Two Years at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is unlike any other exhibition I've been part of. For two summers now, I've brought my work to Nathan Phillips Square — original ink paintings laid out under the open sky, strangers stopping mid-stride to look, to ask, to feel something.
There is something particular about showing work outdoors. In a gallery, people arrive with intention. At TOAF, they arrive by accident — and that accidental encounter, when it happens, is one of the most honest moments art can offer. Someone walks past, something catches their eye, and for a moment the city slows down.
Over the two fairs, I showed works including Forest at Night, Together, Floating Figures, Moonlight, and many others from my ink and water series. Each piece had been made in the quiet of the studio, and seeing them meet the noise and light of a Toronto summer was its own kind of revelation.
I also had the chance to speak with collectors, with curious passersby, with children who had never stood in front of an original painting before. Those conversations are why I keep coming back.
If you visited either fair and we spoke — thank you. And if you've been meaning to bring one of these works home, many are still available in the shop.
The next chapter is still being written. I hope to see you there.
— Santanu