Imaginarium – a place devoted to the imagination – Collaborative painting Residency & Exhibition with Amber Santos, Sergio Santos, Chelsey Freyta, Coleman Webb, Bryn Stevenson, and Tanya Pixie Johnson.
Exhibition dates: September 27 – October 11
Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday from 1-5pm
Opening: Friday September 26 from 7-9pm (Culture Days event)
Artist talk: Saturday September 27 at 4pm (Culture Days event)
Imaginarium – a place devoted to the imagination, an exhibition by six emerging Kootenay artists, opens at Oxygen Art Centre this Friday at 7pm. Painted panels from the gallery wall composition and limited edition prints will be available to purchase during a silent auction fundraiser beginning opening night. Money raised through the auction will go towards the production of a catalogue of the project, to be treasured long after the gallery walls have been painted over! (Click here for more info on the catalogue fundraiser.)
Kootenay artists Amber Santos, Sergio Santos, Chelsey Freyta, Coleman Webb, Bryn Stevenson, and Tanya Pixie Johnson have spent the last month collaboratively painting the walls of the Oxygen Art Centre. Imaginarium begins in the gallery but moves the conversation to the street as sections of the exhibit are posted outside and then brought back into the gallery again in the form of photographs in situ.
Amber and Sergio Santos, who initiated the project, both have experience creating murals and other street art in Canada and in Brazil, where Sergio successfully worked with local government to get street art recognized as a legitimate art form. As in street art, the pair wanted to work collaboratively with other artists to inspire and support each other in the creative process. It results in art that is more eclectic and diverse than any one artist could make on their own, and a rich experience for the viewer.
“This exciting project is not just a creative collaboration between these artists. It also marks a unique collaboration between Oxygen Art Centre and the local business community,” says Miriam Needoba, Director of Oxygen Art Centre. Cowan’s Office Supply and Dulux Paint both made generous contributions, and Kokanee Camera made the beautiful fine art prints on show, as well as photographing the work with the artists. Business for the Arts sponsor Can-Filters developed an air filtration system for the space. “We were concerned about the air quality with six artists painting in the space, especially with the use of spray paints” says Needoba, “so Can-Filters made us a unit that filters out the paint fumes from the air while the artists work.” The exciting project also received support from Osprey Community Foundation – BC Legacy Fund, Columbia Kootenay Alliance, Columbia Basin Trust and British Columbia Arts Council.
Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 1-5pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome!
