Stir 'Splainer: 3 artists on works at BIPOC Foods Van's online holiday market
Besides food and wellness items, the virtual event will have pieces by local BIPOC artists for sale
Entranced by Guntaj Deep Singh of Art, Sentiments.
SWEET AND SAVOURY treats along with bath and beauty products are among the goods to grab at this weekend’s BIPOC Foods Van’s virtual holiday market (November 20 to 22). So are artworks by local BIPOC artists. Three creatives share the back story of some of the pieces they will have on offer. For the full roster, see here.
Guntaj Deep Singh of Art, Sentiments on Entranced (pictured at top)
“The piece limns a state of absolute melancholic entrancement—to the point where it engulfs you. The original drawing was made for a series of pencil drawings called In Her Element, celebrating women who beam individuality and take pride in their heritage, thus creating spaces for minorities using their authentic form of creative expression.”
Ariela Badenas of Parirala Prints on 1:32pm
“This photo (on one of the photo cards that make up the Vancouver x COVID ii pack) was taken during an outdoor picnic with two of my friends early in the summer, just as we entered Phase 2. During this time, I started a personal project called Porchtraits, where I took socially distanced portraits of my friends in their homes, or outdoors in a park. I wanted to improve on my photography and had a lot of film and time to kill, so I did it for free or by donation. I took my friends' portraits after we played a very competitive game of Uno by the water, and enjoyed their company after a long time staying apart. It was just a beautiful day in late May, and it was nice to see some semblance of a "typical" Vancouver summer.
“Socializing during a pandemic is challenging but also essential; we are human beings, after all. As we draw closer to the end of 2020, I get a strange feeling—some grief from losing what we took for granted, some hope for the future that is to come, and some gratitude for where we are in the present. Winter will be tough, and it does scare me where things will go from here. But I look back into moments like these, moments we can still have once we make it to the other side: a mid-afternoon picnic in the summer sun.”
Nelli V Agbulos of Agbulos Art on Women Rising
“This piece is inspired by working-mother figures (mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, etc.) in cities across North America who have shared their experiences of gentrification with me. Many spoke on how gentrification is indirect violence towards women of colour being pushed out of their neighbourhoods. This piece also shows a woman's resilience against the daily obstacles and pressures that try to make them into something that they are not. Women are unstoppable.”
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