100 copper paintings

100 Copper Paintings was exhibited as part of the Exhibition "Meeting Place - Angela Nardiello Solo Show" which opened on February 3, 2004 at The Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Canada.

I was living in Scarborough and studying at the U of Toronto, a slightly dismal campus almost completely constructed of concrete buildings. Most of which were built during the 1960s and resembled bomb shelters or prisons more than university classrooms.

I remember hours of lectures in rooms with four concrete walls and no windows, the only decoration was the holes made in the walls where two slabs of concrete were connected. In my final year of school, some go-getter from my generation of students started a campaign to build new modern buildings, including a student centre (which the campus had never had).

It was decided that a new levy would be added to our student fees, and to all other generations of students after us to pay for the new buildings. When I created this piece it was in my “exit” year of Universtiy. “Exit” only because it was the last year I had classes full-time. In order to pay for and finish my degree I actually had to work full time after that and take two night classes a week for two years to graduate.

I can't remember now if it was out of jealousy or hate that I started thinking and working about this piece, but basically it derived out of a satirical need to "beautify" the Scarborough Campus.


I painted little intervention paintings in the holes of the concrete walls, on the stairs I passed from class to class and in the cracks of the walls. It was decoration for the students who were currently paying fees for buildings they would not be around to enjoy.

When I was asked to exhibit, I reprinted the photographs of the paintings I had made and created a keychain out of each one. During the exhibit guests were incivited to take a keychain home with them and keep it until the new buildings were build. A daily reminder of the fees they paid.