Three-part public art exhibition launches in downtown Toronto’s Entertainment District

BAND Offsite: LiUNA, Fengate, and BAND team up to showcase one-of-a-kind exhibits by emerging artists in prominent downtown location, at the corner of Adelaide and Charlotte.

Beginning during Black History Month on February 15, 2024, the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) and Fengate Asset Management (Fengate) are partnering with Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) for a three-part public art exhibit dubbed BAND Offsite – 355 Adelaide, located in a future development site in downtown Toronto. The series runs from February to December 2024, launching with an installation by Frantz Brent-Harris and followed by works from Leone McComas and Natalie Asumeng.

“An artist’s ability to transcend languages and culture through their work is integral in building and connecting communities, and we are honoured to provide BAND the opportunity to showcase their art to the public,” said Joseph Mancinelli, International Vice President and Regional Manager for Central and Eastern Canada, LiUNA. “Creating platforms to highlight, promote and celebrate diverse perspectives is at the core of building stronger communities and we are proud to present BAND Offsite at 355 Adelaide Street West.”

“We are pleased to partner with LiUNA and BAND in re-imagining the corner of Adelaide and Charlotte into a meanwhile space that can leave a lasting impact to the residents and visitors of the area,” said Jaime McKenna, Managing Director and Group Head of Real Estate, Fengate. “As they have done in countless other exhibits throughout the City, BAND has transformed this space into a visual experience that invites passers-by to pause, reflect and uncover a new connection to the community.”

On behalf of the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada, Fengate acquired 355 Adelaide Street West and its adjacent lots, 46 Charlotte Street and 16 Oxley Street, in 2022. The proposed development for the site includes plans to preserve parts of the heritage façade of the existing building, and introduce new homes to the area. As the proposal goes through the development process, the site is hosting a series of art exhibitions dubbed BAND Offsite – 355 Adelaide.

“Since 2010, BAND has been dedicated to connecting Black culture to communities to inspire, enlighten, and educate through the arts,” said Karen Carter, Co-Founder and Director, BAND. “We are excited to be working with LiUNA and Fengate in bringing Frantz’s, Leone’s, and Natalie’s experiential and multi-dimensional works to life. The collaborative spirit among the partners for this BAND Offsite project has been vital in showcasing the vision and creativity of the artists, and creating this experience to share with the community.”

BAND Offsite – 355 Adelaide offers the public a variety of ways to interpret and engage with the artwork presented in the enclosed glass box structure. The art installations will feature a mix of prints, sculptures, paintings and soundscapes, curated with the viewer experience in mind.

Each of the participating artists is set to bring their unique creative vision to the space.

The first artist to present work will be Frantz Brent-Harris. Afrophilia: Beloved was unveiled on February 15th, 2024. This piece is a tribute to Black love, drawing inspiration from the young Black individuals who are redefining self-perception and reshaping worldwide sensibilities towards Blackness, highlighting its profound value, diversity, and beauty. Afrophilia: Beloved embodies the dreams of our ancestors, advocating for a culture of self-acceptance. It encourages us to honour their memory not by dwelling on narratives of oppression but by reveling in the contentment of authentic self-expression.

Artists Leone McComas and Natalie Asumeng will also exhibit in BAND Offsite with their own site- specific installations exploring narratives of discovery and ​​interconnectedness through painting, sound and other media elements.

Details about each installation and related programming will be posted on BAND’s website at: www.bandgallery.com/current-exhibitions-and-events/band-offsite-355-adelaide

About the participating artists for BAND Offsite – 355 Adelaide:

Frantz Brent-Harris | February 2024 – April 2024

Frantz Brent-Harris, a Jamaican artist based in Toronto, creates predominantly figurative art that delves into the intricacies of identity and perception. His works vividly encapsulate the internal turmoil of double-consciousness and cognitive dissonance experienced by Black, African, and Caribbean individuals in a society marred by white supremacy.

Anchored in anti-colonial and anti-racist principles, Brent-Harris’s practice challenges western canons of beauty and heroism. His Black Barbie series reimagines beauty standards, while installations like Afrophilia critique historical narratives around figures deemed worthy of commemoration.

Brent-Harris’s art has been showcased at notable venues such as BAND Gallery and THEMUSEUM in Ontario, MakeRoomInc in Toronto, and Cart in Jamaica. His artistic contributions have been recognized in Toronto Life, through Ontario Arts Council grants, and as an artist in residence in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frantzbrentharris

Leone McComas | May 2024 – August 2024

Leone McComas is a visual artist and designer specializing in mural art, oil painting, and graphic design. Following a growing sense of artistic responsibility, Leone now creates from her source of life to counter-act the increasing presence of anxiety, social polarization, and emotional fatigue.

Since receiving her BDes from OCADU, Leone has exhibited in solo and group shows, and art fairs across Toronto, as well as internationally in Italy and South Korea. She is a recipient of the OIEOS 2010 Scholarship, OAC 2018 Visual Arts Project Grant, and joined Akin Collective’s studio program in MOCA Toronto 2018-19. Leone was a NXT City Prize finalist (2016) and assisted on the winning design “Streetcar Murals” adopted by City of Toronto’s King Street Pilot Project. She has received Mural Route’s MACD certificate for professional mural management and continues creating art in the public realm; most notably for WomxnPaint, Canderel’s St. Clair Village hoarding as part of MRL™ in 2019-20, and the Lansdowne Underpass Project with the City of Toronto in 2021.

Website: https://www.leonemccomas.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lehohneh/

Natalie Asumeng | September 2024 – December 2024

Natalie Asumeng is a Ghanaian-Canadian fine artist based in Toronto, working under the alias of 135 Studio. Her practice centers heavily on the genre of conceptual/ contemporary art. She creates and photographs environmental sets and organic sculptures. Natalie also produces soundscapes that thrust listeners into experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, allowing them to dive into their inner thoughts. Concept is important in Natalie’s work; everything is structured and has meaning, mainly through the element of design of form and colours. Natalie holds a BA in Photography and a diploma in Marketing and Advertising from Sheridan College. She has shown her work in Okyena, a solo pop-up exhibition in Toronto, done an educator-in-residence program with Doris McCarthy Gallery, and participated in Dealrproject, a collaborative digital showcase that paired six artists to create themed work about the principle of form and function in regard to the pandemic age.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/135studio_/