The 3rd Annual IKOUII OPEN opens virtually on Sunday, June 20th at 11am EST. It will be available for public viewing online at Ikouii.com. The Opening Reception & Artist Talk will stream LIVE on the Ikouii Facebook Page at 3pm EST. The program will be hosted by Nupur Sachdeva, International Artist Liaison of The Ikouii Creative.

The virtual exhibition is a collection of artworks created by disabled and non-disabled artists. Artists who practice in a variety of mediums or discipline at various stages in their art career submitted work in response to a disability-centered theme. The goal of the open is to activate social movements, educate, inspire, and evoke change within the arts and disability communities. This year’s theme Without Labels will explore the interwoven influence of labels in disability and culture.

To ensure an exhibition of fresh and exciting work by new and emerging talent, Ikouii brought together a selection committee comprised of individuals with local influence, global perspective, and expert experience. The selection committee includes Yuri Arajs (Vancouver, BC, Canada) of Outsiders and Others, Kait Blake and Jenna Reid (Vancouver, BC, Canada) of Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture, Antoine Hunter (San Francisco, California, USA) of Urban Jazz Dance Company and Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, and Aleatha Lindsay (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) of The Ikouii Creative.

Exhibiting Artists include Vanessa Hernández Cruz, an emerging Chicana disabled dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, poet and activist; Murray Siple who pioneered extreme sports filmmaking as a director and has recently established himself as an accomplished painter; Laura Brody a professional costume maker and designer, an artist, and a teacher who is passionate about reuse, sustainability, and re-imagining disability; and David McCauley is a non-profit director and creative entrepreneur based in St Petersburg, FL. Also exhibiting is Jack Page, a multimedia visual artist and musician, whose artistic practice focuses on conceptual art collaborative, and interactive practices, trauma, the body, identity politics, and nature and climate justice; Mariam Paré is a Chicago based artist and mouth-painter known for her colorful portraits, and other multimedia works; and Allen J. Lewis is a native of South Carolina who has earned a reputation for being amongst the most talented artists in his community and was accepted into several art competitions, winning many awards.

Robbie Teasdale is a ceramic artist living with bipolar disorder. Emily Tironi a collage artists based in New York who was born with a muscle disease causing weakness and fatigue and requires the use of a wheelchair for long distances. Adare is an evocative artist who is a differently abled trans person with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and eighteen co-morbidities, with inclusion at the forefront of both their art and social advocacy. Ellen Mansfield is a Deaf visual artist based in Frederick, MD who has a background in drawing, painting, batik, ceramics, and many other media. Also exhibiting, Seema Shah a self-taught visual artist and writer who is based in Vancouver, BC; Lisa Merida-Paytes whose work has been featured in exhibitions and publications nationally and internationally for 23 years; and David Isakson a Jewish schizophrenic emerging outsider artist who lives and works in Oak Park, CA.

All artwork on view will be for sale and available for purchase via ikouii.com.
Captions & ASL Interpreter available during LIVE Opening Reception & Artist Talk.

RSVP on Facebook Here.

IKOUII OPEN 2021: Without Labels
Virtual Opening Reception & Artist Talk
Sunday, June 20, 2021
3PM-5PM EST
Facebook.com/ikouii
Ikouii.com

ASL/Interpreting Provided by, LaSheria Murphy of Handz Up LLC

ABOUT THE IKOUII OPEN
The Ikouii Open is an annual virtual group art exhibition with both disabled and non-disabled artists. Artists who practice in a variety of mediums or discipline at any stage in their art career are encouraged to submit work in response to a disability-centered theme. The goal of the open is to activate social movements, educate, inspire, and evoke change within the arts and disability communities.

ABOUT THE IKOUII CREATIVE
The Ikouii Creative is a disability-led organization committed to providing opportunities and support for artists with disabilities as well as transforming cultural institutions into an engaging and meaningful space for all visitors. The Ikouii Creative serves artists worldwide, in countries including the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Israel, and India. The organization offers a diverse spectrum of exhibitions, events, and programs to amplify its impact in the arts sector.

PRESS INQUIRIES
404.642.3525
info@ikouii.com