When Montreal said “we want Miles,” they got Miles. The We Want Miles exhibit about the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis made its first North American stop at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts recently, after a successful run in Europe.

The CONTACT Festival kicks off this week in Toronto with contributions from renowned celebrity photographer and video director David LaChapelle, Vancouver author Douglas Coupland, and revolutionary advertising satirist Barbara Kruger.

Caitlin Cronenberg brings us her first book, a self-published collection of nude photographs called POSER. "The word 'poser' is a negative word used to describe people who are pretending to be somebody they aren’t to fit in or gain popularity," Cronenberg says of the title.

Space travel might not be the hot topic it once was, but a new exhibit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal is trying to change that. Featuring the work of three distinguished architects, the show dares us to imagine life at the very extremes.

These pictures show off some of Toronto's graffiti and street art in all its vibrance, including three works from UB5000, whose optimistic "YRUSO AWESOME?!" is above. With 10 bold and colourful images in total, we dare you not to be inspired.

Spray cans are fickle lovers for graffiti artists. The depth of understanding it takes to use a spray can baffle an outsider or a newcomer, but like any lover, there’s a romance that comes with learning the quirks and character. (Graffiti by Oskar pictured above.)

Art That Creeps provides a jarring but strangely engrossing look into the gothic and macabre in contemporary art. This assorted gallery features nine different artists who are included in the book.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition is North America’s largest annual juried outdoor art fair. In 2009 the judges chose wisely for the Best in Show prize: David Hind captured the award, along with an honourable mention in the painting category, for his panoramic picture Ascending the Ours River.

Dave Hind "uses radical combinative imagery and themes, and he often features costumes, a crushing crowd, political critique and portrayals of the artist and his alter ego," writes Flavio Belli, who met with Hind, recent winner of Best in Show at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Hind -- artist, musician and metalworker of functional objects -- often works with reclaimed materials as you'll see in this gallery of his work.

Every summmer, artists flock to Nathan Phillips Square near City Hall in Toronto to showcase their work in North America's largest outdoor art exhibition.