This weekend saw the official opening of the Belgo’s newest gallery: Maison Kasini on the fourth floor. Maybe ‘opening’ isn’t quite the right term – rather, the gallery was ‘unwrapped’. On the day before the grand gala opening, performance artist Emma Waltraud Howes wrapped the gallery in brown packing paper, and on Saturday she slowly revealed the gallery’s walls, art, and Art Shop, strip by strip.
On display are works from contemporary local and US artists, for example Yvon Goulet‘s vivid urban scenes painted on recycled election posters, Clement Yeh‘s elegant wooden sculptures which deconstruct the aesthetics of commercial store signage, and Carol MacDonald‘s haunting mixed media work which includes collage and fiber art.
However, Maison Kasini is more than a gallery. A few steps into the room you’ll see the exhibition space open up into a store area which sells small art products such as chap books, art books, zines, and limited edition photo art, triggering the irresistible urge to browse. It’s unusual to be allowed to touch stuff in a gallery setting; the Art Shop turns art into an object, an accessible product which inhabits a familiar environment. Suddenly, art becomes something you can take home in a shopping bag.
Besides being a gallery and an art store, Maison Kasini wears a third hat: it is also an on-demand print store, aimed at artist’s needs to produce quality prints at low print-runs. Kasini’s in-house photographer can document your artwork and then you can turn it into greeting cards, books, posters, or anything else you may think of.
In short, Maison Kasini is an innovative new art space and well worth a visit. Welcome to the Belgo, guys!

Maison Kasini
space 408
group show
Commencement
http://maisonkasini.com

PS: Check out the interview with Maison Kasini’s director/owner Ric Kadour by Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand on CKUT here:
http://zekeontheair.blogspot.com/2009/09/zekes-alternate-art-interview-with-rick.html