Art Bash! 2023

Visual Artist, Designer: Brian Donnelly, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, I attended the Art Gallery of Ontario's (AGO) annual fundraiser, Art Bash!, for the first time.

The sold-out event, presented by Tricon Residential, brought approximately 900 AGO supporters together, raising over 1.1 million Canadian dollars to support the museum’s collections, exhibitions and access programs.

This fundraising achievement is the largest for the event to date.

Inspired by the artistry of KAWS and Keith Haring and welcoming artist Brian Donnelly (aka KAWS), the gala's theme was Press Play, a bold and energetic art-filled celebration of fashion, food, décor, drinks and music.

The 2023 edition of Art Bash! was co-chaired by Daniel Abichandani, Sonja Berman and Mazyar Mortazavi, and leading up to it, on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, I had the honour of attending the media preview of KAWS: Family, wherein Brian Donnelly discussed his career, his artistic background, the process of creating his beloved figures, showcasing his work at the AGO. and more.

Before the media event on Donnelly’s work, I was not a KAWS fan, and I surprisingly did not know much about him or his work.

Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

My student through the Canon FUTURES program Taylor Patterson, who is often referred to as “the blogTO guy,” was covering the event for blogTO, and he was shocked that I was unfamiliar with KAWS, despite being aware of his work for most of my career.

While his global fame is undeniable, and although I admire various renowned artists, his work did not particularly appeal to me until this year.

Despite my daily reading habits, I was never drawn to explore more about him or his creations.

As he was interviewed as part of the media preview, Donnelly described that he had no mentors or role models within his family system as a young artist, making his accomplishments seem more impressive than they would have been otherwise.

Moreover, when he began talking about attending the School of Visual Arts in New York City, he reminded me of some of my classmates through the Claude Watson Arts program. I began to empathize with the early stages of his career and our shared identities as visual artists.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration in 1996, and such education provided a foundation for his unique style that blends graffiti, pop culture, and fine art.

Entrepreneur, Event Planner: Mona Halem, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Donnelly gained recognition for his unique adaptations of popular characters from television and comics, often featuring exaggerated and distorted features.

What impressed me the most about Donnelly’s description of his work was that he often creates large-scale, polished bronze sculptures, showcasing a blend of contemporary culture with traditional sculpture materials.

Bronze is not easy to work with, and by the time I became one of the first people to view KAWS: Family at the AGO, I became a KAWS fan for the first time.

Like the media preview days earlier, KAWS was a point of focus of Art Bash! And like the media preview, Josephine Cruz, professionally known as Jayemkayem, and her partner Mike Ho, aka Freeza Chin, were in attendance, alongside many other diverse artists and entrepreneurs contributing to Toronto's artistic and cultural tapestry.

Some of the many artists featured at Art Bash! this year included but was not limited to Keys N Krates, known for their unique, sample-driven approach to dance music.

They performed towards the end of the evening and have evolved their style to the times since I first encountered the group over a decade ago.

Recording Artists: Keys N Krates, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

I documented the first Keys N Krates performance years ago; my longtime colleague and friend Matisse is one-third of the group. He is the keys defined in the group’s name, and he was my first client when I moved back to Toronto from London, Ontario, to start my career after my undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario, now known as Western University.

I was also in Matisse’s living room during one of the group's first meetings when he lived with Bryan Brock, an artist, photographer, designer and filmmaker who was also at Art Bash!

Kiinjo also performed at the event, and his name marks a fresh chapter in the career of Canadian super-producer Grandtheft, renowned during the days of Bloghaus.

Karim Olen Ash, a rising star in the Toronto music scene known for making a significant impact locally, was at Art Bash!

Moreover, Aaron Jones, an artist from Toronto, had his work on display at the event. He primarily focuses on creating objects and images that explore world-building and abstraction.

Caroline Monnet, a Montréal-based artist of Anishinaabe and French descent from Outaouais, Québec, was also showcased.

Visual Artist: Jordan Sook, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Dainesha Nugent-Palache, an alumna of the Ontario College of Art and Design University based in Toronto, had her work on display during the fundraiser.

Jordan Sook, a Toronto-based contemporary mixed media artist working with sculpture, installation, and painting, had a fantastic piece on display at Art Bash!, and I took some time to document it after observing and photographing the vibrantly-coloured and animated professional dancers surrounding the event’s bar and dance floor.

Sook’s piece, Natural Selection, is a 6-foot sphere composed entirely of basketballs that explores the inherent human desire to reach new heights and the pursuit of personal and collective elevation. This artwork serves as a visual metaphor for the aspirations we often strive for, even when they may seem unattainable.

Drawing inspiration from Canadian history and the transformative impact of basketball, the artist delves into the journey initiated by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, whose invention has transcended its humble origins to become a powerful cultural force. Naismith's creation symbolizes the relentless pursuit of progress and the desire to elevate oneself.

Although I appreciate the basis of the piece, it looks cool and is inherently valuable due to its aesthetic appeal. To me, it needs no explanation.

I had been following Jordan Sook online for years. I briefly met him in person at Rolling Loud 2022 (in Toronto, specifically in the media pit), and it was great to catch up with him and photograph him at Press Play.

Athlete: Gary Trent Jr., Entrepreneur, Event Planner: Mona Halem, Athlete: O.G. Anunoby, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

I also ran into my friend and colleague Mona Halem, a Canadian entrepreneur and businesswoman known primarily for her work in the nightlife, entertainment, and hospitality industries.

She has gained recognition for her involvement in various nightclub ventures, especially in the Toronto area and at Art Bash! Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors accompanied her.

After spending time with Mona, Gary, O.G. and some of their friends, I encountered my former classmate Jenna Naumovich for the first time in nearly a decade.

We lived in O’Neil-Ridley Hall together via Huron College at the University of Western Ontario during our first year as undergraduate students. I spent countless hours with her, her brothers Gabe and Sasho, and their cousin Natalie; we were the opposite of productive then.

It is impossible for me to think of my experiences as an undergraduate student without considering the Naumovich-Bitove family, who sometimes drove me from Toronto back to my dorm room in London, Ontario, and speaking with and photographing Jenna led me to experience a flood of long-forgotten memories from my formative years before my career path was solidified.

It was also great to catch up with other friends and colleagues at Press Play, like Audrey Hudson and Erin Prendergast of the AGO, although it was difficult to have conversations as the event neared its capacity.

Stylist: Jenna Naumovich, Location: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Décor for Press Play was provided by Candice & Alison. Fashion Magazine and the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) presented a selection of cutting-edge designs by Canadian fashion designers, Atelier Guarin, Fugnitto, Rock N’Karma and Suburban Deviant, the AGO Culinary team designed the event’s VIP dinner, and overall, it was one of the best parties that I attended in 2023.

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