Reinventing the gallery

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This article was published 11/12/2023 (1012 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Luther Konadu has big plans for the small brick building on Hargrave Street.

The 400-square-foot storefront is home to the Centre for Cultural and Artistic Practices (stylized as C’cap), a new Exchange District art gallery where Konadu, 32, hopes to play with the definition of what an art gallery can be.

“I wanted to think beyond contemporary art and about the broader cultural environment that contemporary art comes out of,” says the gallery’s director. “To make the experience more adventurous and exciting for artists and for viewers.”

Konadu — an award-winning photographer and sculptor who took home the Salt Spring National Art Prize in 2019 — has been running experimental art programming at 520 Hargrave St. for the last two years.

When he took over the building lease, he continued operating under the gallery’s previous name, Blinkers. After fielding many questions from visitors about the nondescript name, he decided it was time for a rebrand.

Last month, he launched C’cap with a one-night-only show featuring live performances by Indigenous musicians paired with digital projections by visual artists.

The evening was full of collaboration and improvisation that wouldn’t necessarily fit in a typical concert venue, says Konadu, who is also assistant curator at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art.

“I wanted to have this space where they could experiment and play and try different approaches to the work that they’re already making,” he says, pointing to jazz musician Chuck Copenace’s contribution as an example. “He has an album coming out this year, but his performance was infused with storytelling … and sharing his background and how he became a trumpet player.

“Moments like that are what I’m after — something that cannot be contained in an object, but is created through interpersonal sharing.”

Konadu has always been interested in context. During art school at the University of Manitoba he started an online journal, called Public Parking, featuring cultural criticism and artist interviews.

“Listening to what artists have to say about their work was interesting for me,” he says. “As someone that was starting out and wanting to be an artist, hearing from them and learning from their motivations and their ideas was a good supplement to my education.”

Giving artists free rein to express themselves is one of the main goals at C’cap.

“It’s been really fun and rewarding to see various artists come in here and use the space in an interesting way,” Konadu says.

The gallery’s current show, titled The Language is in the Drifts, features seven local artists from different backgrounds and points in their respective careers.

The main floor hosts a series of colourful textiles, paintings, papier-mâché sculptures and stylized walking sticks by artists Ehidiamen Ojeaga, Craig Love, Mercedes Maduka and Moneca Sinclaire. In the compact basement, collaborators Shaylyn Plett and Janelle Tougas have erected a light fixture that spans the width of the room and is made of drywall panels etched to look like Tyndall stone.

As a curator, Konadu often aims to find common ground between artwork and artists that might not otherwise find themselves in the same room.

“It pushes you to do research in a way that makes connections between other artists,” he says of the approach. “That way, the public can get to know the work, understand and get something from it.”

C’cap is very much a labour of love for Konadu, who works full time at Plug In. As such, the gallery doesn’t have regular operating hours. Send an email to email.ccap@gmail.com to schedule a viewing of The Language is in the Drifts.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

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