TORONTO, March 15, 2005 - Harbourfront Centre's unique visual art spaces offer six new and exciting exhibitions that creatively combine traditional and modern mixed media in order to focus attention on immigration, technology, nature, urbanism and aesthetics issues. All exhibitions begin March 25 and run through May 15, 2005. Admission to all exhibitions and the reception is free. For more information the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com.

A public opening reception for the exhibitions takes place Thursday March 24, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in the York Quay Gallery (235 Queens Quay West, Toronto). All Harbourfront Centre visual arts spaces will be open on Good Friday (March 25) and Easter Monday (March 28) from noon to 6 p.m. - Individual exhibition information below:

Contained Mobility
Contained Mobility showcases four thought-provoking media installations that address complex issues of immigration and nationalism as influenced by political and natural geography. In multiple-channel video or 16mm film loops, each artist (Rosa Barba, Ursula Biemann, Külli Kaats and bh Yael), turns her unique perspective toward a world of rapidly changing social and cultural boundaries. Contained Mobility is presented in partnership with the 18th annual Images Festival (www.imagesfestival.com) which runs April 7-16, 2005.

A producer of films, installations and music videos, Rosa Barba (Germany) has exhibited her work in Australia, Belgium and The Netherlands. A teacher and international lecturer with a background in art and critical theory, Ursula Biemann (Switzerland) investigates gender and globalization issues in the context of migration, free trade and virtual communication.  A film, video and installation artist in Toronto, bh Yael is a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

Estonian Külli Kaats is an orchestral composer and multidisciplinary artist whose creations have been shown at a number of European galleries and festivals. (On April 10 at 1 p.m. families with children can meet Külli Kaats for a free admission Gallery Kids choral activity. On April 16 at 3 p.m. Külli Kaats conducts a choral performance based  on her Avifauna installation. A public reception for Contained Mobility follows the performance. Free admission. York Quay Gallery)

WILD!
In this exhibition eight interactive graphic designers use WILD! as a point of departure to explore and expand upon ideas such as organic interfaces, animals and computers, digital mysticism, disruptive technologies, wild games, worms, parasites, viruses and chaotic information systems. Presenting designers: Pivot Design, piperboy, deekon, Beehive Design, Sonar
Group, Space Cadet Design, Taxi and Ventilate. Presented as part of digifest 2005 by the Design Exchange in partnership with Harbourfront Centre and the Ontario Science Centre. Curated by Paola Poletto. (www.dx.org/digifest) 

Average Pictures
Scott Conarroe's spectacular colour photographs of sunsets and sunrises last the entire duration of each event. At dawn, the camera is opened in darkness and shut when the streetlights go out. At dusk, an exposure begins at sunset and ends when each lamp is relit. Scenes are determined in large part by the availability of a vantage point while the photographs are composed according to a template that conforms to many landscape imagery conventions. The negotiation between notions of grandeur and the mundane is furthered in the spatial construction of these Average Pictures.

Conarroe's work has been shown and collected across Canada and was recently included in exhibitions at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago and Atelier Frankfurt. Prefix Photo nominated him for a National Magazine Award this year. Presented as part of the CONTACT 2005 photography festival (www.contactphoto.com).

The Object and the Image
Utilizing glass, ceramics, new media, and metal - this exhibition explores the myriad relationships between objects and images. Including works by artists Cali Balles, Tosca Teran, Ken Vickerson, Eva Milinkovic, Andrée Wejsmann, Teresa McPherson, Carmen Schroeder and Gina Fafard.

Shallow: An Exhibition of Ceramic Surfaces
Featuring the collaborative works of current Craft Studio residents Pattie Chalmers and Hilary Masemann. Using ceramic tiles and stunning three-dimensional works the artists explore elements of colour, pattern and texture on ceramic surfaces.

Ferals:
Ferals is an excerpt from a series of paintings [2002-2004] by Jim Reid of apple trees outside his studio in Terra Cotta, Ontario entangled in the chaos of nature on exhibition at Canada Quay.

Zoom! Family Sundays:
Every Sunday families can take part in the Gallery Kids program at 2 p.m. Until March 27, 2005 at Pop Shots children can capture the artistic definition of "dad" using instamatic cameras. The children's works will be displayed until May 29. Pop Shots is part of Harbourfront Centre's Spring exploration of HE. The changing nature of the male identity and shifting notions of man's role in society are embedded as sub-themes in select events.

Quench at Bounty:
George Brown College's Jewellery Arts graduates present their annual exhibition at Bounty, the Canadian contemporary craft shop at Harbourfront Centre. Quench launches on April 7 and runs until May 8, 2005.

Virginia Mak: Side Street
An exhibition of cinematically structured photographs of today's Toronto on display at the Premiere Dance Theatre Upper Lobby. (Note: this exhibition space on the second floor Premiere Dance Theatre mezzanine displays paintings, photography and prints. Access to this exhibit is by paid admission by Premiere Dance Theatre event patrons)

Hours for Contained Mobility and Wild (open Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.), with extended hours during World Stage: Flying Solo (noon to 8 p.m. from April 13 to May 12). Hours for Average Pictures and The Object and Image (open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Hours for Shallow: An Exhibition of Ceramic Surfaces (open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Galleries are closed Mondays except holiday Mondays when they open from noon to 6 p.m.  For more information the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com.

All visual arts exhibitions can be seen at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto.  Admission is free.

For more information on all of Harbourfront Centre's visual arts exhibitions please consult our Visual Arts webpage

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Media Contact:  Shane Gerard, 416-973-4655, or sgerard@harbourfrontcentre.com