Stirring the Senses: Teaspoon Projects in Evolving the Art Experience
Written by Sandy Aziz
Ditch the hushed galleries and solitary contemplation. Enter Teaspoon Projects – a fresh multidisciplinary art initiative that is designed to stir up how we experience art. The project is all about luring us into a world where we can simultaneously connect with art and community.
“A Thousand-Pointed Star”, the debut exhibition launched in February, wasn’t just a display of captivating canvases. It brought together emerging artists working across performance, mosaic, sculpture, snow globes, food, and more. Adding another layer, artist and model Amrit Singh created a custom wearable outfit for curator Gigi Surel, based on The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. While Singh regularly creates wearable artwork, this piece wove in personal elements, including the Teaspoon Projects logo – making it an extension of both the exhibition’s themes and the art itself.
“When I saw Amrit’s paintings come to life on-and-off the canvas through one of the exhibiting artists, Jacob Clayton, I knew I wanted that energy for the show. It felt like a way to carry and wear the exhibition’s spirit,” says Surel, reminiscing about how the wearable art was also a tangible representation of identity and the hidden, luminous self that Lispector explored. Fittingly, this also displayed the seamless intersection between fashion, art, and personal expression.
This is what really sets Teaspoon Projects apart. It is beyond just a series of exhibitions – it’s about caring for the art, the artist behind it, and the audience. Surel intentionally curates immersive experiences around each artist, integrating workshops that invite participation, performances that provoke the senses, readings that trigger curiosity, and interactive events that cultivate connection. These aren’t passive viewings; they’re multisensory experiences breaking down traditional barriers between artist, artwork, and audience.
Following 𝒟𝓊𝑒𝓉𝓈, a duo exhibition in May co-curated by Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell and Dwayne Coleman alongside Mariana Lemos and Surel, Teaspoon Projects will release a publication of the same name. Designed by Plan B and published by Folium, the book will launch alongside an evening of performances at the ICA. Contributions come from Gurung-Russell Campbell, Coleman, Divine Southgate-Smith, Filipa de Rocha Nunes, James Jordan Johnson, Kyle Hulwa-Ostrander, Melanie Sheiner, Mariana Lemos, and Gigi Surel, among others.
Looking ahead, Teaspoon Projects continues to explore intersections across the arts while grounding itself in community – solidifying its reputation as a dynamic force. Stirring the senses, sparking conversation, and celebrating shared creativity, the initiative reminds us that art is living, breathing, and constantly shifting – much like the community that surrounds it.
