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Artist, curator, visionary, and entrepreneur Yared Nigussu presented his ART LAB to Vancouver in the Summer of 2018. The champagne, music and performance art flowed on a steamy Vancouver summers night a taste of things to come.
The ART LAB is destined to be a creative hub promoting Art & Culture in Vancouver.
It is also the place where Yared works his special brand of magic. Situated on Main Street between 48th and 49th Streets, the ART LAB is an unexpected find in this South Vancouver neighbourhood. The ART LAB doubles as a gallery and a working art studio showcasing Ethiopian artist, Yared Nigussu’s powerful work.
The moment you step into The ART LAB you know you are in a special place. Canvases display rich, vivid imagery; urban landscapes are curated next to powerful portraits and seascapes. Yared’s unique, unmistakable style is in evidence, there is pure talent on display. Educated in France, Yared’s technique is masterfully traditional yet contemporary, sophisticated and fresh. His marina boat scenes literally sparkle and his portraits and nudes exude intriguing emotional content.
Yared has called Vancouver home for the last 10 years and during that time he has wracked up an impressive number of accolades. He won Canada's National Art Battle live competitions over three consecutive years from 2011 to 2014. Additionally, he received the 2015 Sage Award of Social Acceptance and Great Excellence, as well as the 2015 Bikila Professional Excellence Award.
The ART LAB is Yared’s latest accomplishment. It is a hub in which patrons experience art through dance presentations, live performance painting, guest artists, music, poetry and prose readings, conversation, presentations and other cultural events. Imagine a place to contemplate and soak in art in its many forms. Yared also envisions The ART LAB as a vibrant addition to Vancouver’s night scene. To many Vancouverites the city is fractured by the intrusion of glass and concrete mega towers. The ART LAB is intended to create cohesion across Vancouver’s diverse and changing neighbourhoods. Intimacy and connection are core values.
Visit the ART LAB website for hours of operation, better yet drop by in person. If you are lucky Yared may offer you a steaming cup of Ethiopian coffee as he did me on a rainy Vancouver afternoon!
Diana Mogensen is a Historian, Sociologists and Educator who currently works as a Docent at The Vancouver Art Gallery