Carded! encourages art fans to interact at Hot Art Wet City

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      Meeting fellow art lovers can be tough in a big city, but Hot Art Wet City has made it a little bit easier. The sixth annual Carded! turns the beauty of good art into an interactive event.

      At Carded!, people can buy packets of five cards for $5. Each card features the work of a different local artist. In order to get your favourite cards, you’ll have to trade with people.

      Chris Bentzen, gallery owner and cofounder of Carded!, explains that the idea came out of their other show, Hot One Inch Action, where people can buy one-inch buttons to trade with each other.

      “We wanted to find another way to give the artists a bit more space, and we liked the idea of trading cards,” he says. “We liked the idea that we could force interaction in an art show.

      “Usually, everybody kind of pairs off or groups up in their little cliques and talks amongst themselves, but at this show, and at the button show, everybody has to talk. There’s nothing keeping them from talking.”

      The show features the work of 50 local artists, both professional and amateur. Bentzen doesn’t discriminate between the two. “If we think it is good enough to be in the show, it will be in the show,” he says.

      The night can get crazy, so Bentzen recommends that if you want to come, that you show up early. “Past events like the one we did last year almost got shut down,” he says, “so that’s the kind of crowd we can expect.”

      Carded! will take place at Hot Art Wet City on Saturday (April 26). The event starts at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

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