Arts After Dark: October 23, 2010

ArtEgg Studios will host Arts After Dark, an artists’ showcase of the finest work from New Orleans and London. 50 artists from each city will join together as their work is displayed in a 100sqft 10x10 grid formation, curated by London-based artist Carne Griffiths.  In addition to 100sqft, Arts After Dark will be showcasing the work of 10 soon-to-be-announced artists. The call for artists may be found on: www.artsafterdark.com. There are two main themes are: rebirth and light.

Rebirth:  In the wake of the devastating floods wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans has slowly started to recover.  A city wiith incredibly diverse cultural heritage, it seems only right that art play a role in this regeneration.  New Orleans is currently being affected by the oil slick threatening Louisiana's coastline. Hence we seek work which is  inspired by this theme of triumph over adversity, whereby the forces of creativity can overcome those of destruction.

Light:  Artists use light in the most stunningly inventive ways. New Orleans, of course, was plunged into a kind of post-Katrina darkness for many months, so we hope this show will contribute to it regaining the color and dynamism for which it is famous. The show, as its name suggests, will take place once the sun has set. We hope the dusky tones will provide contributors a canvas to let imaginations paint a brighter future for a rejuvenated city.

Participating artists and musicians:  In addition, 10 exciting artists will be showing their work, some well-known in New Orleans and others for the first time. Among the latter will be London-based artist Dan Baldwin who has exhibited worldwide for many years and whose work is highly valued by collectors;. New Orleans artists will include Steve Martin, who works in a wide range of media, and the video and installation artist, Dave Greber. Also exhibiting will be painter George McClements – whose dramatic and colourful work is inspired by the jazz and blues music for which the city is so famous - and Rumanian immigré Viorel Hodre, whose work with what she terms “Sculptured Light” will be ideally suited to Arts After Dark’s night-time ambience. The names of the other participating artists will be released shortly.

Music will be provided throughout the evening by two live bands, the Steve Masakowski Quintet and The Hiptones. Steve is probably best known on the New Orleans modern jazz scene for his many years of work with Astral Project, playing the unique 7-string guitar which is his own invention live and on their many award-winning albums. The Hiptones, currently based in New York (although originally formed in Tokyo), are a varying line-up the core of which is an Australian couple who bring a distinctive and unusual touch to their original blues/soul/funk repertoire. They recently secured a recording deal with Sony BMG and released their first album in October last year.