Art / News
Gallery, pop-up market and art space opens
An artist from Italy has opened a gallery, pop-up shop and art space in Old Market.
L’étoile Studio on West Street will play host to creative courses, a monthly arts and crafts market and an exhibition space, aiming to give a voice to underrepresented artists in our city.
The space is the brainchild of Marta Isabella Reina (@mireinart), a visual artist and art tutor whose work is inspired by folklore, mythology, religion and magic.
is needed now More than ever
Reina, who grew up near Milan and now lives in St Paul’s, said she wanted to offer “a space that combines art and crafts with spirituality and wellbeing”.
Reina’s studio has hosted art classes earlier in 2023 but in September the space will officially open to the public with an exhibition towards the end of the month
“I could have thought about having the space for myself only or turning it into a shop or a gallery, but I love to connect people and want to share the studio with people and artists, to give them a platform,” the former graphic designer, researcher, associate lecturer and teaching assistant told Bristol24/7.
“There are a lot of arts and crafts shops in Bristol but I always see the same items.
“I’m not criticising this, but there are so many people who don’t have a space to sell their wares so I hope L’toile will help this.”
View this post on Instagram
Reina arrived in Bristol six years ago and became inspired to pursue her creativity.
She said: “I noticed Bristol has a kind of creative artistic vibe which really motivated me me.
“I was in a good career as a researcher, but I was suffering as I couldn’t express my creativity much.”
“The idea now is to dedicate myself completely to the art as a tutor and manager of the space.”
It was during the pandemic that Reina’s art began focussing on folklore, mythology, religion and magic
The name of the studio, L’étoile, translates to star from French and comes from Reina’s passion for tarot.
Reina explained: “A lot of the iconography of the tarot can been seen in Italy in churches, buildings and frescos – everywhere – so I was pulled by the symbolism of the cards.”
“L’étoile can be seen on one of the cards which shows a woman who is throwing water into water: the archetype of the giver.”
“Like the card, I wanted L’étoile Studio to make people feel good and free.
“The idea is also to create a constellation so people who come together here work as a connected force in harmony.”
The studio is found at 18 West Street
Courses planned for autumn include creativity Creative Flow Club by Elly Hopkins, Tarot Reading Course and Vintage Still Life Drawing by Reina and Make a Macramé Landscape Tapestry by Aggy.
The next market dates for L’étoile’s pop-up shop are September 9 to 10, October 14 to 15 and November 11 to 12.
In the gallery, Reina is organising an illustration exhibition by local artists on the last weekend of September. An application form for artists who would like to exhibit their work can be found here.
The venue’s first solo-exhibition will take place from the November 23 to 26 and is called Black Paintings: Post-Pandemic Collage and Mixed Media by Ergo Phizmiz.
For a full list of events taking place at L’étoile Studio, visit www.letoilestudio.com
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
- Inside the gallery inside a shop
- Historic building in Old Market set to undergo major redevelopment
- Exhibitions from Bristol Photo Festival to be staged across the city
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
