C Magazine’s 16th Annual Contemporary Art Auction
Supporting our community has been an important part of Waddington’s business philosophy for almost 60 years. It is with this legacy that Waddington’s is pleased to sponsor C Magazine’s 16th Annual Contemporary Art Auction. A leading Canadian publication on contemporary art and culture, C Magazine covers Canadian and international art and explores significant trends and emerging perspectives.
This year marks the 16th annual C Magazine Contemporary Art Auction, which celebrates contemporary art and supports compelling content and imaginative art criticism in Canada. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, not-for-profits like C Magazine have had to work quickly to adapt their programming and in-person experiences to the virtual realm. For the first time in its history, the C Magazine Contemporary Art Auction will be hosted online on Waddington’s auction platform.
In a time of social distancing and economic and social crisis, art has a way of bridging the global divide. More than ever, the arts offer a collective voice which helps us to understand the crowded and challenging world that surrounds us. C Magazine continues to play an essential role in connecting the wider community with artists at all stages of their careers.
The following is a small sampling of the talented artists whose work is featured in this year’s auction:
Caroline “Coco” Monnet, an Algonquin-French multidisciplinary artist whose work resides in several prestigious collections, including that of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Monnet’s ‘Fragment’ portrait, lot 6 in the auction, is a powerful visual and a reflection of the artist’s personal response to her own heritage. The geometric shapes on the mask of her sitter represent the patterned seigneurial system of land distribution enforced by European settlers.
Hailing from Toronto, photo and video-based artist Geoffrey Pugen offers a surreal image depicting a post-apocalyptic scene where signs of non-human life are starting to flourish. Lot 47, “Balboa Penninsula,” is perhaps more current and relatable than ever as we all start to imagine what our own precarious futures may entail in a post-pandemic world.
The auction also features work by early-career artists including a photographic project by Embassy of Imagination (EOI) created by Kinngait, Nunavut youth artists and PA System (Alexa Hatanaka and Patrick Thompson). Lot 41 depicts the puppet ‘Miali’, who was created as part of EOI’s procession performance Sinaaqpagiaqtuut/The Long-Cut and commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art and The Bentway. The artist sales percentage for this important work will go back into programming in Kinngait.
Find Out More
To see the entire collection of works, we invite you to visit the virtual gallery to preview art that has been generously donated by over 70 artists.
Please register to bid at onlineauctions.waddingtons.ca. In advance of bidding, please be sure to read the specific Terms and Conditions associated with this benefit auction.
C Magazine and Waddington’s understand that during these difficult times, not everyone is in a position to offer financial support and donate to various fundraising efforts. Another way to offer support is to share this messaging with your networks to help raise awareness about C Magazine and their programming initiatives.
Bidding for the 16th annual C Magazine Contemporary Art Auction opens June 3 at 6 pm and closes the evening of June 16 at 8 pm EST.