The Combine Collective Art Gallery
Combine Curator Eric says his motivation to host a Combine Collective Art Gallery was simple.
Basically, we have a lot of talented people that come through the Combine: Some of them are established names in the art scene, but many of them are just our people (i.e Tadiem employees)— the ones we see in person, at-work, day-to-day, but whose personal artwork we usually miss out on. So the Gallery was a chance to put all that creativity together on one wall, under no strict theme.
From coffee-table books to cyanotype-prints, to framed A.I. renders. Tiny oil paintings and massive canvases. Everything on display gave visitors a taste of our community’s inexhaustible appetite for expression.
Here’s what went down at the Combine, the week the Collective’s art went up.
We saw the return of some of the Combine’s recent solo exhibitions, like the beautifully-messy confessional art of Olivia Mae Sinclair, and the larger-than-life murals of Dahae Song or The Half Decent. Evocative prints from artists like Cruz, (who also recently held her print-making workshop here at the Combine) fit right in alongside diverse works from the personal galleries of some of our most creative team members.
It was a reminder that the people of Tadiem’s Creative Departments are far from all we have to offer in the creative department. Colleagues from across One method, Bensimon Byrne, Narrative, Hi-Fi, and Folk appeared in the gallery, frankly surprising us with their aesthetic chops and aspirations.
Some talked about the experience of seeing their artistic sides turn into side hustles, like strategist Spencer, who’s been running out of room for his small-scale oils on his wall and is turning to selling them online. Media manager Varun treated us to some high-octane vacation shots, which were too good to live only the ‘gram. Sure, “likes” are nice, but there’s no substitute for seeing a crowd form in front of a physical manifestation of your own creativity, stroking their chins in appreciation.
Whether their craft is for recreational, commercial, or experimental purposes, there’s clearly no shortage of people in our little community who’ve been waiting for just the right time and place to show up, show out— maybe even show off a little.
One talented art director, Sophie, has been diligently carving out time (and space in her apartment) for oil painting practice for a few years now. Chatting with fellow artists at the gallery, she mentions a feeling known to many pros in creative industries: the desire to “earn a space” for your art. This feeling is often intensified by the gated, competitive atmosphere of cultural hubs like Toronto.
But this is one art gallery that proved that feeling doesn’t have to dominate. Here, we find there’s often more than enough room for (and interest in) whatever folks are working on.
Shanik, a freelance videographer by trade, is no stranger to the Combine, nor to our city’s hunger for more self-organizing creative communities. He was one mind behind February’s arts showcase here, called Recess. But, as part of Combine Collective, he publicly displayed, for the first time, his own large photo prints: vivid memories of distant cities and some favorite local haunts. He said the experience of seeing his kinetic compositions translated into gallery space, might just be the motivation he needed to finally compile a printed and bound photo anthology. We love to see that kind of ambition develop.
Overall, our sprawling concrete walls became a vibrant mosaic alternating piece by piece; people whose works have sold for thousands, side by side with people just beginning to build an audience. The best part is, that it’s not necessarily easy to tell which is which.
Something we’d like to see more often: aesthetes and artists of all stripes coming together to share one big wall, and a good vibe over a drink or two. As impressive as it was seeing the individual artists and their art, it’s even more inspiring to appreciate their collective impact.