By Jessica Godart
The Bunnyman Bridge Collective returns to Epicure Café in Fairfax Saturday to premiere its newest gallery, Panoplia.
The Bunnyman Bridge Collective takes its name from the urban legend of an axe-wielding pooka who warded off an encroaching suburbia in 1960’s Fairfax. Like its namesake, the Collective seeks to reshape suburbia through artistic expression and collaboration.
The Panoplia exhibition features work gathered from eight local artists and is curated by The Bunnyman Bridge Collective.
Artists Diana Adams, Alex Beck, Abner De Jesus, Ricardo “Gogue” D. Echevarria, Vanessa Glick, Karen Mullarkev, Jeff Duka and Allison Ries have contributed up to 40 pieces of artwork for the show, which The Bunnyman Collective described as “intoxicating blend of exciting local art.”
The artists were chosen by Epicure Café and The Bunnyman Bridge Collective’s curators; Jessica Kallista, Javier Padilla and Jason Davis. Kallista explained they found the artists in galleries around D.C., Maryland and NoVA.
Kallista said that she, along with her two other curators, began The Bunnyman Bridge Collective late last summer of 2013 as a way to create their own shows and make their own rules when it came to art. She described hers and her colleagues art as “a lot edgier” and wanted an outlet for artists of all kinds to showcase their work.
The title of the show itself is meant to describe the amount of variety of styles the show depicts. While the collection is made up of all paintings and mixed media the styles are vastly different, ranging from street art to abstract work and everything in between.
The vision of the collective goes into explaining how they”envision a more balanced Suburbia” where art shapes reality. The full vision can be read here.
“The title of the show speaks to the variety of really awesome art that’s happening in Northern Virginia,” said Kallista who also mentioned the meaning of the word ‘panoplia’ and how it meant “a vast array.”
Previously at Epicure was the collection, “Tell Me Something,” that was entirely the work of Kallista, Padilla and Davis. This was the first show that the collective put on and decided on Epicure because of it’s significance in their start. Kallista said that the three found themselves meeting there often and it was an epicenter for creativity.
Panoplia will open on Saturday, June 14 and will remain on display until August 2. During the opening reception the featured artists will be present to meet and talk with. While the art is on display it will also be available for purchase by interested buyers.
“Panoplia” by The Bunnyman Bridge Collective
Opening Reception
June 14, 7 p.m. to midnight
Epicure Café
11104 Lee Highway, Fairfax
