New app designed to make art more inclusive to be brought to life in Hackney Central exhibition
Roots Square by Sabina Silver. Image: Sabina Silver / courtesy BRUSHWRK
An art app will be brought to life in Hackney Central tonight in a celebration of Black female artists in London.
The event at Paper Dress Vintage on Mare Street from 7.30pm, giving attendees the chance to take in a variety of artworks, enjoy music, and chat to like-minded art buffs.
BRUSHWRK is an art app designed to bring art lovers together while giving artists an avenue through which to sell their work.
Founder Odie Edo-Osiage said: “I’d always thought about reasons why art is so exclusive and only a certain age, cultural and social demographic really participate fully in it.
“In the middle of lockdown, I decided to make an attempt at tackling this problem and built BRUSHWRK. While we’re only a little over a year old, it has been an incredible journey growing our community of really talented artists and supporting them how we can.
“We’ve learned so much and are super excited to apply those learnings to do bigger and better things and be an even greater help for artists.”
Showcasing the work of two London-based artists, the BRUSHWRK exhibition will shine a spotlight on painter Sabina Silver and self-taught acrylic artist Sosina.
Silver is a British-Ghanaian artist for whom painting has long been a form of therapy.
With a strong focus on portraiture and a unique use of monochrome contrasted with more vibrant colours, Silver explores the Ghanaian concept of ‘Gye w’ani’, meaning enjoying oneself.
Silver looks to create work from joy in spite of the major events in which much of her work was created, whether it be the coronavirus pandemic or the rise in popularity Black Lives Matter movement as a result of multiple devastating deaths.
Sosina describes her own art as “an exploration of female and black identity through the use of bright acrylic paint”.
Her elaborately-patterned artwork, much like Silver, seeks to focus on the joy in her exploration of identity and the self.
BRUSHWRK positions itself as the art world’s answer to SoundCloud for music and Depop for fashion – a way of making the industry and its products accessible both for creator and customer.
The online marketplace also hosts a blog, featuring artist spotlights and tips on how to sell your artworks online.
The two artists’ work can be viewed and purchased on the BRUSHWRK website here.
You can find tickets to the event, which asks for donations upon reservation, here.