Imaginarium - a place devoted to the imagination at Oxygen Art Centre
By Contributor
Imaginarium – a place devoted to the imagination, an exhibition by six emerging Kootenay artists, opens at Oxygen Art Centre Friday (September 26) at 7 p.m.
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!
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. “When artists open their process up to collaboration, infinite possibilities arise,” says Amber Santos.
The exhibtion opens from 7-9 p.m. on Friday September 26th and the artists will give a talk on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 1-5 p.m.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome! More info at Oxygen website.
