TORONTO.- The AGO’s Toronto Now series continues with the installation of 11:11, a collaborative work featuring Toronto-based artists Sebastian Butt, Janis Demkiw, Olia Mishchenko, Sandy Plotnikoff and Christine Swintak. 11:11 is on view to July 25, in the Young Gallery, a free, street-level space adjacent to Frank restaurant, facing Dundas Street.

“The AGO is excited to continue its commitment of showcasing local artists through Toronto Now,” says Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO’s director and CEO. “Providing a platform for Toronto-based artists to connect with the community is what the Young Gallery was designed for, and is the essence of what this series is all about.”

Comprising large-scale drawings of what appears to be a manufacturing plant, combined with three-dimensional interpretations of parts of the same structure; 11:11 proposes a balance between its two- and three-dimensional elements, while projecting an uncanny, asymmetrical effect.

“Though their approach to making art varies, this diverse group of artists share an energy and a connection to the community that ensures a vibrant collaboration for the second showing of Toronto Now,” says Michelle Jacques, the AGO’s associate curator of contemporary art. “11:11 allows patrons to experience the interplay between the drawings, sculpture, installations and prints that the various artists contribute.”

11:11 explores a set of ideas and images from different viewpoints and in different media. A multi-disciplinary artist but primarily a sculptor, Butt is interested in building things with operating components and visible processes. Demkiw uses found objects and materials to stage spatial disruptions, absurd shifts in scale, and strategic approaches to display. Mishchenko is best known for drawings that explore intuitive ways of constructing and building the world. Plotnikoff produces varied works with foil printing, clothing fasteners, text, photography and multiples. Swintak’s interdisciplinary projects incorporate installation, intervention and performance, and often involve other people and repurposed structures.

Following 11:11, The Toronto Now series will feature the work of Toronto artist Allyson Mitchell, whose recent work has been focused on large-scale sculptural figures that merge feminist elements with neocraft and fun fur. Her installation will open July 31, 2010.

Toronto Now is a rotating series, featuring a different local artist every two months. The exhibition gives Torontonians the opportunity to view the wealth of artistic talent in their city.