ARTBASH Kicks Off East Austin Studio Tour 2017 With Immersive Art Party

The work of eight Austin artists will be featured at this year’s ARTBASH (Credit: Art Alliance Austin)

Posted signs saying “Do not touch,” hushed voices, stationary objects. Don’t expect to experience any of that at Native Hostel on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. Art Alliance Austin and Big Medium’s annual ARTBASH event isn’t your typical gallery walk. Instead, eight talented local artists will converge to share interactive creations with event guests.

Come prepared to discuss these site-specific installations and dance the night away to beats from a live DJ. This is art appreciation in celebratory form.

Artists’ creations will completely transform Native Hostel’s spaces (Credit: Casey Chapman Ross)

Art Alliance Austin is partnering with Big Medium to transform Native Hostel into a one-of-a-kind destination on this special night. Guests will be immersed into Austin’s local art scene, as they toast local artists and the kick-off of East Austin Studio Tour.

While the artist installations will be available to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 11-12, there are several perks only ARTBASH attendees can access. Ticket prices include catering by Juniper in the South Wing of Native, drink tickets, and live performances at the end of each hour.

Abandoning Walled Paintings for Immersive Art

Bryan Cady of DEN Property Group and Antonio Madrid of ICON Design Build are chairing ARTBASH. This year, they’ve designed a different way to see and experience art. Native, Austin’s new hostel, serves as a makeshift “canvas” for artists. They will rise to the challenge of designing artwork around its architectural structure, so don’t expect to see rooms filled with walled art. Instead, creations will enmesh themselves into Native’s spaces. From the bar to the romper room, Madrid is giving artists “grand license.” The space will become art itself with “interactive performances and music layered on top.”

Jade Walker, Director of Art Alliance Austin, said ARTBASH artists were thoughtfully chosen to create a “diverse group from different districts in the city.” There are a “handful of artists that give a little different flavor,” with a common thread being that all “their work pulls you in and grabs you.” At ARTBASH, guests can expect to become part of the creations, since almost every space will be encompassed.

“Drawing Lines, Wish Lantern Bridge” by Teruko Nimura, one of ARTBASH’s featured artists (Credit: Art Alliance Austin)

Live performers moving throughout the space, guests being immersed into site installations, it’s no coincidence ARTBASH appeals to a variety of audiences. With this year’s event focusing on the idea of intersection through immersion + mobility, different people’s paths will cross.

As Art Alliance Austin continues to build upon the work it’s accomplished in bringing together art supporters and the public, Walker looks forward to partnering with Big Medium to engage other community members interested in art, the space, or just the party itself. Regardless of the draw, Art Alliance Austin and Big Medium have created a unique event to celebrate Austin’s local talent.

Interested in attending? Click here for more information about ARTBASH and ticket options. Can’t make the party? Self-guided East Austin Studio Tour is complimentary and runs the weekends of Nov. 11-12 and 18-19 this year. Installations from ARTBASH will also be free for public viewing at Native Hostel the weekend of Nov. 11-12.

ARTBASH Featured Artists

AKIRASH expresses his art through various mediums, including performance (Credit: Artwithakirash)

These Austin artists, whose works have been featured locally, domestically, and internationally, will be on-site with their creations at ARTBASH:

Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya (AKIRASH) is an artist whose work is inspired by moments. Through various mediums, AKIRASH is best known for expressing himself through performance and installation pieces that have traveled internationally. His artwork serves to present specific cultures to others in a relatable fashion, regardless of which medium is being used.
Rachel K. Bury‘s sculptures illustrate the duality of reality: actual and alternate. An avid reader of science fiction, she is inspired by the genre’s trends. Her exhibitions have used elusive one-dimensional images that transform into multi-dimensional structures. Housed in White Light Studio, you can see her other sculptures during East Austin Studio Tour.
Ted Carey transforms ordinary objects by shifting the viewfinder to illuminate them in a new light. Many of his sculptures employ a sparseness that allows his work to resonate differently. His work is currently showing at Texas Biennial and will also be shown at Pump Project Art Complex on 702 Shady Lane during East Austin Studio Tour.

Ryan Hawk’s work is particularly sensitive to context (Still image from “Untitled: big toe” provided by Art Alliance Austin)

Ryan Hawk is a video and performance artist. With a history of site-specific creations, he focuses on how to mold an idea into a space in order for it to be effectively portrayed. He has traveled as far as Pitch Lake in Trinidad to thoroughly research asphalt for past creations, and his attention to detail creates layered meanings for viewers.
Alicia Link trained as a painter, and she applies the language of painting to sculptural pieces. With a childlike sensibility and focus on play, she recently finished her first show in Brooklyn, New York, and looks forward to displaying her first immersive large-scale installation at ARTBASH.
Manik Nakra’s interest in Pompeii, and ’80s and ’90s horror flicks, often serves as inspiration for his work. Illustrating the tragic beauty of history repeating itself, Nakra explores humanity’s tendency to pursue self-serving interests. His work is featured in several Austin businesses, and he’s also completed his largest mural to date through the Facebook Artist in Residence program.
Teruko Nimura currently has work being exhibited at the Texas Biennial. She will also be giving an Artist Talk Saturday, Nov. 11, at Native Hostel. Using mixed materials, Nimura’s creation for ARTBASH will express a lamentation for the overconsumption of natural resources.

“Honey Mountain” by Suzanne Wyss (Credit: Art Alliance Austin)

Suzanne Wyss will also be giving an Artist Talk on Sunday, Nov. 12, at Native Hostel. Wyss’ creation “‘Plight of the Honey Beast’ represents the weight of change in a world of melancholic beauty. [It’s] a feeling of sadness surrounding something that was once brilliant. How the sweet things in nature are dying out and vicious things are coming in to replace them.”

@theAustinot wants to know:

Which local artists are you looking forward to seeing at East Austin Studio Tour 2017?