Hot New Art by Two Leading Locals

Here and Now: The Art of Gary Taxali
Jul 17 – Sep 20 at Idea Exchange, Design at Riverside, 7 Melville St S, Cambridge
Cambridge gallery Design at Riverside hosts the first major exhibition of this prolific Torontonian’s work. (Eagle-eyed DL may recognize his art from the kitchen of ad agency CEO Rob’s west end town home). Including paintings, apparel, wine label designs and more, the retrospective shows how Taxali uses Depression-era typography and cartoonish illustrations to deliver cheeky social commentary. Look for details from his mixed-media art blown up into large-scale displays installed in the gallery’s five windows. Don’t have a set of wheels? For $5, book a seat on a shuttle bus leaving from the Drake Hotel at 5:30pm and returning at 10:00pm. Locals will get another chance to hear from Taxali on August 6 when he hosts an artist talk at Revolver Gallery’s Andy Warhol Revisited popup.

Faces of Regent Park
585 Dundas St E
The revitalization of Regent Park continues. Joining attractions like the MJM Architects-designed Aquatic Centre, the neighbourhood’s latest draw is new permanent public artwork by photo-based street artist Dan Bergeron (who also goes by the name Fauxreel). Six laminated glass panels spotlight a diverse selection of local residents, reflecting Regent Park’s goal of becoming a home for everyone. To speak to the area’s cultural vibrancy, each black and white portrait is covered in colourful tags based on real graffiti found nearby.