We are delighted to announce the official poster for #Exit623, original artwork by local artists from That Gallery in Festival Place, Basingstoke.
Exit 6 commissioned local artists Rachel Davis and Fátima Pantoja to design and create an original piece of artwork to form the official poster for Exit 6 Film Festival 2023.
The project was first commissioned at the end of 2022, when our Creative Director Carl Austin met with Rachel and Fátima to discuss the vision and purpose of the project, working closely ever since to bring it to fruition.
On the process of creating the piece, Rachel said, "Fátima and I had a three hour zoom call and came up with 6 concepts that we presented back to the Exit 6 team. We were all on the same creative page from day 1 and it just seemed to gel. We were thrilled that 'Popcorn Party' was the chosen concept.
"Fátima and I initially worked together digitally, then I got to do the actual painting before handing back over to Fátima to add her marks, edit, and modify digitally to supply back in various formats.
Fátima said, "I remember that after our zoom call we kept sending each other images and more concepts and ideas kept coming up non stop! That is what excitement does to a creative mind! It was hilarious."
"We wanted to start with an actual painting rather than doing it all digital, we all wanted, that ‘real’ feeling to it. I then took the painting and develop it a bit further digitally, adding textures, adjusting bits and playing with the different compositions so it would fit the different formats nicely."
Rachel added, "The end result belongs to us all and fuses together our shared love of colour, shape, film, art, and all things Basingstoke. It’s been a blast being part of this project team. I have felt excited since the four of us had an initial chat at Willows Coffee House. We all share a passion and belief in what Basingstoke has to offer culturally and hope this is evident in our work."
On the final piece, Carl said, "We wanted something that would reflect the fun and vibrancy of the festival, while also reflecting Basingstoke as our home town. I particularly love the inclusion of the Festival Place skyline."
"It's been great working with two local creatives who were buzzing with ideas from the start. It's wonderful to have an original piece of art, something that is so personal to our festival, representing this year's event. The plan is now to continue each year with a new and original piece of work created by local artists."
The original painting will be on display at the upcoming Basingstoke Comic Con where the Exit 6 team will be exhibiting 19-21 May, before returning to That Gallery ahead of this year's festival in September.
Follow Rachel and Fátima on Instagram: @racheldavis.artist / @fatimapantoja.artist
Follow That Gallery on Instagram: @thatgallerybasingstoke