Early years in Toronto – 1970 – 1980’s
My early years in Toronto were marked by a dedication to my art practice and presenting diverse projects for the community. I curated and organized A Space comes to Hallwalls (1979) which resulted in Hallwalls coming to A Space – the first exchange shows between Toronto and Buffalo, and 7 Artists, at Artists Space, NYC curated by Ragland Watkins. My first major public art project was Terminal Building, A Space (1981)—in which artists such as General Idea, and Rae Johnson were invited to interact with a building about to be demolished in the Queen West neighbourhood. In the early 80’s I exhibited with Robert Flack at Chromozone, Toronto and OKROMAZONE – die Anderen von Kanada in Berlin. (Dec.1982). My works were also presented at Yarlow Salzman Gallery, A Space, Mercer Union and Harbourfont. From the late 1980’s through the 1990’s I exhibited at Garnet Press, where I introduced my alter ego, Anne de Cybelle and her famous Hair Dresses.
Martin Heath, Elke Town, David Buchan, and Colin Lockhead and I formed The Gap, Grange Arts and Performance , which ran in the early 1980’s in downtown Toronto in the Queen Street West neighbourhood. Often collaborating with A Space, The Gap combined innovative performance by international and local artists including Randy and Berenicci, Elizabeth Chitty, David Buchan, Min Tanaka Lawerence Weiner, and Michael Smith.
National Gallery of Canada Archive link – Chrysanne Stathacos Fonds ..
A small history of the Gap, 466 Bathurst and A Space collaborations here
466 Bathurst Street is mentioned in Kathy Acker goes to Toronto in Canadian Art
Images of my art work can be seen on other pages on the site…
Invitation of Robert Flack and Chrysanne Stathacos for Chromazone exhibition, 1982
photograph©Jorge Zontal, General Idea