Buying Art: Artist Project hits Toronto with everything from kitschy ceramics to portraits to large-scale installations and a tower of banned books

Finished your spring cleaning? Clear that dust and make some wall space before heading to Artist Project, the season’s must-do for art lovers and collectors. The weekend-long event is a chance to engage with and purchase works from more than 200 artists working in a variety of media, including painting, collage, photography and sculpture.

In addition to individual artist booths, the fair also features 10 large-scale installations by the likes of Ness Lee, whose iconic illustrations of curvaceous female figures have adorned an array of mediums, including murals, balloons and ceramics. I’m excited to get up close to a new installation by textile artist Jen Arron, whose massive textural wall hangings take the artform into exciting new organic directions. New to me, but on my must-see list is artist and curator Kelly McCray’s sculptural “Tower of Banned Books,” which promises to physically illuminate the critical repercussions of literary censorship.

The opening preview night on April 13 goes beyond the usual wine-and-cheese affair. A runway by Fashion Art Toronto will feature local designer works available for purchase at the new F.A.T Boutique. For those seeking a more emotive takeaway, Rose Aura will be offering aura-energy photos and readings. One of my favourite artists, Laura Dawe, will also be giving tarot readings from custom decks featuring prints from her painting practice.

If laughter really is the best medicine and therapy is out of budget, the next best thing might be Brooklyn-based conceptual artist and comedian Dr. Lisa Levy, who will be in session throughout the fair’s run, offering free one-on-one (unlicensed) psychology sessions with personalized artistic prescriptions.

As you’re navigating through the fair, keep an eye out for these 10 artists who are on my most-anticipated list.

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Nigerian-born Benny Bing is one of the show’s biggest star artists, for good reason. Bing’s luminous, graphically structured portraits celebrating Black experience and beauty have landed him major exhibitions and partnerships from the likes of Roots, Ikea and Old Navy.

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Chris Harms’ stunning celestial stained-glass art is inspired by a rocket launch he witnessed in 2016 while in French Guiana. Each of these self-taught artist’s planetary scenes features a variation on a tiny chair, a perfect front-row seat for star gazing.

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Although illustrator, ceramicist and painter Genie Kim spreads her talents across various media, her work is instantly recognizable. Sweet faces with inquisitive eyes surrounded by natural elements, I am completely drawn in by her “Mother Tree” painting series that encapsulate the interconnectedness of the universe, rooted by charming images of strong women.

instagram.com/elleesy.art

Korean-Canadian artist Ellee SY Lee takes an organic approach to her painted and digitally drawn landscapes. Lee’s richly textured topographies, containing details of trees, plants and water, have a mythical quality in their play with perspective, colours and shapes, often doubling as dreamscapes.

instagram.com/vanessafrommars

Inspired by vintage photography and old Hollywood, fine-arts painter Vanessa Michiels creates glamorous portraits of female stars from former “Euphoria” star and model Barbie Ferreira to Italian cinematic idol Sophia Loren. Michiels adds playful twists to her realistic and often melancholy portraits, adding bubbles of colour, patterns and doodles to their faces, illuminating the veneer of celebrity.

instagram.com/loramoore_images

Photographer Lora Moore-Kakaletris proves that one person’s trash is another artist’s inspiration. Her “Trash-ion” series makes a statement on fast fashion and consumerism by carefully shaping and then shooting detritus such as crumpled chip bags to appear as wearable art strutting on runway-ready legs.

instagram.com/dianarosaartist

Fall in love like I did with Cuban-born artist Diana Rosa’s paintings with their colourful nods to masters such as Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo, infused with folk- and pop-art sensibilities. Highly stylized in how they depict human interactions with the natural world, Rosa has created a personal iconography that feels both contemporary and timeless.

instagram.com/oliviamaesinclair

A departure from perfection, recent OCAD University graduate Olivia Mae Sinclair embraces the discipline of the Sloppy Craft movement, creating fabric books, patches, stickers and totes that are raw in both message and execution, offering intimate, healing messages to those who need them most.

instagram.com/ks.fineart

Rugged Canadian landscapes may be a well-trod subject for painters, but Kyle Sorensen finds new angles in his geometric Cubist-inspired treatments of forests, lakes and rocks. His calming palette of blues, greens and greys are like a fresh breath of northern air.

instagram.com/vicksvapostrub

I have never met emerging artist Jonah Strub, but his kitschy ceramics make him a kindred spirit in the giggle department. Blobby yet expressive faces with pop-culture winks, Strub’s figures — a mix of animals, drag queens, snacks and fancy Jewish bubbies — are both delightful and delicious-looking in their hilarious execution.

Artist Project runs at the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place from April 13 through April 16. For more information go to theartistproject.com