With last Friday evening’s opening of their exhibit entitled Pure Persona at Ironwood Cider House, young artists Dillon Douglas and Chris Louis are looking to disrupt and reinvent Niagara’s culture.
The works on display from the two friends and collaborators are at the same time both complementary and in stark contrast to each other. Stylistically different, they take on similar themes of ambiguity, identity and, as their artists’ statement says, “the ideological, existential and social predicament of living within an epoch of a technologically advanced stage of capitalism, social media and neoliberalism.”
There’s a rock and roll element to the art they both make. Colourful, striking masks, evoking African themes, punctuate much of Louis’ work. In contrast, Douglas’ art often mixes Picasso-like shapes and colours with a sensibility pulled from graffiti.
“We started more similarly, because we were both influenced by (American artist Jean-Michel) Basquiat,” Douglas tells The Local, a sister publication of ThoroldToday. “Chris dove deeper into primitive neo expressionism, and I started getting into cubism and realism. We both experiment in different styles.”
Louis says he rarely uses a brush in his work, instead relying on more tactile tools such as pallet knives, painter spatulas, charcoal and oil pastels.
“A lot of it was inspired by the Harlem Renaissance,” Louis says of his work on display at Ironwood. “Post-World War I Black art was starting to make it to the forefront. It was them taking ownership from the colonizers, retelling their story. That’s why my figures are black, while the reds represent the Apollo Theatre and the Cotton Club.”
“We’re less influenced by Canadian art,” says the 29-year-old Douglas. “I think that’s where our disruption comes in. We don’t do a lot of landscapes. There’s a lot of influence from street culture.”
Louis, 30, picks it up, “For us, the message a lot of times is more important than the actual skill set or technical ability. That’s always at the forefront of our work. We try to do things a little differently.”
Neither Douglas or Louis set out originally to become artists. They both attended A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls and took very different paths after graduation.
Douglas earned a BA in English literature, then followed that up with a Masters degree in political science and philosophy from Western University. He was on track to pursue a PhD when he became disillusioned with academia and began looking for something else.
Meanwhile, Louis was a scholarship basketball player studying sales and marketing at Niagara College. When his basketball career was over, he felt he needed an outlet to express himself.
The two friends came together under the banner of a creative design and marketing studio called Krank Media House. Much of their work centred on helping kickstart the careers of other creatives, including artists, musicians and animators.
When they began renting a studio space in Niagara Falls, the creativity began to flow and the art started pouring out.
Louis still has studio space there, while Douglas has created a studio of his own in a house he rents on Victoria Street in Niagara-
on-the-Lake. They are also working out of a space in the new cultural hub currently under construction in Niagara Falls.
On a visit to Ironwood last summer to support a friend whose work was on exhibit, they met marketing and events manager Robyn Brown and expressed their interest in an exhibit of their own.
“We’re kind of opportunistic,” Douglas says. “Once something comes up we bite into it, sink our teeth into it to make sure it happens.”
Their opening event was a party, complete with their friend DJ Rennie spinning the tunes while the cider was flowing. It was a decidedly young crowd who showed up at Ironwood Friday night.
“If you look at the European scene,” Douglas says, “they have a different culture around art. We don’t have that here, really. We’re trying to build that up. The audience doesn’t always pre-
exist. We’re trying to build it. That’s another disruptive thing, building an audience of younger people who are now thinking about art in a new way.”
The Ironwood show is the fourth exhibit for the pair, their second in NOTL.
“Our work has been well-received,” says Louis. “It’s been refreshing for most people who have come to see our work.”
With Pure Persona on now until Feb. 28, both artists anticipate spending a lot more time at Ironwood in the coming months, walking collectors and other visitors through the exhibit. And they’re working on creating a collective art show in Niagara Falls for some time in 2023.
“It’s about making Niagara a cultural force to be reckoned with,” says Douglas. “That’s the mantra, that’s the goal, that’s the idea.”
