Toronto Arts & Events!
Home ~ About US ~ Sources & Links ~ Terms of Use & Privacy~ Contact Us


Accommodation

Restaurants, Bars & Clubs

Past Events

Investors Sponsors

Writers & Photographers



TIAF: Toronto International Art Fair 2008

October 2 to 6, 2008

The ninth annual Toronto International Art Fair was held October 2 to 6, 2008 at the Toronto Convention Centre in exciting downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. TIAF " ... is a discriminating showcase of Canadian and International works that continues to attract the attention and participation of every top gallery and cultural institution in Canada." [taifair.com] TIAF 2008 featured 100 galleries from 14 countries which included not only famous Toronto galleries which TorontoArtsandEvents appreciates and loves but also galleries from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States. I noted that very few art pieces were priced in U.S.dollars! According to this art fair, art worth more than $ 20,0000,000 was sold during the fair! TIAF also advised that over 18,000 visitors had viewed the collection of art works presented by the participating galleries.

TIAF 2008 presented a series of special projects contributing to the dialogue on contemporary art:

  • The News at Five: The series of rotating exhibitions curated by Canadian Art magazine editor Richard Rhodes.
  • Power Talks: Lecture series organized in partnership with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and led by prominent figures in today's international art world.
  • T at Three: An insightful and stimulating interview series conducted by Border Crossings magazine senior contributing editor Robert Enright. Each day at 3pm, Enright engaged artists, curators, critics and dealers in exclusive one-on-one live interviews about their work and its place in the world of contemporary art.
  • Fresh Avant-Garde: A designated area of the Fair presents a select group of young galleries showcasing edgy and challenging work by emerging national and international artists. Artwork in this section is priced at under $5,000.
  • Invisible Cities: is inspired by a book published in 1972 by the Italian novelist Italo Calvino in which "a collection of short surreal stories, a young Marco Polo describes the cities visited during his journey to the old emperor Kublais Khan in a compelling dialogue format: Cities and memory, cities and desire, cities and design, trading cities, hidden cities, destroyed cities and rebuilt ones"

Opening Night Previews to Benefit AGO

Special Collectors' Preview
October 2, 2008

The Special Collectors' Preview was held from 4:30-6:30 pm and offered a limited number of guests exclusive early access to the Fair. This preview was ideal for serious collectors who were given a champagne reception and granted the very first opportunity to view and purchase art at Art Toronto 2008.

Opening Night Preview
October 2, 2008

The Opening Night Preview ( with a ticket price of $ 190 ) was held from 6:30-10:00 pm on October 3, 2008 and was the celebratory launch of the Art Fair and a benefit for the Art Gallery of Ontario. Guests enjoyed not only cocktails and hors d'oeuvres but also the first chance to preview and purchase works of art before the Art Fair opened to the public. TorontoArtsandEvents loved this event! - not only were prominent gallery owners and artists present but also international gallery owners were there.

Photographs by G. C. Eyre and Article by C. Smith © 2008 All Rights Reserved