Instant Coffee is a Canadian

artist collective An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything t ...

based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Formed in 2000, the collective's membership has undergone a number of changes. Its most active members have been Cecilia Berkovic, Jinhan Ko, Kelly Lycan, Jenifer Papararo, and Khan Lee. Previous members include Kate Monro, Jon Sasaki, Timothy Comeau and

Darren O'Donnell Darren O'Donnell (born 1965) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, performance artist, playwright, director, actor and urban planner. He is the artistic director of the Mammalian Diving Reflex theatre company, has written many plays including ''A Sui ...

Artistic approach

Instant Coffee uses the format of the art exhibition as a framework for its practice. Precedents include the 1960s art events known as

Happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow in 1959 to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happening" i ...

s, "a performance, event or situation meant to be considered art." As with the Happening, Instant Coffee stages events that "bring artists, writers and musicians together in combinations rarely encountered elsewhere." However, Instant Coffee updates this idea by designating their activities as "service-oriented." The use of corporate-style language is deliberate and is an aspect of the collective’s creation of a strong

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

identity. Instant Coffee establishes its brand through the use of a specific graphic style on their website, event invitations, posters, publications and related ephemera. As a further expression of their brand, the collective uses a consistent, self-reflective and ironic, tone in all written communications. For instance, the tagline "Instant Coffee: it doesn't have to be good to be meaningful", plays on the collective’s real world namesake, fake coffee, while promoting their utopian belief in inclusiveness, as opposed to more traditional artworld modes of selection and exclusion. Like all brands, Instant Coffee has worked hard to ensure certain ideas are associated with its name. The Instant Coffee brand evokes feelings of conviviality; it’s self-aware but fun. This brand identity is the result of collective’s consistent production of art-related events in which the distinction between artwork and audience is blurred. This strong emphasis on the social aspect of art connects Instant Coffee to the broader artworld trend of relational aesthetics. Often an Instant Coffee event consists of works made in a single format that flies below the radar of medium specificity, such as the bumper sticker or stencil, to allow a broad range of artists, and the artistically-inclined, to participate. The Urban Disco Trailer, a retrofitted camping trailer, was an early platform used to present artworks in this mode. In more recent projects, the collective has focused on creating a participatory environment for its audience. The Instant Coffee Bass-Bed, contained a subwoofer connected to a sound system that made the bed vibrate. Instant Coffee’s Nooks created four moveable replicas of a kitchen nook, complete with window, inside of which audiences could sit and enjoy a series of art-related events. An ongoing project, the Light Bar reconstructs the gallery as a bar complete with full spectrum light therapy units to fight

Seasonal affective disorder Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder subset in which people who typically have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year. It is commonly, but not always, associated w ...

Instant Coffee listserv

Artists and art organizations can place notices on one of Instant Coffee’s free email listservs. Current subscribers number at over 8000 on lists operating in Vancouver, Alberta, Toronto, and Halifax.

Public commissions

* ''Instant Coffee Disco Fallout Shelter'' * ''A Bright Future'' * ''Nothing Happens in Good Weather'' * ''Perpetual Sunset''

References

External links

Instant Coffee

Instant Coffee at Art Metropole

Instant Coffee at Henningsen Contemporary

Instant Coffee: Light Bar at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Instant Coffee at the Art Gallery of Ontario

{{Authority control Canadian artist groups and collectives