Twist Gallery is an unique version of an Art gallery, not only do we differentiate ourselves with free admission, but also focuses on aspects of lifestyle through our unique spot on Queen Street West; as our name demonstrates we can Twist into an event space outside of gallery hours. On the evenings and weekends, Twist Gallery is a highly recommended and beautiful venue for weddings, receptions, and company events in an elegant loft style high ceiling and french windows with our signature relaxed and comfortable feel. To understand Twist you need to know our Director and Curator Nadia! Here we will dive into her background and from there you can understand the beginnings and foundations of our Gallery in which we hold so close to our hearts and hope you will too.
Nadia Kakridonis has lived in the West Queen West area her whole life, she has witnessed its development from a part of the city where nobody laid interest in with several abandoned places filled with restaurant equipment shops and an Elvis diner that she would occasionally eat at, to the sparkling and busy cosmopolitan gem it has become today.
After her graduation from Humber College, Nadia went on to pursue advertising and graphic design but there was something missing within her life. Her spark lay within entrepreneurship, which ignited within her from a young age at school selling handmade jewellery, saving up her loose change to work on her next bright idea. Graduating in 2008 in Canada’s recession brings its own kind of challenges that can be related to the mass of unique Canadians, for Nadia it was the difficulty in joining an advertising agency. She then took a plunge and decided that this would be the best chance to start something new and on her own. She thought if it failed then advertising would always be there so why not take the leap of faith and follow her heart!
Nadia gravitated immediately to creating a business where people feel invited and welcomed, where the environment was full of creativity and art and while walking in one would immediately feel lifted with inspiration. Then her vision started to develop, An art gallery during the day and event space at night. A space where no event is the same because the art would change constantly. The issue was what do you call this kind of place where you have a name that can't change. This name is crucial within our journey as it took Nadia three months to finally come up with the name of Twist Gallery.
Nadia would pace and pace around with a notebook in hand trying to find different words that would stand out to her. 11 years ago Queen West wasn't as evolved as it has become today, still Nadia believed it would only get better and brighter. Her Gallery needed to be something edgy, something to be remembered. This gallery needed to not just be an art gallery but something with a Twist to it, this was the name that stuck and resonated with our Director. She fell in love with the name instantly and the leap of faith she chanced, took off instantly. In a blink of an eye the gallery was hosting its first exhibition and the first of many weddings had been booked. Nadia’s vision and hopes came to fruition as she watched the room full of happy people laughing and sharing stories, content as she knew this was her destiny.
Nadia has always said that in life, if you find something that is a struggle in life and it's not fun anymore, it is time to let it go. She is a committed and great director who told herself that she will continue to do this until it doesn't make sense anymore.
At Twist we are committed to what we do and we are confident that you have to love what you do. All of us here at Twist have passion for life and will never settle.
