Wall Candy NOIR is a two-day market for high-end art, giving artists an opportunity to “meaningfully showcase and sell their work,” in the words of NOIR organizer Andrea Elena.
Photo: Capital Content.
The sold-out vernissage on Friday night is a combination of visual, performance, and gastronomic art in the form of a masquerade ball, with music by Rebecca Noelle and live painting by An Nguyen, plus food from several prestigious restaurants in Ottawa, including Gitanes, Aiana, and Le Poisson Bleu.
The main exhibition day on Saturday will feature over 50 exhibiting artists, many from Ottawa. Elena drew attention to Christina Lovisa, Wall Candy’s founder; international-selling artist Lori Mirabella; Kate Taylor; Nicole Allen, who has been featured on HGTV; and landscape painter Sherry Park as big names exhibiting this weekend. Elena’s artwork will also be for sale, as will work by Nguyen, after their live painting at the vernissage.
“I would say that Wall Candy is a very affordable, full-service show that is also indoors,” which is a bit of a rarity, says Elena. “You either get an affordable show … so you’re paying for the privilege of being at the space but not for anything else, and if there’s inclement weather, then it’s at your own risk. If you are doing an indoor show, for one we have very limited indoor space, and they are also usually run by art associations which operate as charities or not-for-profits, so they don’t have a large budget for promotion.”
“Wall Candy is an opportunity to be a part of a show that has a broad marketing campaign; we’re trying to bring something that we don’t have a lot of in Ottawa,” says Elena. Wall Candy is also significantly more affordable than other indoor full-service shows, such as those in Toronto, which often cost artists up to (or even over) $3,000 to participate in. Wall Candy exhibitor costs are under $500.
The vernissage is a masquerade ball. Photo: Capital Content.
There is also a silent auction, with funds going to the Queensway Carleton Hospital.
The vernissage is sold out—with a wait list—and projected numbers for the general-admission exhibition are between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors.
Wall Candy started in 2018 and grew over the years, including a 2021 outdoor exhibition. The shows are artist-run, with founder Lovisa and organizer Elena both practicing artists.
All in all, Wall Candy NOIR Expo will offer Ottawa art connoisseurs a chance to purchase high-end art from a market that is affordable for artists.
Wall Candy NOIR takes place Friday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park. More information, including a full list of exhibiting artists, can be found here.
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