Mercer Union
Encyclopedia
Mercer Union is an artist-run centre in Toronto
, Ontario
, established in 1979 to exhibit contemporary art
.
In 2009, the gallery moved to the Bloor and Lansdowne area in Toronto's west end. Previously the gallery had held homes at 29 Mercer Street (from which the name Mercer Union was derived), 439 King Street West, 333 Adelaide St. West, and 37 Lisgar Street.
Notable artists who have had an exhibition at Mercer Union include Sol LeWitt
, George Bures Miller
, Mark Leckey
, Jeremy Deller
, G. B. Jones
, Mowry Baden
, Bill Burns
, Betty Goodwin
and Jana Sterbak
.
were seized. The artworks depicted children in sexual situations. The artist and organization faced allegations of violating Canada's child pornography laws, but the case was won and all charges dropped.
In 2008, Mercer Union exhibited work by Canadian artist Michel de Broin. The artist's “Shared Propulsion Car,” an old Buick
stripped of its engine and interior, and then outfitted with a four-seat bicycle pedal and brake system, was confiscated by Toronto police after gallery staff took it for ride on Queen Street West
. The driver was ticketed for operating an unsafe vehicle; however, the charges were dismissed after a court appearance. De Broin characterized the dismissal as a victory for “the right to go slow.”. The same artist's car was driven in New York City without controversy.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, established in 1979 to exhibit contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
.
In 2009, the gallery moved to the Bloor and Lansdowne area in Toronto's west end. Previously the gallery had held homes at 29 Mercer Street (from which the name Mercer Union was derived), 439 King Street West, 333 Adelaide St. West, and 37 Lisgar Street.
Notable artists who have had an exhibition at Mercer Union include Sol LeWitt
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism....
, George Bures Miller
George Bures Miller
George Bures Miller is a Canadian artist noted for his collaborative works with wife Janet Cardiff. Miller and Cardiff represented Canada at the 2001 Venice Biennale...
, Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey
Mark Leckey is a British artist, working with collage art, music and video. His found art and found footage pieces span several videos, most notably Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore and Industrial Lights and Magic , for which he won the 2008 Turner Prize.-Life:Leckey was born in Birkenhead, near...
, Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. He is a Turner Prize winner.Deller is best-known for his Battle of Orgreave , a reenactment of the actual Battle of Orgreave which occurred during the UK miners' strike in 1984.-Life and work:Jeremy Deller was born in London,...
, G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines based in Toronto, Canada. Her drawings have been featured at galleries around the world, and her films screened at numerous film festivals, both in Canada and abroad...
, Mowry Baden
Mowry Baden
Mowry Baden is an American sculptor who has lived and worked in Canada since 1975.-Background and Art Practice:A 1954 graduate of Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, Baden studied at Pomona College and Stanford University...
, Bill Burns
Bill Burns (artist)
Bill Burns is a Canadian artist.-Life and work:Bill Burns was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1957 and has lived and worked mostly in Toronto, Canada and London, England.Proving Machine and Floatation Device no.3, 2008...
, Betty Goodwin
Betty Goodwin
Betty Roodish Goodwin, OC was a Canadian printmaker, sculptor, painter, and installation artist.- Early life :...
and Jana Sterbak
Jana Sterbak
Jana Sterbak is a Canadian artist best known for her works constructed from meat. Two sculptures, Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic and Chair Apollinaire , were both works whose primary medium was cured flank steak also known as skirt steak in the UK butcher trade.Born in Prague,...
.
Controversies
In 1993, Mercer Union was involved in a case of censorship. The gallery was raided by police in December 1993, and works by Canadian artist Eli LangerEli Langer
Eli Langer is a Canadian visual artist. Langer rose to prominence in 1993, while 26 years old, in the Toronto art world with a solo exhibition at the Mercer Union Gallery in Toronto. The exhibition consisted of 8 paintings and 50 drawings addressing various issues of childhood sexuality...
were seized. The artworks depicted children in sexual situations. The artist and organization faced allegations of violating Canada's child pornography laws, but the case was won and all charges dropped.
In 2008, Mercer Union exhibited work by Canadian artist Michel de Broin. The artist's “Shared Propulsion Car,” an old Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
stripped of its engine and interior, and then outfitted with a four-seat bicycle pedal and brake system, was confiscated by Toronto police after gallery staff took it for ride on Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
. The driver was ticketed for operating an unsafe vehicle; however, the charges were dismissed after a court appearance. De Broin characterized the dismissal as a victory for “the right to go slow.”. The same artist's car was driven in New York City without controversy.