The Artists
Raif Adelberg
Raif Adelberg has been an advocate of the arts and creative endeavors ever since he can remember. Born in Manitoba and raised in Vancouver until the age of 12, he spent his formative years in Hawaii and Palm Springs. After coming back to Vancouver, he opened the boutique Twentyfour and after some time created Made- The Magazine and Gallery. Utilizing it as a platform for artists known an unknown, Adelberg began to redefine the use of print media for art. After conquering this, continuing his passion for fashion, and exhibiting in San Francisco, he opened Canada’s first independently owned High fashion store: Richard Kidd. To encompass Adelbergs work into one idea or concept would be impossible. He uses many different mediums, and is inspired by many different things. One may find his work to be overtly sexual, explicit, dark, comedic, sartorial, aggressive, insulting, risky, politically incorrect, or politically correct. “It’s just what I see or what I want to see. I like to see things come to life, I like to listen and see others reactions, I have so many ideas and I just do what I enjoy.” R. Adelberg.
Ronan Boyle
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Ronan was born 1971 in Derry Northern Ireland. Due to the heated political situation, he and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. Ronan spent his childhood in West Vancouver and then his teenage years in False creek. It was during this time through DJ Michael Gulf that he was introduced to the music, arts and culture of the early eighties in New York including Basquiat, Hearing, Pettibone and Warhol. With this inspiration and the support of his parents, Ronan began spending his time painting and developing his artistic skills. In 1992 Ronan had his first art show at Café du soleil on the infamous Commercial Drive, then at the Soho in Yaletown. Soon followed by Annual groups show at Blakes in 2002, 2003 and several solo shows at Cassis in 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2007. In 2003 Ronan was discovered by a woman whose support would change his life. Thu Watson an internationally acclaimed designer/ realtor began commissioning Ronan’s work to display in her many luxury suites. His ‘Lucky’ series first shown at the renown Cheaper Show No.08, Vancouver’s biggest art exhibit, was a testament to that support and can currently be seen hanging in the Business and Opportunities Branch, Vancouver.
Bienvenido Cruz
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Bienvenido Cruz makes moving images and hates having his photo taken. His award-winning career started at the age of fifteen and has spanned the worlds of architecture, art, advertising, publishing and film from Hong Kong to Stockholm. Featured in The New York Times, Variety, and International Designer’s Network. His work has been exhibited on television, online, on billboards, and film festivals. Bienvenido now focuses his time on music videos and commercials and continues to scour the world for new and interesting opportunities in film, music and design.
Andy Dixon
Andy Dixon was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. At the early age of 11, he had started his own punk band, and became an active member in Vancouver’s underground experimental punk scene. Andy now performs electro-acoustic dance music under the moniker, Secret Mommy and plays in the experimental improv-rock band, Winning. As his passion for music grew so did his love for visual arts. A painter, illustrator, and general mixed media artist, Andy has exhibited his work around the globe. He recently published a book of his work through Royal Scourge, and even more recently exhibited a sold-out show at Grace Gallery. By day Andy is a self-employed graphic designer and illustrator in the music industry as well as anything else he can get his hands on.
Michael Doehle
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Michael Doehle, soon to be Michael Montemurro, has scattered his work over multiple studios, random apartments, various sketch books, and a few stinky bathrooms. Worth noting, in the last five years, are his involvement with Attention: Death, Disorder. A:D,D is an opened ended graphic narrative that continues to evolve with Owen Milburn of Toronto. Recently, with the arrival of Rami Roppo at the squalor that sits the Redgate Cult, the Eski concept was adopted by Michael, and Jamie Bizness. Also quite open ended, the Eskiboy tales of northern Finland have provided the humorous and honest content that’s shaped the drawings, paintings, and clothing (don’t listen to me rap).
Christopher Fadden
Canadian artist Christopher Fadden studied studio arts in 1996 at Camosun College, Victoria. After completing his education in Victoria, he moved to Vancouver where he continued at Simon Fraser University in 2006. Since then, Fadden has exhibited in numerous group shows at Back Gallery, Open Studios, and Cheaper Show. He is currently the Exhibitions Manager at Diane Ferris Gallery as well as an Artist Consultant for his self catalyzed FADDENCREATIVE right here in Vancouver B.C.
Angela Fama
Angela Fama is a Vancouver based, full time photographer. Born 1976 in Summertown, Tennessee and raised mostly in Ottawa, Ontario, she spent 3 of her teenage years in rural Zimbabwe where she completed her ‘O’ Levels in Fine Arts. Fama returned to Ottawa to receive her Fine Arts Certificate in 1995 at Canterbury, where she was introduced to photography. She carried it through to Vancouver, BC attending Langara College where she received her Photo Imaging Diploma in 2004. She has participated in a number of solo and group showings at galleries such as Elliott Louis, Buschlen-Mowatt and Columbia Street Studio. Fama seeks simplicity, finding it to be the truest, strongest, most descriptive element that is often lost in the clutter that surrounds. She prefers to focus on removing the details to bring out the strength of what is in front of her, be it an object, person or location.
Indigo
Indigo is a visual and performative artist whose body of work spans many different disciplines. A professional contemporary dance artist since 2004, her work has been presented at many mainstream and alternative venues around the world. Since making the transition into visual art in spring of 2008 she has exhibited in galleries & participated in art festivals in Canada, the US, UK, across Europe and in Russia. Indigo is interested in art in public spaces, site-specific performance, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community involvement. Her street-based artwork, performance and photography examines and documents who gets to make art, where it is made, and where/how the creative process & product is viewed.
Kris Krug
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Constantly challenging himself by shooting diverse subjects from emerging rock bands to dot com execs, Kris uses his engaging personality to break down the barriers between lens and subject. Kris is a fervent evangelist for open culture and creative commons licensing and frequently speaks at conferences and the media about the blurring lines between pro and amateur, shifting copyright standards and using technology to promote and share artistic work. Kris realizes art isn’t created in a vacuum and a vibrant community is key for culture to flourish - with this in mind, he organizes photowalks and workshops for newbies and veterans alike to encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Malcolm Levy
With a foundation in film, new media, and social/cultural mediums, it only makes sense that Macolm Levy’s work is futuristic, and awe-inspiring. His Digital Paintings are video works showcased as traditional paintings. This juxtaposition allows the spectator to ‘find the future in the past’, making that the centre of his work. Working in experimental film, new media and documentary projects include co-founding capitalmag.com and the New Forms Festival (1999-present), making experimental video and art for CBC / 120seconds, Virtual Museum Canada, Project Stitch, and writing/curating for Mobile Muse, MUTEK, VIDFEST and Assignment Zero among others. Malcolm’s films and video installation works have been presented in India, Australia, China, Germany and Canada. Full length documentaries include ‘Shambhala’ (2001-2008) and ‘Walking on Glass’ (2006-2009, currently in post-production.) Malcolm is currently the Curator of CODE Live, a new media and visual art festival taking place during the Olympic Arts Festival during the Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010.
Bobby Mathieson
Bobby’s images are a beautiful juxtaposition of traditional imagery and colour. Starting his education in 1998 at Vancouver film school for Classical Animation, His love for art continued to Capilano College for studio arts and ended at Emily Carr in 2005. He has since had a plethora of solo and group shows including Vancouver’s City Hall, Goonies inaugural show, and fundraisers. He is currently Art Director of Cinefile Magazine in association with UBC Film Studies.
Chad Murray
Chad Murray is 24 year old artist residing in Vancouver, BC. He completed the Langara College Fine Arts Program and is now studying painting and sculpture at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Chad has shown work at a variety of small Vancouver galleries, including Little Mountain Studios and the Grace Gallery, and has also participated in the 2009 Olio Festival.
Sandra Nieuwenhuijsen
Sandra Nieuwenhuijsen was born in the South of Germany where she grew up surrounded by the restaurant and interior design business.Nieuwenhuijsen relocated to Vancouver in 1997 to explore life and creativity through a diverse background of creative interest and experience. Sandra expresses the variety of her various creative influences through an interdisciplinary practice; embracing painting, illustration, and photography as her primary creative outlets. Fascinated by an inherent emotional connection to the seemly innate presence behind minimalist esthetic; her present work stems from the study of minimal production and the creative emotions intrinsic to its assembly.
Neal Nolan
The array of media that makes up Nolan’s work stems from a passion for first hand experience, incorporating tangible archetypes in assemblage to his illustrative antic, painterly expressions, text and texture. “My work is a catharsis for occurrence; expressing conjecture toward individual emprise, a philosophy, theory or discussion though mixed media application.”
Terri Potratz
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Terri Potratz is a textiles designer working primarily with BC alpaca fiber to create knitwear garments and accessories. Largely self-taught, Terri incorporates yarn, felt, leather and recycled textiles into hand-knit and woven pieces, which make up the “larry.” collection. These works have been exhibited as art pieces through solo shows at Vancouver’s grace-gallery, and also distributed through high-fashion retailers such as Obakki Designs. Terri was the sole textiles artist featured within the 2009 Olio Arts Festival. As both a visual artist and fashion designer, Terri pursues the evolution of the “larry.” line by exploring new materials and techniques within each collection, drawing inspiration from the necessity of warmth/comfort, memory/nostalgia, and the environment/landscape.
Stacy Sakai
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Stacy Sakai is a Canadian artist, born in Vancouver, BC. She spent her childhood in South America, Florida and northern British Columbia. Her art was influenced from an early age by the teachings of her father and grandmother, both also artists. Sakai’s 20+ years in the art industry includes a diverse range of work in film, curation, live performance, collaboration, writing, and event promotion from here in Vancouver to New York City. Sakai’s work has always focused on the beauty of the natural world, trees, flowers - particularly the South American orchids she remembered from her childhood - and the sky. She uses uncluttered compositions, and emphasizes colour and form. Recently, her art has been deeply influenced by her fascination with quantum physics, astronomy and cosmology. After studying the images from the Hubble Space Telescope, she felt strongly compelled to capture the colourful impressions of galaxies and nebulae in her paintings. Her art is a rich combination of her intellectual interests and her sensual and emotional creativity.
Philippe Sokazo
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Philippe Sokazo is a visual creator born in Toulouse (France). His work explores the boundaries of contemporary art through the concept of visible/invisible, creating a unique esthetic universe characterized by his iconic shapes, saturated colors and sophisticated composition. He lives and works in Vancouver since 2005.
Ed Spence
Ed Spence grew up in Salmon Arm, BC. He studied Fine Arts at Okanagan University College where he completed the BFA program and focussed on sculpture and video installation. As an appreciator of all artistic forms, he paints, skates, designs, illustrates, sculpts, breaks, shoots, shits, writes, strums and loves. This process will stop when his heart does. He currently works and plays in Vancouver. He would love to make you a beautiful piece of art one day.
