Pan Am Path Art Relay opens Toronto's first gallery dedicated to Latin American art with thought-provoking exhibition

TORONTO, June 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Toronto's first and only gallery dedicated to Latin American Art opens on June 27 as part of the Pan Am Path Art Relay, with a thought-provoking and timely exhibition "Sportsmanship Under Surveillance."

As the city prepares for the spectacle of the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, concerns are already beginning to arise about the impact of the Games. A lot of the sentiment has been negative: the strain on public transportation, tokenization, invasion of privacy, distorted civil liberties, etc.

"Sportsmanship Under Surveillance," SUR Gallery's inaugural exhibition exposes the impact governments have when using questionable surveillance tactics in the name of national security. Artists Jota Castro (Peru/Belgium) and Minerva Cuevas (Mexico) create alternative modes of identification, while Juan Ortiz-Apuy (Costa Rica/Canada) and Marcos Ramirez ERRE (Mexico) expose relationships between hemispheres in public spaces. Finally, Regina Silveira (Brazil) creates a visual paradox, casting shadows on the site of surveillance. Each artist offers insight on how to adapt, control, rebel and live in an age of overwhelming surveillance. Curated by Tamara Toledo.

WHEN:	Opening Reception Saturday June 27, 2015 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WHERE:	Sur Gallery 100-39 Queen's Quay East, Toronto, ON M5E 0A5 (Located on the first floor on the east wing of Pier 27, East of Yonge Street)

SUR Gallery is a signature project of LACAP, a Toronto-based, not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the implementation of projects, which promote Latin American works in Canada with an emphasis on artistic excellence, critically engaged artistic practices, and hemispheric networks of exchange. It is Toronto's first gallery dedicated to the exhibition and critical engagement of contemporary Latin American art and is a legacy project of the Pan Am Path.

The exhibition will run until August 8, 2015. Gallery Hours are Wednesdays to Fridays 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

BACKGROUND: About The Pan Am Path & Art Relay

The vision of the Pan Am Path is to combine the power of art and sport to create a living path across Toronto. From May 16 to August 15, 2015, the Pan Am Path will come alive with a city-wide Art Relay of installations and events. Each week, the festival travels across Toronto celebrating some of the city's greatest assets: diversity, nature, arts and active outdoor living.

The Pan Am Path was started by a group of Toronto artists and city-builders in collaboration with the City of Toronto. On July 18, 2013, Toronto City Council endorsed the Pan Am Path as a Host City Showcase Program of the Games. The Pan Am Path is an 84-kilometre continuous trail for walking, running, cycling and wheeling that connects the city from east to west. Legacy construction to improve and create new connections along the Pan Am Path will continue through 2017.

The Pan Am Path App is a wayfinding mobile app that matches your geographic location on the Path to music that is rooted within that community via 4 local music-streaming stations. Other Features include: a full map of the path, directions to nearby local businesses and a calendar of Pan Am Path Art Relay programming.

Friends of the Pan Am Path is the main organizer of the Pan Am Path Art Relay, motivated by the chance to celebrate the best of the region: art, nature and diversity -- while also creating a meaningful legacy of the 2015 Games for residents.

The Pan Am Path Art Relay is proudly supported by the City of Toronto, Toronto Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Toronto Star, Toronto Arts Council, Trans Canada Trail, Canadian Heritage, Toronto Pearson, United Way Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Laidlaw Foundation, Lotus Leaf, & Westbury National.

For the full Pan Am Art Relay event calendar map, app and participating organizations, please visit: http://www.panampath.org.

NEXT-UP IN THE RELAY: June 14 - Walking Wave, Sir Casimir Gzowski Park
Join Lakeshore Arts in a parade celebrating music, art and dance.Community-building art including painting, printmaking and puppetry along the waterfront. Collaborators include the Humber College Puppetry program, SEYA Street Choir, Mural Routes, Ballet Creole and more! Wear shades of blue, white and green to create a human wave. Parade starts at 2:00 p.m.

The event is led by Lakeshore Arts, a not-for-profit, local arts service organization based in south Etobicoke. It has a 22-year track record of transforming neighbourhoods through the power of art, arts education, community engagement and local partnerships.

SOURCE Friends of the Pan Am Path

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Chrysanthou, [phone], [email protected]; Julia Che, [phone], [email protected]