Author: Israel

November 7, 2018: Income Is $15 Per Hour. 

On January 26th 2018, the Minimum Wage Review Committee recommended the minimum wage in Nova Scotia increase to $11/hour up from $10.85/hour for the experienced rate and $10.50/hour up from $10.35/hour for the inexperienced rate. If only! #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes 

November 6, 2018: Haven Is A Tragic Case. 

Do not ever think that the grass is greener on the other side because you don’t know the full story. My approach is to crave what I already own. Every time I’ve tried to reach for a “haven” because things look so much better on that side, I get bitten. Don’t make my mistake… love what you already own. Learn to be content. #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes 

November 5, 2018: Murder In A Relationship. 

Relationships can be amazing or they can suck. My thing is if your relationship sucks… kids or no, it’s ok to leave. Sure do not just check out because things are not so rosy. Stick it out. Work at it but if you’ve done all you possibly can and shit still sucks then it’s ok to leave. One thing that isn’t ok though is to take the “kill your partner” route. No matter how expensive the divorce is, don’t murder someone. #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes

November 4, 2018: This Is A Sneak Peek. 

These days, trailers are having trailers. Before you know it, we’ll have trailers, for trailers, of trailers about the trailer of movies. Just wait for it. One thing about sneak peeks… if you show me the best part of the film, why should I still go to the cinema? Unless of course it’s Fast and Furious or anything made by @michaelbay then I’ll go see the film trailer, sneak peek or no #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes 

November 3, 2018: Visitors Will Benefit. 

The global immigration crisis is scary. When leader can stir up unfounded fears of foreigners to get votes… and it works, over and over again, one has to sit back and think or at least ask: How did we get here. My grandmother says: when you have visitors make sure they feel welcome, make sure they feel safe and give them the best treatment. If only. #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes

November 2, 2018: We Have A Team.

If you set out to do anything important, you will need a team. It is important to make sure you choose the right people for the right position when forming your team. I am lucky to have @tori.m.fleming making sure my residency @centreforarttapes is a wonderful experience and so far so awesome! #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes

November 1st, 2018: Halifax Is…

Halifax means different things to almost everyone you ask. While most are positive things, others are not as positive. To me, Halifax is home. It is safe. It is my little corner in the universe and it is inspiration for a lot of my work. It was only right to start off my residency with a tip of the hat to my beautiful city: HALIFAX #MyBlackOutPoems @centreforarttapes

Austin Kleon created Newspaper Blackouts and it inspired me to start this project.

As the Cyber Social Artist in Residence at Centre For Art Tapes (CFAT). I want to use this project #MyBlackoutPoems to connect with other artists in different media and to explore how we can tell more stories using just a few words left after blacking out the page.

I will share the news here and will also update the Instagram page for this project.

Welcome to my journey.

Israel Ekanem.
Cyber Social Artist in Residence CFAT