Art + Patio = [Art]ios

In typical East Village fashion we added a little bit of *spice* to our on-street patios for the summer. We brought together six EV restaurants and six local artists to transform their safe, outdoor patio spaces into imaginative art installations turning your local watering hole into a real live canvas. Bring together some paint, acrylic, wood, the imagination of local talent, a few cocktails with a splash of global pandemic, and bing bang boom you’ve got the [Art]ios of East Village.

We started with an open call to all creators and dreamers and encouraged them to let their imaginations run wild! We were overwhelmed with the creative submissions that flowed in from Calgarians – so much so, that we called in our friends from EVNA to help us narrow it down.

Eventually, we landed on six artists/restaurant pairings and it was a match made in artistic/culinary heaven.

Installation of the [Art]ios began mid-June throughout the neighbourhood.  Paint brushes, drills, bird nests, and guitars all wrapped up July 1!

Get to know all six [art]ios of east village

1// SOAR
Charbar x Aaron Brown

This show stopping piece willstop you dead in your tracks and invite you to admire.

Aaron Brown is a multidisciplinary artist well-known for his incredible work in the tattoo industry. His process is based on having freedom “to let the art create itself.”  He started his career as an artist in 2009 when he began tattooing at New World Samurai in Canmore, Alberta.  Recently, he has found a passion for large-scale installations because it allows him to share his work with the community at large and better understand physical form.  In all forms of expression, his goal is to share something unique and inspire others to create their own visions and dreams.

Brown created this mythical bird who is perched overlooking her “nest” in the heart of the city. Seamlessly balancing the use of driftwood and lumber, the flowing feathers of this protective bird blend effortlessly with the sky and surrounding cityscape.

Take it from us, SOAR is best enjoyed with a glass of wine in hand, find charbars Argentine wood-fired grill menu here

2// COME AWAY WITH ME
Chix Eggshop x Nina Lee Ruiter

Chix Eggshop partnered with Nina Lee Ruiter to create a visual vacation and give this well-trafficked corner a serious glow-up. 

Ruiter is a local artist new to the city’s art scene. She is a former professional engineer that came to terms with her passion for creativity during the pandemic and left the energy industry to pursue a new career as a full-time artist. She lives inner city with her husband and two children. 

Ruiter’s distinct style of abstract painting translates landscapes using bold, colourful swaths of color. Come Away With Me takes you on an imaginary escape to places around the world at a time when physical escape hasn’t been possible. Her hope is that her artwork bring joy and serenity to those who view her work.

Indulge yourself with a diner-style brunch at @chixeggshop located in the effortlessly hip and cool Alt Hotel.

3// THE MEDICINE GARDENS of soleil
Soleil Bistro & Bar X Indi City  

Angel Aubichon and Alex Manitopyes also known as the collective Indi City, are the multi-disciplinary artists well-known for their iconographic, wearable art that is both inspired by and honours the duo’s Indigeneity. In 2017 they became the first global Indigenous Designers to incorporate wearable technology into traditional regalia. 

You may be familiar with their work in East Village from the outdoor installation Conciliation as part of Chinook Blast.

Indi City have created The Medicine Gardens of Soleil, an homage to the season of wildflowers and the healing properties of plant medicine and chromotherapy. Each of the flowers represented is an innovation inspired by the Métis, Nehiyawin, and Anishinaabe beadwork of their Grandmothers.

This installation transforms depending on the shifting angle of the sun as it moves through the dangling acrylic flowers leaving a colourful reflection in its wake.

Soleil is always switching things up and utilizing local ingredients to create seasonal rotating menus! Check out this [Art]io at all times of the day to get its full effect.

4// URBAN OASIS
Good Earth x Trina Listanco

Team: Trina Go Listanco + [Lilian Wang + Lealyn San Juan + John Rivera + Jason Ip]
Production support from:  Endre Balogh + Krishna Parmar + Ogona 

A multidisciplinary and multicultural team of artist/ geographer/ architect / engineer/ clinician collaborated to create an oasis as an offering of refuge and care in a seemingly harsh and difficult time.

The team was inspired by the story of Good Earth’s owner Dr. Zakaria Hamid, a retired urologist and surgeon from Egypt whose love of coffee and the arts led him to open a cafe here in East Village. The team conceptualized the "oasis" (in the Egyptian desert) as a much endeared and welcomed "gift and wellspring" in the geomorphology of arid landscapes. The space transformed into an urban oasis complete with palm trees, turf and large-scale ostrich feather fans.

The archipelago of islands embedded is a reminder of our intrinsic interconnectedness despite our experiences of isolation, division, and individual reality. A connective space for dialogue, for resolutions, for new friendships, for dances, and for renewals of "togetherness" as diverse communities. They hope to reference and share this "gift" and its sense of ecological and cultural generosity with all who visit it.

Treat yourself to a warm or cold beverage from Good Earth on this [Art]io oasis in the middle of the city.

5// THE GARDEN
Hilton Garden Grille X Ken Hacke

Connecting greater downtown Calgary to East Village is the Hilton Garden Grille patio who collaborated with Ken Hacke, an emerging artist working out of the Fuse33 makerspace in Calgary; where he dedicates his time to making the world weird.

Hacke seamlessly blurs the line between digital and organic reality – tapping into magical realism in order to seek balance between technical innovation and natural inspiration. The Garden, complete with a fractured forest of oversized mushrooms and two Forest Guides, beckons you to relax, reflect and reconnect. Hacke hopes The Garden reminds you to seek guidance from nature and recognize the infinite possibilities of your own imagination.

Fun fact- Hacke debuted The Forest Guides at Calgary’s 2021 Chinook Blast that came through East Village. The Forest Guides are a 7-piece series composed of various Canadian wildlife animals, weighing 700 lb each with cascading LED-illuminated geometrical patterns.

Hacke’s fractured forest of oversized mushrooms will have you escaping to a faraway land giving you the ultimate vacation during your stay on the Hilton [Art]io

6// Untitled
The King Eddy x Elsie

Rock, Paper, Artio!

Shirley Vuong, also known as “Elsie”, is a locally-based multidisciplinary artist and designer. Throughout her career, Vuong has experimented with different mediums, such as: drawing, painting, graffiti, and cooking. Inspired by the array of colours and the ability to manipulate and create intricate sculptures, this is where Vuong found her love for tactile design.

Vuong’s creations are meticulously handcrafted paper sculptures. Her work plays on the notion of surprise and encourages thinking outside the box, emboldening others to believe they can create something amazing with as little as a piece of paper.

This three-dimensional anthropomorphic band is inspired by the history and inclusivity of the King Eddy and the community that come together in this space. She hopes her pieces depict the diversity, music, and community, while also having a good laugh among locals.

The King Eddy recently reopened last week and is the rock to this [Art]ios roll. They’re back with a bang with live music, new menus and new art.

Public art is central to the character of East Village. [Art]ios provides opportunities to both artists and restaurants, who have been hard hit throughout the pandemic to add colour, vibrancy and a visual escape into the streets of East Village. Get inspired by the concepts, creativity and detail as you discover [Art]ios around corners and rooftops of the neighbourhood.

Take advantage of the installations before they go at the end of patio season. East Village is never the same place twice so grab your crew, make a reso and enjoy the summer and art while it’s here.

UPDATE: October, 2020
That’s it that’s all folks, patio season is over and the art has been returned back to the artists. Thanks for taking a culinary artistic adventure with us!