LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The work of six young artists is part of the newest exhibit at the OSC Gallery in Fort Simpson.

Titled "Systems," the show contains the work of Thomas Simpson School students Josh Baton, Leanna Sanguez, Kyle Norwegian, Joey Allen Jr., Charles Gargan and Amber Erasmus. Each piece displayed in the gallery is the artists' take on the theme of systems.

Josh Baton, standing with his work titled One World, One Believer, is one of the Thomas Simpson School students whose work is part of a new show at the OSC gallery in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The idea for the exhibit was inspired by an episode of Art:21 - an American documentary series focusing on contemporary art and artists. The students were able to pre-screen an episode titled Systems months before it aired on PBS.

The episode examined how contemporary artists developed the theme, said Nathalie Lavoie, an art teacher at the school who is curating the exhibit.

After watching the show the students in each art class developed their own ideas based on the systems theme and created their own work.

"It's really difficult to start with a theme like that," said Lavoie.

Students spent a lot of time brainstorming and deciding on a variation of the theme that meant something to them. The resulting pieces will be featured in an exhibit that will be featured at the gallery throughout December.

The students who chose to take risks and bring their projects to competition were picked for the exhibition. The show is primarily made up of paintings and drawings but also includes a digital image and one photography piece.

Josh Baton, one of the featured artists, was on hand at the exhibit reception on Dec. 10 to talk about his two pieces. Baton, 20, examined stereotypes.

His pieces, which explore the negative stereotypes of homosexuality, aim to change the ways people think about homosexuals.

In his untitled piece Baton used acrylic paint and permanent markers to depict an image of two men kissing on a wall. Three figures on the right side of the piece are using ropes to pull the wall down.

The work is an attempt to portray what homophobic individuals do to homosexuals. They try to pull down their lives and destroy their choices, Baton said.

His second work, One World, One Believer, symbolizes hope. The piece shows a man sitting on top of the world. His demeanor portrays a sense of loneliness contrasted by his desire for change, said Baton.

The man has a desire to make people accept each other's differences including race, religion and sexuality, Baton said.

Baton said he's interested in seeing how people respond to the exhibit as a whole and to his works.