Button up your blazers, brush off your bowties and bust out your best ballgown at the All Black Wear Gallery Affair — the annual opening showcase for the 5 Artists 1 Love (5A1L) art exhibition.
In its early years, the event welcomed around 300 attendees. Once the all-black attire dress code was introduced, it flourished into a fashion-forward phenomenon — attracting over 1,200 guests in each of the recent years.
Darren W. Jordan, exhibition curator, expects no less for this year’s event. Guests can gather with the gifted artists, gaze at their artwork, groove to live music, graze on catered grub, and catch a glimpse of a few yet-to-be-disclosed surprises.
“If you go in, you can expect to see really well-dressed and uniquely dressed people from all different walks of life wearing black… there’s a little bit of everything,” he says.
“It’s just a vibe, man. I’m telling you — it’s very unique.”
This annual exhibition debuted almost two decades ago at the now-closed Tu Gallery (located where Duchess Bake Shop now lives). Since then it has only grown, finding a larger home at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Jordan curated 5A1L after he “didn’t see any representation of Black artists in our city, particularly in galleries.”
“I also thought it was particularly strange because I didn’t see anything around Black History Month.”
Every year, 5A1L hosts five different Black Canadian artists from Edmonton, made up of “different aspects of the diaspora. So you’d have somebody from Jamaica, or Lagos, or a Black Canadian who’s been here for generations… and you’d never see two artists that did the same [art] style.”
“When you walk in the room it’s very diverse. Five different styles, five different people.”
The exhibition will run at the Art Gallery of Alberta from February 21 to March 30 this year.
The All Black Wear Gallery Affair is about turning art spaces into invitations, not intimidations.
“I believe that people in our community don’t feel that they have business holding space in those venues, that it’s not for them… and I do not agree with that. I think that’s perhaps an image that may have been portrayed at one point, but that’s not the case. It’s important that people from… I say ‘my community’ because you take care of your family first, but all communities should have a sense that these are public spaces that they have a right to occupy and populate and perform at.”
The All Black Wear Gallery Affair event is free of cost, a deliberate choice by Jordan to ensure accessibility. A few hours before the event, there is also a tour of the exhibition from Jordan himself — admission for the tour is free for Albertan students and children under 17, and under $10 for others.
“Whether you’re a single parent, a student, or a successful business person, you should have access to arts spaces… and sometimes, for some people, money is a barrier.”
The event isn’t just about gathering a crowd — it’s about showcasing Black artistic talent that makes Edmonton shine.
“Guests will see some of this amazing talent the city has to offer…. it’s always my focus to uplift my community, and also to uplift the tremendous amount of talent that is nestled in the city.”
Paint it black at the All Black Wear Gallery Affair on February 22.
