Landmark Public Art
"Culture is an important and fun part of life. It makes people think
broader, and we think everyone should be exposed to it."
The condominium tower features a unique aluminum installation mounted directly above Fleur’s front entrance.
Digital wave
2021 | 60 Shuter StreetTogether with local artist Matt Donovan, in May 2021 Menkes unveiled a striking new art installation for Fleur Residences in the Garden District. The condominium tower features a unique aluminum installation mounted directly above the Fleur’s front entrance. The piece is 8 feet wide and 25 feet tall, consists of a wave pattern which inspired its name Digital Wave, and features a gold anodized aluminum which mimicked architectural details from the 50s and 60s era.
Metropolis in Motion.
2020 | Along Highway 7 in South VaughanMetropolitan Centre
In 2020, partnering with The City of Vaughan, Menkes revealed Vaughan’s first official temporary public art project titled “Metropolis in Motion.” 63 feet wide and 10 feet tall, panoramic, public art installation by local artist Frank Mazzuca was to serve as the gateway to Menkes and QuadReal’s new community downtown, South VMC. Two entirely different images animate it; illuminated at night, the west face features the phrase, Design is People. by famed urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs.
Two entirely different images animate it; illuminated at night, the west face features the phrase, Design is People. by famed urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs.
According to Mori, the piece represents the energy flow of life and endless renewal of invisible energy.
Infinite
Energy II.
2018 | One York Street
In 2018, Menkes introduced Infinite Energy II by world-renowned Japanese artist Mariko Mori. It was Mori’s official debut of the exclusive piece in Canada. Constructed of fibreglass, foam, acrylic mirror, aluminum, and cable with an LED light control system, the forty-foot high floor-to-ceiling spirals give guests the illusion of a never-ending work of art. According to Mori, the piece represents the energy flow of life and endless renewal of invisible energy.
Revolve wraps around existing structural columns, guiding vehicles with its curved forms and enveloping residents waiting within.
Revolve
2017 | 90 Harbour StreetIn collaboration with Picco Engineering, designer Johnson Chou created a sculptural work of art that incorporated limestone from the site’s original building, back when it was the Workmen’s Compensation Board, paying tribute to the original design by architect George N. Williams which merged Art Deco, Art Moderne and Stripped Classical. Revolve wraps around existing structural columns, guiding vehicles with its curved forms and enveloping residents waiting within.
Banksy’s Guard with Balloon Dog.
2017 | One York StreetIn 2017, Menkes unveiled a concrete slab featuring a famous stencil painting “Guard with Balloon Dog’ by the illustrious, anonymous British street artist known as Banksy. It was originally applied to the rear façade of a vacant building situated at 90 Harbour Street. After purchasing the property for redevelopment in 2011, Menkes wanted to give the piece new life, so they had the slabs removed and professionally restored; it is now encased in a freestanding glass-paneled box on the PATH level of One York Street.
Menkes wanted to give the piece new life, so they had the slabs removed and professionally restored; it is now encased in a freestanding glass-paneled box on the PATH level of One York Street.
The piece makes the main entrance look both elegant and sophisticated, while its rhythmic lighting extends the artwork across the site and engages with the public.
Luxe.
2013 | 5791 & 5793 Yonge StreetIn 2013, Menkes enlisted artist Linda Covit for Luxe Condominiums. Her multi-component artwork consists of large stainless steel backlit cut-outs of indigenous plants and flowers adorning the condominium’s canopy and planters, integrating into the landscape design and building façade. The piece makes the main entrance look both elegant and sophisticated, while its rhythmic lighting extends the artwork across the site and engages with the public.
Pixel Cube.
2010 | 25 York StreetAccompanying the panorama in the lobby of 25 York Street, is a delicately suspended art project titled Pixel Cube, a three-dimensional cube made up of 30,000 individually controllable LED lights on strings, with constantly changing lighting effects. The Cube project is a collaboration with Michael Awad and multimedia artist David Rokeby. The combined pixels form a surface that is three dimensional and can update at full video speeds, presenting both abstract and real-world imagery on and inside the cube.
The combined pixels form a surface that is three dimensional and can update at full video speeds, presenting both abstract and real-world imagery on and inside the cube.
The portrait stretches 100 feet long, showing a warped panorama of hectic commuters moving in all directions outside of Union Station.
Entire
City Project.
2010 | 25 York Street
Entire City Project is a panorama by renowned artist and architect Michael Awad. Commissioned for the lobby of 25 York Street (aka Telus Harbour), the project “records the physical infrastructure of Toronto and urban experience of living in it.” It consists of life-sized commuters, which reflect its location beside Scotiabank Arena and directly linking into Union Station. The portrait stretches 100 feet long, showing a warped panorama of hectic commuters moving in all directions outside of Union Station.