Alberta Craft Discover Gallery

10186 106 St NW, Edmonton AB

Prairie Star Deck — AJA Louden

Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

AJA Louden, Mother Study, 2022, Hand-tufted 100% natural wool sourced from Canadian mills.

Program Description

Edmonton artist AJA Louden shifts his focus from painting to textiles to explore ideas grounded in Afrofuturism that consider the cyclical nature of power, inspired by science fiction and historical paintings. Louden was recently artist in residence at Fern’s School of Craft where he turned his attention to creating large scale tapestries rich with his signature imagery. In his new work, Louden examines the roles of craft in Black communities and the history of craft in rural Alberta in particular. 

Artist Information

AJA Louden (AJA sounds like ‘Ajay”, short for Adrian Joseph Alexander) is an artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Treaty 6, Edmonton, Alberta). Born to a family tree with roots split between Jamaica and Canada, Louden is a child of contrast. Bold and arresting freehand spray-painted portraits of pop culture figures from Jimi Hendrix and Richard Nixon to local heroes like Rollie Miels often alternate with hand-lettered designs and vibrant patterns borne of a background in graffiti. Louden looks to bring a multifaceted, collaborative, and multi-narrative approach to contemporary urban muralism.  

A background in the sciences, including biology, chemistry, psychology and sociology is a major influence on the concepts and processes behind his work. A few years of designing custom metal signage and a childhood full of building wooden skateboard ramps intensified AJA’s interest in industrial design and the built environment. His work can be found around the province of Alberta where he lives and works. A travel lover, Louden has also created work in several other countries, including Berlin, Barcelona, Florence, Prague, and the UK. 

ACCESIBILITY

FREE visitor & customer parking at the back of the building. Our Edmonton location is not wheelchair accessible.

Potential barriers to physically access our building include the following:

There are seven steps to access the front entry to the Shop and Discovery Gallery, with railings on either side. The Feature Gallery on the lower level can only be accessed by stairs. There are two flights of stairs divided by a landing — one consisting of seven steps, the other ten steps. There is a railing on one side of the stairs to the lower gallery. If you need assistance accessing the building, please call us for support at 780-488-5900 prior to entry and our staff will assist you.