It is a dance set across abandoned Ottawa and Quebec buildings, concrete painted in graffiti. It is underground art.
On March 1, local solo dance artist Artin Avaznia hosted a screening event for his latest project, The Underground Series, a six-part dance and visual compilation that showcases the work of underground artists in Ottawa.
A self-taught dancer, Avaznia works together with photographers and videographers in the city to create dance videos.
His event connected musicians, photographers, videographers, and art-lovers from across the city—he even worked with local businesses, with the event being held at local coffee shop-chain, Happy Goat.
Underground art is anything that falls outside of the realms of mainstream. This can apply to music, artwork, media, and more—anything that’s outside-of-the-box. Underground art can encompass any genre and any style, and it’s always unique.
“You come across these amazing people who are willing to allow the scene of the Ottawa arts movement to continue to grow,” he said.
Avaznia attracted young and vibrant people to the coffee shop and it was filled with brightly coloured clothes and excited chatter. But, the room fell silent when his videos of intricate dancing and visuals.
“It’s phenomenal. I love it. He’s doing so much to push Ottawa forward and he’s bringing everyone together and just doing something really different than everyone else,” said Jacob Bleecker, Happy Goat employee.
Bleecker moved to Toronto for a short time and has now returned to Ottawa specifically because of the city’s art scene. He said he can see how fast it is growing and wants to be a part of it during this time.
For years, Ottawa has seen its local artists flock to major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Los Angeles because it’s believed the large art scenes provide a better chance at succeeding in the industry.
“[Ottawa is] still unfortunately a little overshadowed by other major cities around us and we don’t get the proper credit that I feel like we deserve,” Avaznia said. “But, that’s the point of these projects—to highlight these amazing things going on in the city and to really shine a light on them.”
Today, more local artists are choosing to stay in Ottawa and the underground art scene is creeping its way to the surface.
“I’m proud of these people doing this because it inspires a lot of people like me,” Andrea Galindo, an attendee and local videographer, said.
Galindo added that the videos were something that she has been looking for in the city for a long time.
“I think it’s a good thing that they are trying to make it grow here,” she said. “It’s good they are making people stay here and find art here—because there is art here.”
Giacomo Oliviero is a local photographer who worked on The Underground Series.
“With the collaboration that we see nowadays, I think we’re in a state where we’re going to be able to see some artists really become successful,” Giacomo said.
Avaznia said sticking together and giving support embodies what it means to be a local artist.
It is at these events where underground artists from across the city can gather to support the art industry they so want the city to be recognized for.
Tina Sol, one of the project’s videographers, said artists moving from Ottawa to Toronto for a better chance simply haven’t done their research.
“Ottawa’s filled with so many [unique] individuals like that, but people leave too quickly sometimes,” she said.
“Its art scene is so beautiful. It’s thriving, it’s growing, and it’s just going to elevate itself further if we continue to collaborate in the way we did, and we continue to share our energy together.”
Photo by Michael Edgar. Left to Right: Kalin Anguelov (Videographer), Tina Sol, Artin Avaznia, Sofia Snook (Videographer/Photographer), Giacomo Oliviero (Videographer/Photographer)
