The Lulu Series: Instant Coffee Collective

Instant Coffee Artist Collective
Say Nothing in Bright Colours

Instant Coffee is a service-oriented artist collective based in Toronto and Vancouver. Through formal installations and event-based activities, it builds a public place to practice where ideas, materials and actions can be explored outside of the isolated studios and in a manner that renegotiates traditional exhibition structures, but is still supported by them.

In 2010/2011, Instant Coffee opened the Light Bar, a full-spectrum light bar installation and venue for light therapy, light lectures, light shows, light reading and light rock. Instant Coffee Light Bar is an ongoing art project that investigates the potential and power of light in a social context. In 2009, Instant Coffee exhibited the Disco Fallout Shelter, at the Toronto Sculpture Garden, and as part of Subvision, Hamburg; Nooks as part of How Soon is Now, Vancouver Art Gallery; Light Bar as part of Assume Nothing, New Social Practice, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; and Bright Future as part of 88 Blocks: Art on Main, a Public Art Commission by TransLink.

Currently, the collective is in process of completing several public art commissions including North Central Community Recreation Centre in Edmonton, South Hill in Vancouver and Camino Development in Richmond.

Instant Coffee members Cecilia Berkovic, Jinhan Ko, Khan Lee, Kelly Lycan, Kate Munro and Jenifer Papararo will discuss their work and answer questions.

More at www.instantcoffee.org

This talk will be preceded by a short performance by Guilian Liu, one of the world’s premiere pipa (lute) masters. Guilian graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, and was the first prize-winner of the Chinese National Instrumental Music Competition in 1989. She has performed in Europe, Asia and North America and was featured performing in the Oscar-winning documentary From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (1979). Before moving to Canada, Guilian was the director of the Shanghai Pipa Society. She is currently the artistic director of the Pearl Music Studio and performs with the ensemble Red Chamber.