About - RICHARD MONGIAT

CURRICULUM VITAE Richard Mongiat 155 Franklin Ave. Toronto, M6P 3Y9, richardmongiat@gmail.com
Projects
Producer/Director - Collective City 2012-present Richard Mongiat (with David Sylvestre) is producing and directing a series of digital documentary film series titled Collective City. This series of documentaries is charting the history of Toronto artist collectives, initiatives, exhibitions and galleries from 1988-present.15 films have been completed so far. Collective City also hosts a database of (at present) 73 artist collectives. New films and collectives are being added to our data base all of the time. You can find the films and view the database on our website https://www.collectivecity.ca/
Curator - Doris McCarthy Gallery Feburary, 2012 University of Toronto Scarborough 1265 Military Trail Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Richard Mongiat was invited by The Doris McCarthy Gallery to curate The "C" Word - a look at the role of craft in contemporary art – an exhibition of 18 artists working in painting, print, sculpture and installation. Mongiat also produced an accompanying video for the exhibition with interviews of each of the artists discussing the role that "craft" play in their practices. In addition, Mongiat designed the catalogue for the exhibition, provided an essay and commissioned two additional essays from the artist Shelley Adler and the writer Richard Rhodes.
Rail of Light - Nuit Blanche Independent Project 2010 Wallace Ave. Pedestrian Bridge, Toronto, On. Richard Mongiat worked with a local community group and local artists to create 4 large chandeliers on the pedestrian foot bridge in his west Toronto neighbourhood. Using only Christmas lights, the project was a protest to support the conversion of diesel train traffic to electrification in his Junction Triangle neighbourhood.
The Underpass Project - Parts 1 & 2. 2008-2009 Culture Works, Bloor St. & Lansdowne Ave. Toronto, On.
Richard Mongiat painted two 400ft. murals on the north and south sides of the underpass along Bloor St. West (just west of Lansdowne Ave.). These murals were an experiment in encompassing the entire architectural space of the underpass with a special sensitivity to its surfaces to create an area of visually quiet contemplation, using only black and white, on a noisy thoroughfare.
See My Friends Book project 2010-2011 Richard Mongiat created a series of 20 full body portraits of the fellow artists (painters, writers, theatre designers, curators) working around him. These almost life size portraits were done in charcoal on brown craft paper. In an essay accompanying the drawings Mongiat discusses the idea of how we see – or don’t see - ourselves and the people around us.
Loop Gallery 2000 1273 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1X8 Richard Mongiat founded artist collective gallery Loop in 2000 (with Catherine Beaudette). Loop became a mainstay of the Toronto gallery scene during it's close to 20 year exsistence.
Artist/Curator FromAPit Artist's Collective 1994-1997 Founded the artists collective FromAPit (with David Sylvestre and Krys Verral) which corralled 17 painters for it's inaugural exhibition “True to Form” at the Dufferin Mall (Toronto) in 1995. Transforming a four thousand square foot vacated Imperial Bank of Commerce into a professional gallery "True to Form" had over 3000 visitors view the exhibition. In 1997 Mongiat co-curated “Pop-eye” (9 Painters and a Magazine) at College Park (Toronto). This consisted of an exhibition of paintings (by the 9 invited artists) and a magazine (put together and printed by us). Each artist contributed to this magazine, using any means desired, to describe their creative processes.
Artist Exhibitions (selected)
Unbecoming, Yorkminster Park Gallery, Toronto, On, 2023
After All This Time, Dupont Rail, Toronto On, 2021
Art Gallery of Mississauga, Inaugural Juried group show, Mississauga, On. 2021
Under The Radar, group show curated by Shari Orenstein, Dupont Rail, Toronto, On. 2020
Memories Architect, b contemporary gallery, Hamilton On. 2016 Sweet Sixteen, Loop Gallery 16th Anniversary Group Exhibition, Toronto, On. 2016 Drawing 2015: 16th Annual Juried Exhibition Aird Gallery, Toronto, On. 2015
60 Painters, A Survey of Toronto Painting, Humber College Arts & Media Studios, Toronto, On. 2011.
Local Call, Group Exhibition, Telephone Booth Gallery, Toronto, On. 2011
How Things Work Underwater, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2009
Weeds & Wildflowers, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2007 Field Studies, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2006
Richard Mongiat/New Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2005
Giddy, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2003 Open Sea, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2001
Lips and Ass, Recent Paintings, Hamilton Artists Inc. Hamilton, On. 2000
The Trash Bin of History, Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto, On. 2000
Richard Mongiat/Charles Taylor, Recent Works, Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton, On.
1998 Determining Silence, Dead Industry Collective, 19 Charlotte St. & The Tree House Gallery, Toronto, On. 1997
Entre Chein Et Loup, Paintings, Annex Art Centre, Toronto, On. 1994
On The Level, Works on Paper, Annex Art Gallery, Toronto, On. 1991
Street Talk, An Exhibition of Street Posters, A Space, Toronto, On. 1989
The Assembly Line, Assemblages, The Art Gallery of Northumberland, Coburg, On. 1989
Richard Mongiat, Recent Work, Brampton Public Library and Art Gallery 1988
Recent Work, The Art Gallery of Northumberland, Coburg, On. 1987
Richard Mongiat/Recent Work, Rodman Hall for the Arts, St. Catherines, On. 1987
Richard Mongiat, Recent Work, Nancy Poole's Studio, Toronto, On. 1986
Graphic Drawing and Print Show, Art Gallery of Brantford (National Touring Exhibition) 1984 -1987
Bibliography(selected)
Matt Galloway, Metro Morning, CBC Radio, Collective City interview Dec. 10, 2014
Miriam Nadar, The “C” Word: Readymades Need Not Apply, March 8, 2012, (See more at: Canadian Art online).
Doris McCarthy Gallery, The “C” Word Exhibition Catalogue, 2012
Scott Sawtell, 60 Painters, Exhibition Catalogue, 2012
Richard Mongiat, See My Friends (a book of drawings), Blurb Books, 2012
The Underpass Project, Bloor Magazine, Issue #1, 2010
Gary Michael Dault, Gallery Going, The Globe and Mail, January 2008
Sherry Smithers, Artist profile – Centre of the City Magazine, Sept./Oct. issue, 2008
Leah Sandels, At the Galleries – Why Lansdowne is on the Up and Up, The National Post, June 2008
Jennifer Febbraro, The Absrtact Form, Corriere Canadese, Feburary 2004
Best Bets, Now magazine, March 2001 Michael Rappaport, Bringing Art to the People, The Varsity,November 1997
John Bentley Mays, Two Shows that Show the Unshowable, The Globe and Mail, September 1995
Virginia MacDonnell, Taking the Institution out of Art, Art Focus, Winter Issue 1995
Donald O'Connor, Mongiat's work examines the fears and frailties behind composed adult facades, The Stratford Beacon
Hearld, March 1993 Christopher Hume, Impressive Artist finds his sea legs with boat paintings and witty text, The Toronto Star, August 1991
Kate Taylor, Art About, The Globe and Mail, August 1991
Donald Brackett, Dwelling, Ontario Craft, Spring Issue 1991
Christopher Hume, Impressive Artist finds his sea legs with boat paintings and witty text, The Toronto Star, August 1991
Diedre Hanna, Best Bets, Now Magazine, August 1991
Christopher Hume, Artist's without galleries throw Round Up blow out, The Toronto Star, September 1990
Robert Muller, Mongiat adds humor to "profound" work, The Brampton Times, 1988
Jules Xavier, Artist's realism is quite different, Guardian, Feburary 1988
Jules Xavier, For the love of Art, Guardian, Feburary 1988
Christopher Creighton, Humor, energy evident in Mongiat's work, Cobourg Daily Star, September 1987
Grants & Awards
2014 Toronto Arts Council – Media Arts Grant
1997 Ontario Arts Council – Special Projects grant
1995 Metropolitan Toronto – Cultural Presentation grant 1993 Ontario Arts Council – Exhibition Assistance grant
Website: https://www.richardmongiat.com/ Instagram : @richardmongiat