Revisiting The Clinic: 30 Years Later
From 1992 to 1997, the Symbiosis Collective operated on the edges of Toronto’s art scene, staging site-specific exhibitions in abandoned buildings and disused sites. Founded by artists Michael Alstad and Steve Topping, Symbiosis emerged in the early 1990s as part of a broader surge of independent, artist-run experimentation across the city. These collectives created their own contexts for production and display, sidestepping the limitations of conventional gallery systems in favour of more autonomous and immediate explorations with place, context and history. Symbiosis’ interventions included exhibitions in an abandoned Royal Bank, the old Temperance Society headquarters, and, most infamously, a shuttered cosmetic surgery clinic at 215 Victoria Street — the site of their project The Clinic that ran from April 21- May 13, 1995. The Clinic: Art Inside a Site of Trauma In the spring of 1995, an otherwise forgotten surgical space reopened as a temporary art environment. Formerly home to the Institute for Restorative, Cosmetic & Liposuction Surgery, the site had been abandoned following the tragic death of Toni Sullivan, a 44 year-old woman who died after undergoing liposuction there. Her death sparked a coroner’s inquest and brought national scrutiny to the cosmetic surgery industry’s regulatory blind spots and rising popularity. Rather than obscure this violent legacy, Symbiosis made it the fulcrum of their exhibition. The Clinic transformed the surgical facility into a conceptual, critical zone. Using recovered medical files, equipment, and signage, the artists constructed installations that blurred the lines between critique, ritual, and spatial haunting. The show created an eerie, charged dialogue between the commodification of the body and the physical residue of a failed promise of transformation. Art, Bodies, and the Cost of Space The Clinic was powerful not only because of its subject — the commercialization and medicalization of the female body — but because it unfolded inside the very architecture of that system. The artists had time to inhabit the site, to dig through its remains, and to let the materiality of the space shape their thinking. That kind of access is increasingly rare. In 1990s Toronto, artists could occupy storefronts and empty buildings without prohibitive costs, layers of liability, or bureaucratic gatekeeping. Today, with skyrocketing rents, tightened insurance policies, and a city consumed by development, it’s very challenging for independent artists to mount experimental, site-specific work without institutional backing. At the same time, the cultural pressures around beauty, gender performance, and bodily perfection have only accelerated. The “ideal” female body is now curated in real time through social media, filtered selfies, and algorithm-driven aesthetics. If The Clinic responded to the rise of cosmetic surgery in the 1990s, a similar project today might have to contend with TikTok face, wellness cults, or the normalization of injectables. The stakes are no lower — but the spaces in which to unpack them have dwindled. That’s why revisiting The Clinic matters. It reminds us of what becomes possible when artists have both time and space to think critically — and when art is allowed to emerge not from a gallery blueprint, but from the city’s raw and contested ground. Symbiosis and the Collective City Archive The legacy of the Symbiosis Collective has recently been documented in the Collective City database — a vital archive tracing the history of artist-generated galleries and collectives in Toronto from the late 1980s to the present day. Through video interviews, transcripts, and documentation, Collective City maps how the experimental energy of groups like Symbiosis helped lay the groundwork for today’s sustainable artist-run centres. It reveals a history of artists taking control of context, collaborating outside of institutions, and reshaping the possibilities for what, and where, art could be. As we mark the 30th anniversary of The Clinic, Symbiosis stands as a reminder: when artists claim space for critical reflection, something more than art can happen — something communal, confrontational, and deeply necessary. + SYMBIOSIS – The Clinic 215 Victoria Street, TorontoApril 21 – May 13, 1995Opening night performances by Katrin Bowen & RM Vaughan.Artists:Michael Alstad, Katrin Bowen, Steve Banks, Ted Dudas, Barbara Greczny, Bartley Harnett, Janet Hethrington, Marc Hohman, Jhave, Judy Juhasz, Hannah More, Maureen Raike, Charles Taylor, Steve Topping, RM Vaughan, Brian Wagner, Veronica VerkleySymbiosis: The Clinic – Artist’s BookLimited edition hand silkscreened artist books were created and distributed by Printed Matter, ICA Bookshop and Artexte.
safdingels
I released my first open edition NFT on the foundation marketplace. Editions on Foundation are smart contracts designed to mint a specific NFT as many times as possible, for a limited time of 24 hours. After 24 hours, minting is closed on that edition contract forever. The ‘safdingels’ image is an enhanced video still taken from the ‘king toronto‘ mp4 – a 1of1 NFT that is also available on foundation. The work is part of the ‘liminal city’ series – observing, documenting, abstracting transitional architectures in Toronto’s urban landscape. I get into the context/history of the 511 King site – which is being retained as a heritage facade in the much larger complex – on this twitter thread. The architect of King Toronto – Bjarke Ingels – was inspired by Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 building in Montreal. The 24hr open edition minting starts at foundation Apr 25, 2023 at 12:00pm EDT
RUI plaza
I recently dropped my first NFT on the Ethereum blockchain at the Foundation marketplace. I began minting NFTS in 2021 on the open-source tezos proof-of-stake blockchain (greenNFT) which has far less environmental impact than other networks. In September 2022 Ethereum transitioned to a proof-of-stake blockchain which reduced Ethereum’s energy consumption by 99.95%. I love the Tezos communities at objkt.com and teia.art but thought it was time to test the waters at an ethereum based marketplace. RUI plaza is a 1of1 NFT that is part of a series exploring, documenting and abstracting transitional architectures in Toronto’s urban landscape. The collector of this NFT will receive a signed 20×36 video frame print that I enhanced and upscaled using topazlabs AI software.
RIP H=N
It’s been five months since I minted my first NFT on Hic et Nunc – ‘an experimental open-source NFT platform that serves as a public smart contract infrastructure and aims to decentralise the crypto-art marketplace’. I was initially sceptical about entering the NFT space due to the carbon footprint of the cryptocurrencies used to make them but when I discovered H=N was using the Tezos blockchain – which uses a small fraction of CO2 as Ethereum does – I decided to mint my first NFT with them. Besides the appeal of using a clean open-source NFT platform – where a proof-of-stake Tezos transaction is the environmental cost equivalent of sending a tweet – the minimal gas fees, experimental artworks and overall community had me convinced that H=N was for me. After 5 months of creating and collecting NFTs on H=N I was saddened to discover the platform had been discontinued. According to a tweet by artist Mario Klingemann – H=N’s founder Rafael Lima – “In an irresponsible act of rage decided to leave and turn the off-switch on everything he has access to.” – and Artist Joanie Lemercier – an early adopter of the Hic et Nunc space – claimed Rafael “got overwhelmed and decided, overnight, to close the site” I really miss the H=N platform and community but fortunately my Tezos based NFT creations/collections live on and are still accessible through H=N mirror sites such as hicetnunc.art and objkt.com . Also I’ve listed my work on another Tezos based platform Kalamint as well as on Open Sea on the Polygon network – another energy efficient proof-of-stake blockchain.
clean NFT auction on objkt.com
I’ve been exploring the NFT art space these last several months and have created and collected several on Hic et Nunc – a decent digital art community that uses the open-source tezos proof of stake blockchain which has far less environmental impact than other networks. I recently decided to try the auction platform on OBJKT.com which is ‘offering the possibility for H=N artists and collectors to sell their NFT’s by auction, which is a feature that has not yet been included to H=N itself.’ Please visit my objkt.com listing where you can currently bid on the NFT object which closes on September 22nd, 2011.
Queerstory app receives award of excellence!
I was honoured to receive the award of excellence for the Queerstory App at the Heritage Toronto Awards! A big thanks to collaborators Janet Hethrington & Camille Turner (pictured), Marc Serpa Francoeur & Robinder Uppal – Lost Time Media, Michelle Breslin – Lost World Sounds and Ira Fich.
Filmambiente :: International Environmental Film Festival
The third edition of Filmambiente International Environmental Film Festival runs from August 30th to September 5th, 2013. My video Methane will be screened at the Environmental Museum at Jardim Botânico in Rio de Janeiro as part of the Cool Stories For When The Planet Gets Hot programme, a series of short videos, animations and films responding to the causes and effects of climate change.