
The first instalment of “Spoiled,” a new art project started by Kingston-based artist Francisco Corbett, is set to debut Thursday, March 2 at the Kingston School of Art & Window Art Gallery.
The project combines artists’ work across mediums, incorporating visual art, poetry, dance, and film. Corbett—who is usually vocal about his upcoming projects on social media—has been purposefully quiet about the development of “Spoiled.”
“I really wanted to do these projects that I could sort of call secret projects,” Corbett said in an interview with The Journal.
“Normally, when I’m advertising an event, I’m very loud about it on Instagram, I talk about it every time I get the chance […] This time around, though, I wanted to add a bit of mystique around it because I’ve been so vocal.”
Although when people hear “Spoiled,” the first thing that might come to mind is taking out the compost, the name is intentionally duplicitous. It signals the grotesque while opening channels of regeneration.
“Spoiled is kind of this idea of getting back in touch with yourself,” Corbett said.
“Who are you when you’re alone? You go back to your shadows, you become spoiled. But it’s actually a way of healing and being with yourself.”
Bringing together multiple mediums to form a single project could seem daunting, but Corbett has found working with other artists who are incredibly passionate about their work to be an entertaining, informative experience.
“These artists are very involved in what they’re doing, which is how we can communicate and get on the same page, and I can learn about their medium and they can learn about mine.”
Through synthesizing the work of artists who create with different mediums, “Spoiled” investigates how artistic forms translate into each other: how poetry represents visual art or how dance might work in film.
“I wanted to have my ideas translated back to me in the way they created their art,” Corbett said. “I want to see what type of poetry my painting will generate.”
“That was my original intention: I just wanted to have these other artists from very, very different mediums from me show me what they thought of my ideas through their medium, and then I would be inspired by what they showed me.”
For Corbett, working with other art forms in a single project has offered opportunities to learn from his peers. Conversing with the other artists and seeing how they responded to his work allowed him to think about art differently while maintaining his artistic style.
“[‘Spoiled’] hasn’t necessarily made me paint differently, it’s just inspired me to think differently.”
Though each artist involved in “Spoiled” approaches their work from a different medium, a shared love of art has driven the way they create. Corbett hopes to incorporate what he’s learned into whichever medium of art he’s working with.
“These [artists] are just excited to create work, and that’s where my work stems from that’s where my medium is birthed from: excitement,” Corbett said.
“The medium has changed because I’m changing, you know. I’m affected which means my paintings will be affected, and hopefully the other way around.”
The first short film of “Spoiled” debuts March 2 at 7 pm at the Kingston School of Art & Window Art Gallery. The showing is free for anyone interested in attending.
Alternatively, Corbett will post the short film on his Instagram account, which can be viewed here.
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