Gaia to Curate Murals for O+ Festival in Kingston, N.Y.

International street artist Gaia, whose 2013 “Artemis Emerging from the Quarry” mural for O+ Festival in Kingston, N.Y., continues to inspire residents and visitors, has been named curator of murals for this year’s festival, which takes place Oct. 9-11.

The O+ Festival is very much in line with Gaia’s artistic practice, he says in a StudiO+ artist profile: “It is extending not only the broader scope of the healthcare system and who is included and excluded, but it is also about a more organic approach to how we react and interact and be with one another in a nonviolent capacity.”

Gaia’s studio work, installations and gallery projects have been exhibited throughout the world, including The Baltimore Museum of Art, Rice Gallery and Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive. His street work has been documented and featured in several books on urban art, including “Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art” (Berlin, 2010). Gaia in 2014 was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Art and Style.

Gaia as curator will continue to build on the stunning work that has been gifted to Kingston by artists such as Lmnopi, Nils Westergard, Matt Pleva, and Jack Dishel in collaboration with Vor 138.

He will introduce residents of the small Hudson River city to highly-skilled artists whose work will spur dialogue and inspire a commitment to action in regard to issues of social justice, says Joe Concra, executive director of the O+ Festival.

“Gaia’s belief in the power of murals to affect change, coupled with his deep understanding of street art and its creators, will help the O+ Festival demonstrate to the community how the arts are connected to wellness,” Concra says.

This year’s theme is: “The Other”.

“The Other” is everything that is not “I” or “Self” or “Mine”​. It is what “I” am not, what “I” don’t identify with, like, or want. It is the shadow, the undesired. It is a construct to keep us separated. It is what defines us. It is a lie. It is ever shifting. “The Other” tells us who to hate. “The Other” is our fear. We choose and decide what is ours, and discard “The Other”.​

Selected 2015 O+ Festival artists will have access to complimentary health and wellness care from doctors, dentists, chiropractors, homeopaths, massage therapists, psychotherapists and many more outstanding providers during the October weekend.

​About the O+ Festival: The non-profit O+ Festival connects musicians, artists, and health & wellness providers for weekend-long celebrations featuring concerts and performances, art making, and wellness offerings for the entire community.

Interested in volunteering, sponsoring this year’s festival, and/or hosting an artist or musician in your home? Please e-mail: kingston@opositivefestival.org