celebrating Toronto posters
Despite the pandemic, Toronto experienced a boom year for tourism in 2019 as 28 million visitors made their way to North America’s fourth largest city. Visitors spend a lot of time walking the hippest neighbourhoods and seeing what the city has to offer. As such, they’re a perfect audience for guerilla advertising campaigns like Wildposting(r). The city is also hugely diverse and cosmopolitan, meaning marketers have the option to target specific segments of the population or go broad and reach everyone at once.
Posters that survive in good condition are rare. Exposed to the elements and pasted on walls and doors, posters are often ripped off or discarded when they are no longer relevant. But posters that have been preserved for posterity are an important source of local history. They can provide clues about a city’s changing cultural and social landscape as well as its sense of identity.
While many toronto posters have been saved in archives, a significant number have been lost or destroyed. But a small number of posters are still in excellent condition and have been preserved for their historic value, such as the collection of Vazaleen posters at Fisher.
Are there any upcoming events celebrating Toronto posters?
The Vazaleen posters are a striking addition to the gallery’s exhibition Any Night of the Week: A DIY History of Toronto Music, 1957–2001. The psychedelic, rainbow-coloured posters were created by Vazaleen’s founder, Michael Comeau, to promote his monthly queer dance party that ran from 1999 to 2006.
Vazaleen’s posters are a testament to the diversity and energy of the queer community in Toronto at the time, as they featured a variety of images and text in both English and French. The psychedelic design was meant to be visually stimulating for audiences, reflecting the energy and vibrancy of the Vazaleen dances themselves.
Another important aspect of the Vazaleen posters is that they were printed on a slick, glossy paper that was intended to make the dancers stand out from the background. This contrasted with the rough, unfinished surface of traditional billboards.
The posters are now part of the gallery’s permanent collection and will be on display until May 2024, when they will return to their home at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. The exhibition features a selection of the original posters along with photos and ephemera from the event’s archive. The poster exhibition is free to the public and will be open to all ages.
Moreover, Toronto posters serve as conversation starters, sparking discussions about favorite Toronto landmarks, memorable experiences, and shared moments. Whether displayed in homes, offices, or public spaces, they have a way of bringing people together, forging connections, and fostering a sense of community.