decided to launch The Local Gallery three years ago. With a passion for creative expression, and a love for pop culture, the overall goal was to provide a degree of universal appeal to reach out to larger audiences. Due to the pandemic restrictions they’ve only been open to the public for just over a year. As popularity grows they maintain their dedication to local Toronto artists.
“We have so much appreciation for local talent. The city is so rich in creative talent, not just artists, but musicians, performers, you name it. [Being an artist], I’m connected with a lot of the artists in the city so it’s a lot easier to connect with them, put on shows, and keep an eye on what certain artists are doing. Some galleries have a fixed roster of artists so they represent and work with the same artists. We try and put the spotlight on as many artists as we can. [That includes] some of the bigger artists in the city.”
The actual pop art movement started in the 1950’s. It established the thought that art can be inspired by any idea. More specifically, popular culture or commercial symbolism. It aimed to blur the lines between “high” art and “low” culture, allowing art to be more accessible to the masses, not just the elite. Like most things considered ‘retro’, pop (or street) art made a strong resurgence over the past decade.
Even with all the recent notoriety The Local Gallery has received over the past year and the popularity of the art genre, Pepe hopes more contemporary art galleries will open up and expand Toronot’s art scene. “Toronto needs more art in general. I wish there were more galleries on our strip. The art scene can definitely be stronger with some more competition.”
For now The Local Gallery is a one of a kind experience in Toronto. If you are an art lover, an art collector or just someone who can appreciate anything of a creative nature, make plans today to visit. The Art of Music show is on now until September 17th.
For more details about The Local Gallery, visit their website: www.thelocalgallery.art
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