Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lukus Toane. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lukus thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In my career I have been fortunate to have been able to produce really interesting arts and culture programming within unique unconventional spaces (not your standard gallery space).

One of the notable projects was called “A Streetcar Named Toronto” in partnership with CityFund Foundation and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). This project aligned in conjunction with the decommission of Toronto’s iconic CLRV streetcars.

With the city’s collaboration, we turned one of the last old streetcars into a fully functional moving exhibition, where commuters were immersed in artwork by Nicole Beno, Jacquie Comrie, Ryan Van Der Hout, Suanne McGregor and Chris Perez.

I loved this project because it complimented a really pivotal time in Toronto’s infrastructural history with a contemporary art experience that was accessible to the public.

Witnessing the public’s reaction to A Streetcar NAmed Toronto was really special and I think there is a real hunger for more projects like this. That’s why organizations like The Bentway and MassivArt are doing such excellent work in bringing creative place-making to shared public spaces.

Lukus, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lukus Toane and I have worked in Curation & Creative Project Direction In Toronto for the last decade; I am also an artist.

I have had the privilege of being involved in some real cultural institutions in Toronto.

Notably, I had 5 years at the Historic Gladstone Boutique Art Hotel in Queen West, under the creative vision of Christina Zeidler. Being the oldest continuously running hotel in Toronto (equipped with manually operated elevator), this provided a really unique platform to stage the plethora of arts and cultural programing within a multi-purpose historical building.

As Director of Exhibitions, I oversaw over the 4 floors of gallery space where we curated annual group exhibitions under various themes in conjunction with city wide events like Contact Photography Festival in May, DesignTO during January Design Week and Pride Exhibitions during June.

The gallery spaces were also rented out to independent artists and collectives and some of the hotel rooms had been converted studios flex spaces. The effect was that there was always something going on and creativity was perpetually in the air.

Often these group art / design shows were immersive, transforming the old hotel rooms and corridors into striking installation artworks. One can imagine this type of activation within the Richardsonian Romanesque architecture of the building (designed by George Miller) was a sight to see.

A compliment to the arts programming on the upper floors was the robust cultural programming of the hotel’s two event venues the Melody Bar and Ballroom. It’s hard to encapsulate the sheer scope of events that used to take place an any given day; simultaneously there could be multiple art openings, wedding reception and queer dance party and live-band karaoke taking place all at the same time. The result of this made for a lot of different audiences intermingling under one roof which was the true magic of the old Gladstone.

As a creative hub and home away from home for many people I really look back at this time period (and working with literal thousands of creatives over 70+ annual events) as a catalyst that informed my career’s trajectory and the projects and freelance work that followed.

Most recently I have been on the team at the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto which takes place in January and IDS Vancouver in September as Sections Curator and Account Manager.

At both shows I am responsible for curating the annual sections within the greater design fair including Studio North, a section for independent design brands showcasing new product collections; The District Design Market, where brands sell their local products for the home; and Prototype, a juried group exhibition showcasing one of kind design objects. I am also responsible for programming IDS Toronto / Vancouver’s Opening Night Gala which is always an amazing night.

My time at IDS has been really rewarding as having emerging brands included in the broader design conversations that take place at the show makes for a really enriching experience for our attending public and industry guests to connect directly with the designers wand that is special.

I have found relative to a lot of the work I have had the fortune of being involved in, the one thing that encompasses all the events is a desire to come together in common interest, whether it is celebrating Design Week at Canada’s Largest Design Show, or attending a raucous Art/Design Party in a small historical hotel on the west end.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Aside from my IRL work, I have pretty exclusively utilized Instagram to supplement my Artist-Curator side over the years with some success. Compared to some accounts my following is relatively modest (if that sort of thing matters to you) but have had pretty natural growth because my content is fairly focused toward the art world.

Partly used as a tool for research and to connect with artists and designers (great for informal intro’s; some of which have lead to collaborations and acquisitions) I have also employed IG as a sort of Artist-Rolodex, where I repost creatives who inspire me.

What has become a pretty prolific digital gallery on the platform has been really fun and over the year’s I am chuffed to have made a unique art resource via my account (@lukuscrazed) to so many known and lesser-known contemporary creatives from all over the world.

As social media can be vacuous at best these days, my advice is to use these platforms with intention. Like any tool, what is your goal of using it if any? Are you making a digital YOU (such as the popular lifestyle accounts) or are you making a digital SPACE (Enter an aesthetic environment)? If social media is a tapestry of your making then what is the story (is there one?); I think generally people want to be invited into a narrative they can go along with.

Perhaps that is too romantic a notion for this platform but I reckon it’s what you make of it.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One book which I have returned to many times is “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger from 1972 which was also adapted into a television series. It provides a very digestible consideration of visual cultural as informed by art history and how it relates to how we are presented visual images and communications in the contemporary consumer world.

I like this book because it reminds me to consider that just because something is presented with one intention it might not be received in the same light as intended.

In the context of an event (and all the logistics that go behind the it’s planning) that all elements of the event experience has been considered through the eyes of the guest.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukuscrazed/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukus-toane-507b39108/

Image Credits

@arashmoallemi

@chet4days

@ourstreetcar

@natalie_logan_lux

@richere.photo

@tdot_mike