N.Y. artist shows off art at Image Factory

Belize might not be inundated with a steady stream of art shows like galleries abroad, but we definitely get the strange, the colourful and the unique. This Friday night, the Image Factory is hosting an exhibition that’s sure to blend into the Belizean art scene.

Kim Baranowski, Artist

“The title of the show comes from a popular guide book that’s used throughout the world by a lot of my friends who consider themselves responsible tourists or responsible travellers that are interested in specific cultures and you know, natural wonders of different parts of the world.”

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

According to artist Kim Baranowski, her show: Lonely Planet, consists of scenes both real and unimaginable. The idea is to highlight the impact of changes in the environment worldwide.

Kim Baranowski

“The postcards are depicting images that are not real. They are entirely fabricated by myself. So you would never find these things in Belize, but they talk about the things that tourists are interested in. Be it the beautiful vista of the hills in Cayo, or a shot that appears to be coming from the barrier reef or the cayes and also the postcards representing various orchids. But all of them are fabricated; nothing depicting is an actual thing.”

Baranowski says she was inspired to do the show after making four trips to Belize.

Kim Baranowski

“A lot of the work responds directly to my experience with being a tourist in Belize. This is my fourth time being in Belize, so becoming very familiar with people and certain locations, a lot of the work kind of sprung up from that. And more specifically, the way that Belize and different aspects of Belizean nature is appropriated and formed and framed by tourist industry specifically. So it’s all framed in the view of tourism.”

The show officially opens on Friday at the Image Factory. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.