There’s a new art gallery in Chinatown and it’s proving to be quite the hot spot. The Blue Triangle Gallery, at 17 Edinboro Street, invites visitors to climb a steep set of stairs to the 3^rd floor and then they enter into a world of color and words The walls are currently covered in plywood and are wheat pasted from floor to ceiling with posters and framed art by prettycoolstrangers in his first gallery show and first offline art exhibition. The show is called OURS and also features a mini-exhibit of work by Nervous Wreck Collective.

There is a special installation by the Blue Triangle Gallery which is hard to miss in the small space because they managed to place an entire 1985 Volkswagen Golf in the middle of their 3rd-floor gallery.

The Blue Triangle Gallery opened in the heart of Chinatown with the group show, “Blue”, in July and plans to feature a wide variety of work by emerging and established artists from Boston and beyond. Blue Triangle’s range of artists stems from many genres including illustration, graphic design, surrealism, pop art, street art, and graffiti. The gallery is also committed to supporting Chinatown by organizing murals and planning events that support the community. Co-owners Kate Collins and Matt DeBeul said, “It is important to us that we create an inclusive environment that fosters creativity and self-expression.” When asked why they chose this spot for their gallery they responded, “We’ve lived in the Chinatown area for the last decade. We love the community here and the amount of things to do. There are always events happening at the Chinatown Gate and new restaurants popping up all over the place. A space opened up nearby and we decided to take a chance. We love that it’s close to lots of public transit and offers something unique to see while exploring the rest of Chinatown.”

On display in the OURS exhibit are works from prettycoolstrangers’ Instagram account featuring art inspired by music, film, vintage automobiles, and self-growth/spirituality.  Matt (who prefers we only use his first name) is the artist behind prettycoolstrangers. He started designing and posting as an outlet during the Pandemic with the support of his wife, Fe, and turned it into a full-time career. When asked where his inspiration comes from,  Matt said “I think being a super nostalgic person in general lended itself to kind of like the look and feel. And then I’m neurodivergent, like, I’m ADHD and autistic. And I think that having that, just like a different viewpoint,  I wanted to see something different. And I think there’s this world that collided between autism and nostalgia, and people look at it as this maximalist over-the-top stuff. It’s just straight-up neurodivergency. That’s just exactly where it came from.”

Matt’s drive is clear in the show. There is one wall that is fully plastered with colorful posters with a powerful, simple message that reads “You don’t yell at a bud because it isn’t a flower yet…it opens when it’s time”.  Along with the words, there are 6 simple images of a flower budding step by step. In the center of the wall is the framed version on a white background that really stands out. Many of his pieces have titles and descriptions that incorporate the language of self-growth and spirituality such as All Down Hill From Here. The label sticker for Single Work of Art starts with a quote from record executive and producer Rick Rubin “You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A single work of art.” As the Blue Triangle Gallery continues to exhibit work of this caliber it is sure to become a go-to place in Chinatown. As Kate Collins and Matt DeBeul said of the gallery, “We really hope that by opening Blue Triangle, we are able to better support Boston’s emerging artists and in the next five years we hope that our gallery is a staple community space for the arts in Boston.”