PORT ANGELES — Today’s social networking platforms encourage people from around the globe to post information, viewpoints, photos and videos.
Port Townsend artist Mike Biskup had an idea: What if Instagram-posting artists, who have never met in person, produced new art and had a group show in real time rather than in a virtual exhibition?
He set out to make that lofty goal happen.
On Saturday, the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd., will present “Thanks for Sharing: The Art of Instant, Global Inspiration,” an example of how online Instagram art becomes reality, “posted” on the walls of the Webster House.
The show will run through July 2. Biskup will make remarks during the show’s opening reception Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Nineteen contemporary artists from Russia, Canada, Spain, Sweden, Iraq, Australia, Japan, Korea and the U.S. will join Biskup in his experiment, which debuted its travels at Port Townsend’s Northwind Arts Center in March.
World talent
In 2015, Biskup was spending his time viewing Instagram posts and discovering talent around the world.
He realized that many people were discovering him, too. And everyone was being inspired and influenced by each other.
“I began thinking how amazing it would be to curate an exhibit that brought many of my favorite artists, whom I had become aware of only through Instagram, under one roof. And how incredible it would be to bring an international body of work to the North Peninsula,” Biskup said.
He invited 19 artists. Eighteen agreed to join him in his visual experiment, each creating new work in 2017 specifically for this exhibit.
“Each piece is made by hands from around the world, and viewing it up close in this setting reveals the humanness of it all … the brush strokes, the textures, the scale of the work,” Biskup said.
Sharing special art
He believes the collection to be “cohesive, powerful and something special to share.”
In addition to Biskup — mikebiskup — participating artists are chicojefferson — Josh Jefferson, Boston; deedeecheriel — Dee Dee Cheriel, Los Angeles; hardgraverw — Robert Hardgrave, Seattle; igorulangin — Igor Ulangin, Russia; inaluxe — Kristina Sostarko and Jason Odd, Australia; joehengst — Joe Hengst, San Francisco; kmartinpaulsen — Kevin Paulsen, Nantucket, Mass.; lasseskarbovik — Lasse Skarbovik, Sweden; maria_lundstrom — Maria Lundstrom, Sweden; mbc_1000 — M.B.C., Ontario, Canada; mina_hamada — Mina Hamada, Barcelona, Spain/Japan; nachoeterno — Nacho Eterno, Barcelona; robertpokorny — Robert Pokorny, Los Angeles; sophie_roach — Sophie Roach, Austin, Texas; tbiskup — Tim Biskup, Los Angeles; tylerkeetonrobbins — Tyler Keeton Robbins, Vancouver, B.C.; raymondlemstra — Raymond Lemstra, Netherlands/Korea; and wissamshawkat — Wissam Shawkat, Iraq.
Workshop
A free “Introduction to Social Media/Instagram” workshop will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 24. There, artists and collectors can bring their smartphones to learn how the internet can be used to sell, buy and connect with artists worldwide.
For more information, see www.pafac.org.
