by Rommy Ghaly | Randy Grskovic, is one of Vancouver’s great young talents in the art scene. The Strathcona resident works out of a studio on East Georgia St. in Chinatown. He’s known for his thought-provoking collages which often feature edgy and provocative themes like corruption, greed, and organized religion. His works rely heavily on old images, employing over-the-top figures and subject matter to highlight the sources of malaise that plague society today. This past June and July, he was featured along with a handful of renowned Canadian collage artists at Equinox Gallery’s Project Space. We had the chance to visit with him as he prepared to open his fourth pop-up gallery, Good Luck Gallery.
Grskovic has embraced the internet as a medium for showcasing his work and through social media has been able to get his work out to a wide audience. When branding his pop-up galleries, he takes their locations into consideration. In Railtown, for example, he had a sign on his door that read “The Centre for Ground Level Gentrification”, fully aware that when artists seek out affordable spaces on the DTES and its peripheries they play an active role in paving the way for higher rents, boutiques, restaurants, condos and the like.
The naming of Good Luck Gallery references its Chinatown location. Chinese businesses will often preface their names with “Good Luck” and feature good luck symbols and charms in their brands. And with the neighbourhood rapidly changing (old Chinese businesses moving out and young, hip businesses moving in), Grskovic hopes the work in the new gallery will provide some commentary on the situation when it opens on Friday, September 7th.
Good Luck, located next door to Harvest Community Market on Union Street, has a three-month shelf-life. It’ll be a collaborative effort featuring the work of emerging to mid-career artists. Eschewing traditional PR channels, Grskovic has largely been using Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram (@goodluckart) to get the word out. The turnover of artwork will be high so visitors will be guaranteed to see different work from different artists each time (pieces that are taken down will remain available for purchase over the course of the entire three-month period, so don’t forget to note the pieces that you’re interested in).
What makes the Good Luck effort a bit different is that Grskovic will also be soliciting works from anyone who feels they have pieces worth contributing. He asks that anyone who wishes to submit a piece for consideration to contact him via Twitter. He’s looking for motivated young artists doing great work. The artists being featured so far include…
EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER
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Rommy Ghaly was born and raised in New York. He’s spent the past sixteen years moving around from city to city and country to country, trying (and failing miserably) to find himself. You may see him out in the streets with his cameras taking photos of people he doesn’t know. The results of those adventures can be found at vancouverish.com.
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