Fire Gallery: First-ever pop-up art gallery happening in London

On March 30, from 7 to 11 p.m., there will be a special art gallery popping up in London for the first time. Wondering where it will be located? Unfortunately, that information will not be released until the day of the exhibit, hence the idea of the gallery as a “Pop-Up.”

Mitra Shreeram, a former Marketing student from Fanshawe, came across a space he could use for showcasing local artists as well as share a passion for art that he has been honing for many years. One the day of March 30, the gallery's blog (firegallerygallery.blogspot.com) will broadcast the location of the art exhibit.

“This pop-up art gallery is the first one to happen in London. It's a completely new concept that spawned within the past few years or so. Basically, it's a temporary space and it's only open for two, three days, sometimes even one day, or even a few hours. And that brevity of the time ensures the urgency of the event and the unique aspect of it,” explained Shreeram. The event will be held for two days in downtown London.

“Some of the local artists are very interesting: one artist has inflatable sculptures, so it's inflatable pieces of art made out of plastic that she has assembled herself. Another artist has yarn sculptures that are made from yarn. There's going to be one artist, Gavin Moore, doing gigantic origami. And then there are a lot of artists that are much acclaimed in the London scene, such as a major one, Peter Thompson, who has a show at the Michael Gibson Gallery downtown.”

The concept of titling the gallery “Fire Gallery” came from a former University of Western Ontario Art Professor, whose art was involved in a fire recently, as was Shreeram's apartment. From the tragedy of both events, the concept of having a “Fire Gallery” was cultivated, turning something devastating into something wonderful and celebratory.

For more information or to read the list of contributing artists, visit firegallerygallery.blogspot.com.