A new exhibit at the Menagerie Gallery displays the varied talents of four young local artists. The Lo-Fi Art Show has its opening night Friday, Jan. 15 from 7-9 p.m. where those who attend will be able to meet the four artists featured in the show, Lukas Behrndt, Carson Cartier, Jacee Juhasz and Brodyn Ratcliffe.

Each artist has a distinct style, Juhasz is a photographer, Cartier works in mixed media, and Behrndt and Ratcliffe make their art mostly with acrylic on canvas with some ink on paper as well. Ratcliffe does experiment with other mediums including newsprint and one piece that is a painting on a bed of pennies.

"I'm really proud of these boys," says Pauline Artifacet of the Cranbrook and District Arts Council (CDAC). "For them to put this show together is quite an accomplishment."

Bill McColl, President of the CDAC, said an exhibit put together by such young artists is a rarity and they are very happy to see it.

The four are good friends and decided one day to pitch in and rent the Menagerie Gallery for a show.

"I don't think people know what we do," Behrndt said. "It's a way of showing people what we're into."

Behrndt sites skateboarding, something the four artists also do, as a major influence for his art.

"My art is skateboard influenced, there's a culture behind it," he said. "Once you start skateboarding you look at everything differently. You look at everything like you want to skate it. You're always looking at the graphics, they always around. The graphics are something that always interested me so I just started drawing and here they are."

Cartier, who has had his work in the Artrageous Gallery before said his art is a way for him to communicate.

"My art is sort of like a journal, I guess, but in art form. Or it's things I want to say but I'm not the best at talking so I put them into art," he said. "A lot of it is moods put into art, and a lot of it is searching through me. I can't just sit down and draw, I have to be getting something out."

Juhasz's photographs are the result travelling to Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

"This summer I wanted to document what we were doing instead of just shooting random landscape-style pictures like that," he said. "I don't think Cranbrook's seen something like this, it's more street-style and what people don't normally pay attention to."

Most of the photos on display were taken with 35 mm film and are in black and white.

"It's something different compared with what the rest of the people are doing," Juhasz said. "Most people are switching to digital. I shoot in digital too but I think the black and white gives it a darker, edgier feel, makes it more eerie."

Most of the work in exhibit will be for sale.

The Menagerie Gallery is the space at the back of the Cranbrook and District Art Council's Artrageous Gallery and is located at 32A 11th Avenue South. The opening night will begin at 7 p.m. and there will be coffee and snacks provided.