November 3 - 24, 2018
Spoke Art is pleased to present Fantasia, a group exhibition curated by Paintguide featuring over 40 international artists from around the world. This dynamic group exhibition brings together artists from the online community formed around the hugely popular Instagram account into the physical gallery space.
In music, “fantasia” refers to a composition incorporating different styles, which are often improvised. Artists were given creative freedom with only one restriction, keep the work within a 12 x 12 inch space. The dimensional uniformity mirrors the presentation of images on Instagram where artworks must grab the viewer’s attention without the hubris of size, context and setting.
The online platform’s influence on art through wide dissemination is undeniable. Teddy Chan, Creative Director of Paintguide and exhibition curator, cites Walter Benjamin’s ‘The Work of Art in the Mechanical Age of Reproduction’, “the near-perfect reproducibility of images in the modern age diminishes the artwork’s ‘aura’ or unique presence in time and space. This emancipates art from the religious or private hierarchies that often determine our response to the work.” The communalization of imagery poses challenges in viewers increasingly limited attention or contemplation of artworks. Paintguide strives to create a virtual salon, providing space for conversations and the sharing of ideas.
Participating artists include:
Ali Cavanaugh | Christopher Charles Curtis | AM DeBrincat | Johan Deckmann | Florian Eymann | Simon Fensholm | Jayde Fish | Eric Fok | Erik Formoe | Felicia Forte | Alexandra Gallagher | Lola Gil | Jessica Hess | Hidden Velvet | Erik Jones | Jang Koal | Fabio La Fauci | Joey Leung | Linsey Lvendall | Lorraine Loots | Guillermo Lorca GH | Daniel Martin | Rui Matsunaga | Caitlin T. Mc Cormack | Miss Van | Victor Montahini | Nadezda | Daniel Ochoa | Karla Ortiz | Reisha Perlmutter | Flavia Pitis | Michael Reeder | Erika Sanada | Elly Smallwood | Jessica So Ren Tang | Loribelle Spirovoski | Roos van der Vliet | Emilio Villalba | Helice Wen | John Wentz | Vincent Xeus | Yoskay Yamamoto
