The Space Blanket Society is a youth artist collective that formed in 2020, facilitating various market events for youth artists at the start of the COVID19 pandemic. Although this was a way to provide opportunities for youth artists to sell their work, this put an unwarranted emphasis on the profitability of artwork. The Space Blanket Society is for and by emerging youth artists who need not be stunted by the pressure to create work for the sole purpose of its marketability. In response to the various markets we’ve done over the last 2 years, we introduce the UNMARKET.
The Space Blanket Society sought to find “unmarketable” work, the stuff that usually languishes in the corner of a studio table or only ever exists in the mind's eye of the artist. Work that is too big, too small, too much, too little: what would someone do with it? Why would someone make it? Art for the sake of creation, experimentation, and failure. UNMARKET brings together 8 artists and 2 group collectives to explore what happens when artists are given permission to create for the sake of creation.
Exhibiting Artists:
AJ Twinn:
AJ Twinn is an interdisciplinary artist currently residing on Lekwungen territory, widely known as Victoria, B.C. AJ currently focuses mostly on painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and video art. Common themes throughout AJ’s work include unconventional beauty, queer identity, and depictions of mental health struggles. Their work often incorporates 3D aspects into their more traditionally 2D work using embroidery and found objects. AJ currently works as a studio assistant for a local artist and is attending Camosun College with a plan to graduate with a diploma in Visual Arts in Spring 2023.
Andy Poystila:
Andy Poystila (@Percifax) is a trans artist, born and raised on Salt Spring Island. He graduated from GISS in 2021 with full marks on his AP Art portfolio and a place in the local art show. Currently, he lives in Vancouver, and will be attending Capilano University this September, as he is enrolled in the IDEA program there. Andy is interested in digital illustration, traditional painting, and conceptual design, and is currently exploring digital art and oil painting. His art leans into the emotional concepts, vibrations, and aesthetics that he finds in the world around him, preferring unconventional and mold-breaking subjects. He is most influenced by Zdzis∤law Beksiński, Caravaggio, and H.R. Giger. You can find his works at any social media site under the alias Percifax.
Dead Dog Collective:
Dead Dog Collective strives to create work that celebrates collaboration, intimacy, disability and queer themes through the utilization of chaos. We embrace the playful, tedious, and experimental nature of art and artistic mediums through intuitive works involving poetry, found objects, photography, multimedia collage, tattoo and fibre arts. We explore interconnected minds and parallel thinking through collaborative play and creation, and extend our findings to the community around us. Founded by Bjorn Cross and Westfall in 2022 along with members Acadia Miles Judas birch and Emma Jory, dead dog is invading the local community with confidence, confusion, and courage.
El Macintyre:
el macintyre is a queer, genderfluid, autistic, disabled person who identifies as trans and polyamorous. Their work is heavily influenced by these identities, how they interact with one another, and how they influence el’s life. Common themes in their work include identity, sex, sexuality, mental health, personal relationships, disability, queerness, and experimentation. el is currently enrolled at UVIC in the department of Art History and Visual Studies, and plans to slowly make their way to a degree. Mediums they currently enjoying working with or are excited to learn in the future include collage, painting, drawing, photography, digital art, and ceramics.
Hanlon Fauteux:
Hanlon Fauteux uses many different mediums but usually spray paint, acrylic paint, and markers. He mostly makes abstract art and is inspired by things in nature, like mountains. He usually focuses on one medium at once, but sometimes won't paint for a while and only uses markers. Sometimes it's the opposite and he uses a bunch of different mediums and combines them into one painting. Fanteaux moved from Toronto to Victoria two years ago and it's better here.
Ivy St. Bright and Lauren Effler:
Lauren Effler and Ivy St. Bright are two textile artists. Their mutual love for sewing and textiles drew them together to create this quilt.
Rachel Marie:
Rachel Marie is a 23 year old Victoria artist, pursuing her passion of art making and letting the world become captivated by her unique aesthetic and intuitive expressions. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Art and has found oil paintings with mixed media elements to be her favourite medium. She has lived on the lush and lively Vancouver Island all her life, which has surely aided her inspiration.
Quaju Peg:
In every epoch of history, Jah Rastafari selects the most capable minds to heed his summons. Some of these may be warriors, some may be scholars, and some may make several hour Youtube rants about how the mystic city of Neo-Zion lies hidden under Antarctica. Quaju Peg is all three of these, and several things beyond. They will bring the feast of lambs to your ears and your minds! They are: Frump DuLump (Intergalactic Telemarketer), Muskrat Richardson (Melodic Herbalist), Pooky Bear (Schlonker and Pawnbroker), Dharma McMillion (Ionic Entrepreneur), and Drat. Stay righteous til the horizon eats the moon!
V Spagnola:
V Spagnola is a youth artist who works with a variety of media.
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The fifty fifty arts collective is comprised of individuals living and working on unceded and occupied First Nations Territories, specifically the lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, as well as the W̱SÁNEĆ, Sc'ianew and T'Souke First Nations. The programming space itself is situated on Songhees and Esquimalt Territory but engages with individuals and communities across Turtle Island.
As a collective we endeavour to deepen our own understandings of how we are implicated in the history and in the present ongoing project of settler colonialism. As members of the fifty fifty arts collective we continually responsibilize ourselves to the complex kind of space that is the fifty fifty which hosts and facilitates the dissemination of the ideas and work of others.
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Accessibility Information:
The entrance to the fifty fifty arts collective is wheelchair accessible, however, the door is not automatic and we have no washrooms on site. A more comprehensive statement regarding our accessibility is in progress, specific questions or requests regarding accessibility can be sent to [email protected]
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Funded by CRD Feed the Arts and the BC Arts CouncilT
For physical events that happen at a specific time. For example a concert, or dance performance. If there are multiple shows, you can still duplicate your event to cover them all.
In-Person Event
Thu. August 11th 2022 - Fri. September 2nd 2022 + Add to Calendar
the fifty fifty arts collective
visit thefiftyfifty.net for current hours
Free
