Eleven in Motion

The animation world tends to be dominated by commercial works.  Even at festivals dedicated to showcasing and promoting the art of animation, experimental animation often takes a back seat to its heavily financed counterpart.

The mandate of The Toronto Animated Image Society is to explore and promote the art of animation and to support animators as artists. ELEVEN IN MOTION: Abstract Expressions In Animation was created with this mandate in mind.  This commissioning project was conceived from a desire to bring the art of abstract animation to a greater level of public recognition, to expose the art of independent Canadian animators to new audiences, to encourage experimentation and artistic diversity within the animation community, and to reconnect the art of animation with the visual arts disciplines of its roots. 

This programme is a personal and original response to the work of the Painters Eleven by talented and accomplished animation artists from across Canada. The animators have themselves researched and chosen from the Painters Eleven an artist with whom they feel a personal connection.  Similar to experimental animation in Canada, which was once a highly regarded mode of expression before commercial animation usurped the stage, the Painters Eleven have largely fallen out of the public spotlight.  In commissioning short animated works that draw from, respond to or are inspired by seminal works created by the Painters Eleven, we hope to have revitalized knowledge of and interest in the Painters Eleven.

Much like the development of the Painters Eleven group, this project brings together a diverse array of accomplished artists, each with their own style and motivations. These artists are united by modern artistic sensibilities and their collective commitment to creating works of art that experiment with the animation medium, pushing the envelope of artistic expression.

ELEVEN IN MOTION: Abstract Expressions In Animation provides an opportunity to renew interest in our collective Canadian history and strengthen the understanding of animation as a viable and relevant form of art by showcasing the work of talented Canadian animation artists.