Tomorrow is Yesterday positions the landscape as an ominous fantastical space where “the figure” is implied, but never quite apparent. LCD screens on the TTC Onestop subway platforms become the forum for 30-second slideshows featuring four artists. As over a million commuters traverse through these spaces, they are confronted by scenes devoid of human presence.

Alex McLeod’s images of otherworldly realms have an impenetrable stillness about them. The hyperreal details–bubble clouds, marshmallow trees, and plastic rivers–are created using CGI software and depict landscapes lacking in humanity. These works are influenced by horror vacui–an artistic tendency to fill space within the artwork. Working from computer software, artist David Trautrimas also constructs intricate images, where sinister hybrid machine-objects inhabit bleak and apocalyptic landscapes. These imposing weaponized structures are set within futuristic environments that reference the Cold War era.

Bill Finger’s practice involves constructing elaborate fictions. The artist juxtaposes childhood memories with haunting cinematic moments to stage enigmatic miniature sets. Subtle hints remain within these frames, drawing attention to the artifice involved in each image. While the lack of any actor in Finger’s work is suggestive of doom, a humorous yet dark underbelly is given to Diana Thorneycroft’s work through the use of mass-produced toys that stand in as protagonists. Her carefully crafted dioramas both reference and subvert the iconic power of Group of Seven paintings, by awkwardly recreating scenes of haplessness and disaster. Combined, these artists push the viewer’s understanding of landscape into the realm of fiction, revealing how the imaginary can disrupt reality.

Co-produced by Onestop Media Group and Art for Commuters, in partnership with CONTACT.
Supported by the Ontario Arts Council.
 

Curated by Sharon Switzer