Blank Space, an Oslo visual art house that showcases work from emerging and established visual artists, is joining forces with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in the common goal of reinforcing the idea that comics are a valid form of art. Blank Space will be hosting an exhibition in pursuit of this goal March 20 – May 29, 2015, and is now seeking artists to donate work to benefit CBLDF.
They are seeking art in any form, whether it is original panels, sketches, roughs, whole pages, inked, pencils, colored, etc. The gallery would also appreciate any notes, thumbnails, or text related to the pieces. The supporting materials will be used to generate copy related to the process of making comics and will help gallery visitors understand the hard work that goes into making a narrative illustration. Blank Space hopes to donate 100% of the profit from the sale of donated art to CBLDF, but they are open to negotiation in regards to a percentage of the profit remaining with the original artist. Unless the artist requests the return of the donated pieces, all artwork and accompanying materials not sold during the exhibition will be forwarded to CBLDF for future auctions and fundraising events.
CBLDF has worked with creators such as Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Jeff Smith, and many more to help protect the right to make, publish, and read comics. Blank Space works tirelessly to redefine what most audiences are told art is, and they do this by hosting exhibitions that generally defy standard gallery representation, such as animations, illustrations, street art, special effects and film design, and many more — including comic art. Blank Space has had the pleasure of representing Sterling Hundley (Blue Collar / White Collar, Treasure Island, Society of Illustrators), Cliff Wallace (28 Days Later, Hellboy II, World War Z), and Mingjue Helen Chen (Paperman, Big Hero 6), and the gallery is currently working with Storm Studios (Dead Snow, Troll Hunter) and Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) for future exhibitions.
Current, past, and future comics and pop art-related exhibitions at the gallery include the following:
- Oct. 3 – Nov. 30, 2014 — The Spoils of Saint Hubris, Sterling Hundley
- Dec. 5, 2014 – Jan. 25, 2015 — The Dirty Art, Vol. 2 – A Celebration of Street Art
- Jan. 30 – March 15, 2015 —The Art of: Song of the Sea
- Mar. 20 – May 29, 2015 — Panels, Panels Everywhere – Comics and Narrative Art
- Jun. 5 – Aug. 28th 2015 — Harikrishnan Panicker
- Sep. 4 – Oct. 25, 2015 — Brenneriveien Illustrators Group Show
- Oct. 30 – Dec. 18, 2015 — Sigbjørn Lilleeng
- Jan .8 – Feb 28, 2016 — The Dirty Art Vol. 3
- Mar. 4 – May 2, 2016 — Neil Ross
- Jun. 2013 — Breaking Open
- Jul. 2013 — Civilization
- Aug. 2013 — Median
- Sept. 2013 — Sketchy
- Oct. 25, 2013 — “The Dirty Art – A Celebration of Norwegian Street Art”
- Nov. 29, 2013 — George Cwirko-Godycki
- Dec. 20, 2013 — Art For All
- Jan. 24 2014 — Cliff Wallace
- Feb. 28 – Apr. 27, 2014 — Leo Bugel “Layin’ it on Thick”
- May 9 – June 29, 2014 — Compositions, A closer look at the photographer’s mind
- Jul. 4th – Sep. 28, 2014 — The Big Review, Celebrating Over 1 Year in Oslo
Blank Space shared some images of the gallery and past exhibitions with CBLDF:
Please help Blank Space and CBLDF protect the free expression of comics! If you would like to donate, Blank Space needs confirmation of your involvement by February 1, 2015, and artwork will need to be delivered to the gallery no later than March 1, 2015. To donate or get more information, contact Liz Ramsey, the founder and director of Blank Space, by emailing blankspaceoslo@gmail.com.