As the final pieces to the coming Arts Alive sculpture walk fall into place, one artist is harvesting ideas of ‘home’ from the community.
Kevin Orlosky is among the artists who expect to have sculptures on public display for the 2023 Arts Alive exhibition.
Oak Bay issued a callout late last year for artists to submit on the ‘home’ theme and Orlosky is preparing a work called Home is not a House.
“Home Is Not A House is an interactive artwork which uses the visual iconography of an isolated door threshold to examine the emotional connections we feel to our homes,” Orlosky told the Oak Bay News.
“Viewers are prompted to open the door where the planes of an interior room built from colourful text are revealed. Mirror reflects both the viewer and their surroundings in the negative space, bringing them visually into the artwork, and conceptually tying the role of the individual to their emotional understanding of home.”
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The text is curated from community submissions on the theme, “What does home mean to you?” Orlosky is taking in responses submitted online, from schools, community groups and gathered on social media platforms.
“As the viewer experiences the artwork, they are connected to other community members understanding of home. The piece sparks thoughtful reflection on the disparity present in the ways we assign value to physical structures, compared to the intangible emotional experiences of what truly matters in an individual’s experience of home,” the artist said.
While this year’s artist lineup has not yet been announced, Orlosky expects to create the sculpture in April and be ready for installation and exhibition in May. Residents can answer the question online at forms.gle/w6X7hzrVGCmgtjiz6.
During the annual Arts Alive program, artists are offered a small stipend courtesy of sponsors and sculptures on loan from the artists are selected for display throughout the community. Many of the works are available for purchase and visitors vote on a favourite to be deemed People’s Choice, and considered for purchase by the district.
Learn more at oakbay.ca/parks-recreation/arts-culture/artsalive.
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christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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