(sorry for the low res phone photos, I didn’t bring my proper camera to the opening)
Recently I was photographed for a gallery project about my neighborhood by 6ix Clicks Collective! The show was called “Focus on Gerrard” and features photos and interviews with people local to the Gerrard St. in Toronto. Gerrard has been home to the Indian Bazaar/Little India for over 50 years and some members of the community have been living and working in this area during that entire time. This part of the city is changing so quickly, in the 6 or so years I’ve lived in this neighborhood I’ve seen the area transform almost overnight.
New art galleries have popped up and shops, cafes, and creative spaces, it’s amazing to see a community blossom and change. Though I know gentrification does have it’s negative effects, small businesses and local communities feel the pressure of increased rent and changes to what they have known for so long. Some of the businesses photographed in the project had even closed before it’s launch, for example.
This week I went to the opening of the show and it was amazing to see my neighbors and all the familiar faces displayed there! The stories vary so widely and it’s really incredible to read them, if you’re in that area please go see the show at the Riverdale Hub’s gorgeous new gallery space.
This project provides a fascinating glimpse into a community changing rapidly, capturing the moment before gentrification either transforms us into another intersection of ugly condo buildings and boring Starbucks- or hopefully before Gerrard become a secure artistic and multicultural hub, buoyed by it’s amazing people and community.
Thank you to 6ix Clicks for including me in this show!
-Taeden
Gloomth & the Cult of Melancholy 