Old Navy closed out 2015 by making headlines - but in this case, there is such a thing as bad publicity.
The controversy surrounded a toddler girls' t-shirt that read Young Aspiring Artist, where the word Artist is crossed out and replaced with another profession, such as Astronaut or President.
I am reminded of the time I went to the inauguration of Omen’s mural All it Takes is a Little Heart in Ville St-Laurent, in the fall of 2014. He addressed the press and city officials with a smile, “Remember when you used to call the cops on me? Now you pay me to paint walls.” This is Omen. He is larger than life.
After reading Sarah Thornton’s 33 Artists in 3 Acts dissection of the question What is an artist?, I sought answers from the artists represented by Station 16 Gallery. Omen was one of the first artists to whom I reached out. He is in Panama painting at the moment and posted his definition through social media: “Artists are people who take you through the world and lend you their eyes. It is more a burden than a technique. The artist has to be both egotistical and sensitive enough to want to convey this vision to the rest of the world.” These words were greeted with much enthusiasm, as is most of what Omen publishes. Fans and friends added comments: “The artist must make things in order to achieve this since what they see is often not yet named or explained in words.” “What we do as artists is a service to humanity,” chimed in another.
Les mondes du sport et de l'art se rencontrent rarement. Notre exposition « Gol, Carajo » a prouvé que ces deux mondes pouvaient être compatibles, ce qui démontre que l'art et le football peuvent fusionner dans le travail ludique de Ricardo Cavolo. Le mélange inattendu du sport et de l'art est apparu à nouveau au sein du travail d’un autre artiste de la Galerie Station 16, Eric Clément, qui a récemment créé une murale pour les Canadiens de Montréal. Organisé par notre partenaire, LNDMRK, le projet met en évidence le style d'illustration et de bande dessinée de Clément autour du thème du hockey.
In early January, I settled down with Sarah Thornton’s new book 33 Artists in 3 Acts in which she poses what appears to be the simplest of questions: What is an artist? Within the first few pages, Thornton is already dismayed to have people reply: “An artist is someone who makes art.”
I scoffed. My answer would be so much more profound, detailed and smart! Clearly, an artist is… blank. What is an artist? Over dinner, my husband, who is not involved in the art world, answered promptly: “Emily, it’s simple. An artist is a creator.” Really? This seemed too all-encompassing for my taste. One can create with no intent towards art. No, it wasn’t simple at all.
