HERE AND NOW
Yonge-Dundas Square launched a Call to Artists in September 2022 to re-fresh and wrap fourteen (14) public benches for a year-long installation.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Afifa Bari is a contemporary realist oil painter and textile artist based in Toronto. She earned her BFA from York University in 2020. She is currently pursuing her MFA from OCAD University. Through representational art, Afifa examines the contemporary world through the lens of capitalism, uncovering consumerist values in her work. She discusses issues around the ideas of capitalism, such as poverty and the cycle of consumerism. Afifa’s work focuses on material possessions and the desire for materialism in the newly advancing society. She discusses fast fashion trends and the constant desire to purchase more
HERE AND NOW
Taking inspiration from the landscape surrounding Yonge-Dundas Square, this piece titled ‘here and now’ aims to capture the constant rush of energy present in the surrounding landscape. Using a candy-like and pastel colour palette present in the infinite advertising, stores and events surrounding the space, it aims to capture the constant presence and movement of Yonge-Dundas Square. The fluidity of the abstract shapes as well as the playful doodles present in the work evoke a sense of curiosity and playfulness that one experiences in the heart of Toronto.
here and now by Afifa Bari