Paul Butler

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 22nd 6-9pm Public Collage: 12-6pm on Saturday, February 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th Location: Project Gallery, 1210 Dundas St E, Toronto

Throughout the month of February, Butler will stage a Collage Party at Project Gallery that will serve as a pilot model for a future permanent space in Toronto. As Butler describes it: “The Collage Party is where I make my work. It’s my studio. And I like making work alongside other people of all ages and backgrounds – not just artists. It’s how I grow personally and artistically – laterally, through shared ideas, beliefs, opinions, likes, and techniques”.

For this project, Butler will expand on the concept of “Stammtisch”, a German term for a table where ideas are born. Like the Stammtisch, the project will be centered around one large table. To support the birth of ideas, there will be a stereo, a library, a small kitchen, a TV, and a lounge. There will be film screenings, ping-pong, guest speakers, group therapy, listening parties, dinners, printmaking, and constant collaging. Every Saturday, the public will be invited to join. Bookings are also available for group visits, including school groups, corporate team-building, staff parties, etc. Prints and originals of select collaborative collages will be displayed and available for purchase at the gallery in May during the Contact Photography Festival. Works that Butler produces will also be displayed in his solo exhibition at Division Gallery in May as well, Butler is represented by the Division Gallery in Toronto.

Paul Butler’s multi-disciplinary practice is rooted in community, collaboration and artist-run activity. In addition to his longstanding studio practice, Butler has also produced projects that include: The Collage Party – a traveling participatory studio; The Other Gallery (2001-2011) – a nomadic commercial gallery with a focus on overlooked artists; and, Reverse Pedagogy – a touring, collectively directed residency.

Butler has served as the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the director of 2/edition in Toronto. He has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; White Columns, New York City; Creative Growth Art Centre, Oakland; Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong; and La Maison Rouge, Paris. He has contributed his writing to the books The Life and Times of Bill Callahan, and Decentre: Concerning Artist-run Culture as well as publications including Border Crossings and Canadian Art. Butler's work is held in numerous private and public collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Bank of Canada, and TD Canada Trust.