What: No Landscapes
When: Feb. 24 & 25
Where: Maxx Fish
Tickets: $10/$15
Artists Sharai Rewels and Kate Power sit down over tea at a local caffeine joint to talk about their underground art show No Landscapes showing Sunday, Feb. 24 to Monday, Feb. 25 at Maxx Fish.
The talk is almost as entertaining as what the show itself is going to be.
They can’t get out a full sentence. The two artists and event organizers keep finishing each other’s thoughts, piling one idea on top of another.
We talk about the music theme for the Sunday night show. The two volley back and forth, finally landing on an entirely new subject.
“I want to say cute and indie,” Rewels says.
“I hate the word indie,” Power replies.
Power tries again adding a few more letters.
“More of an independent collaboration of theatre, comedy and music.”
“Theatre?!”
Now Rewels objects.
“Okay, no don’t say that,” Power is now correcting me. “How about theatrical.”
Lucy and Ethel agree.
Theatrical is also the best adjective to describe what creative enthusiasts are going to walk into at the two-day and night showing of No Landscapes.
The show is just as the title implies. There will be no watercolours sweeping across a mountain-framed sky. No photos boasting wild flower-ridden alpine meadows.
Not that Rewels and Power have anything against this stereotypical kind of art hung in most commercial galleries around Whistler. There is a place and a time for it. Only these two nights aren’t it.
Guests will get a backstage tour of the Sea to Sky’s underground art scene with never before seen artwork. Some will be hung on the wall, others pulled onto your feet.
New this year, English Dan will exhibit toys, nutcrackers and cowboy boots. Phresha of Deviant Ethics (also the cover artist of this week’s Pique Newsmagazine) will show street-art inspired graphics while Marquee Mark is all about shoes and skate decks. Other newbies include Ange Teng, Wes Hughes, and Darren Camplin.
All of the usual suspects from Whistler’s cutting-edge art scene will be there including Laurin Javor, The Incredible Amoeba, Dave “Pepe” Petko and more. Power will introduce her wearable art with her unique jewelry line (check out the film dangling earrings) and Rewels will hang her clothing line Chozn Couture for some amazing local shopping.
“Everything in the show is under $500,” Power said. “Most price points fall in around $100. It’s a show about emerging artists.”
And emerging buyers wanting to support local artists while at the same time adding original works to their closet and art collections.
Light boxes, acrylics, spray paint and installation art: artists dabble in everything and anything your imagination could possibly concoct.
Tattoo artists from Engine Tattoos out of Squamish will also join the show with live tattooing. Last year, people lined up all day to decorate themselves.
No Landscapes shows in two parts: During the day from 2 to 7 p.m., artwork is on display along with live tattooing and music. DJ PM Don dishes out plenty of oldies on the decks for the Sunday afternoon show while DJ Foxy Moron (Ace MacKay) delivers everything funky with soul for the Monday afternoon show.
As the sun begins to set, No Landscapes slips into more of a night-owl feel with live shows as well as the art displays (no tattoos).
The art is totally avant-garde as is the music. Those indie experimental musicians we were talking about earlier, this is where they dial in. All are solo artists, all have a poetic way with words and all are going to be sporting some very unusual instruments.
“They use some pretty weird stuff,” Powers says.
“Broken children’s toys,” Rewels adds.
“David will be on keyboard,” Power says.
“Jesse writes children’s poetry,” Rewels finishes.
Musicians Jesse Thom, David Irish and Fraser will deliver interest, sometimes poetics, sometimes humour, but of course theatricality.
DJ RReumadeley (Rob Baanks) will help ease dancers and music revelers in and out of acts with creative ear candy interludes.
Moka Only, most famously known for his work with Swollen Members, headlines the Monday night show with DJ Tanner of the Faction Sound Crew warming up crowds with melodic hip hop.
“It’s party rock, no hip hop party rock,” Rewels says.
It’s hip hop, party rock with art that just doesn’t stop at the door. No Landscapes is not only about showing off our artist community, but recruiting newcomers to the paint palate as well.
“We need to diversify our art scene,” Rewels says. “And it’s an opportunity to show not only the talent we have, but how much…”
Powers finishes.
“People are craving an outlet for something like this. It inspires people, whether they are creative or not, to engage in these sort of things in their lives.”
Rewels adds.
“It’s about supporting something new…”
Kate finishes.
“And different.”
And like this Mutt and Jeff duo, something that believes in a collective effort, rather than the individual – otherwise the artistic world would always be speaking in half sentences with no one to finish them.
Get your tickets early. Both nights for last year’s show sold out with line-ups spilling out onto the Village Stroll. Tickets are $10 for the Sunday show and $15 for the Monday show. No Landscapes shows from 2 to 7 p.m. and then 8 p.m. until closing.
