On a Saturday afternoon, in an event space located on a quiet stretch of Gladstone Avenue, about a dozen creatives scrambled to apply the finishing touches of art and décor before their guests began to arrive.
The setup was a team effort, including strategically placed photographs, a DJ set, a band, balloons and (of course) oranges. After all, there was a magazine to be launched.
Titled Orange Cube, the new print magazine is an experimental, Gen Z-coded addition to Ottawa’s media ecosystem following the closure of Ottawa Magazine in 2023.
“What happens when artists, thinkers and chaos-dreamers decide to hold up a mirror to their city and dare to look back at it?” asks the debut issue of Orange Cube.
Ekene Okonkwo, an editor and art director of the magazine, said the first edition serves as a “wake-up call” and a “spark” for Ottawa residents to see the beauty in their city.
“There’s this narrative that goes around that there’s nothing to do in Ottawa . . . Orange Cube, in its simplest form, is shining a spotlight on the things we think are cool and interesting about the city from our own perspective,” he said about new publication, as bass-rich music played in the background.
Capturing Ottawa’s ‘abundance’
Printed on heavyweight paper at $30 a copy and only available for pre-order at the launch, the magazine’s orange cover simply advertises its title and areas of coverage: Community, culture, arts, parties and exhibitions.
“Ottawa has so much to give. Too much to give. It’s an abundance,” said Okonkwo, who has had art exhibits with the Ottawa Black Art Kollective at the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Okonkwo emphasized the collaborative nature of Orange Cube: seven team members are listed on the masthead, along with about twenty contributors for the inaugural edition.
With an electrical engineering degree from the University of Ottawa, and having lived in Lagos, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom, Okonkwo said the magazine’s creation began in 2023, fuelled by his networking with other artists.
“There’s this trend where creative people … go to school here or they move here for some time and they either have to go to Toronto or Montreal to chase their creative hobbies or creative endeavours. And issue zero is basically saying, ‘No, there is community here, there is creativity here, there is innovation and so much more here,’” he said about Orange Cube, which is scheduled to be released every six months.
Highlights from the debut edition, themed “On Being an Artist,” include an in-depth interview with emerging visual artist Yomi Orimoloye, a vibrant photo story capturing the ballet Giselle at the National Arts Centre, a behind-the-scenes look at renovations in Little Italy’s Dreamland Café and even a ranking of Ottawa’s best party street — Centretown’s Elgin versus ByWard Market’s Clarence. (Clarence won.)
Andi Sasmito, the chef de cuisine at sister restaurants Town on Elgin Street and Citizen on Gilmour, was photographed and interviewed by Orange Cube for a spread, which showcased the creative process behind his cooking.
“To be really good in this craft, it requires the long haul. It’s about you accepting the reality that it’s not glamorous,” Sasmito said about his art.
He and Okonkwo had “such a long conversation on how I operate, and I think it’s reflected very well with the photographs.”
Why orange, and why print?
So why orange, and why print?
Although a reference to Frank Ocean’s Grammy-winning studio album Channel Orange was mentioned to Capital Current as part of the inspiration, according to team member Jennifer Lim-Tamkican, the colour was mainly selected to capture readers’ attention.
“It’s a very bright and poppy colour, and I think that’s the point of this whole thing – to pop and make a scene in Ottawa. We want it to be loud. We want it to pop out,” said the magazine’s other art director.
As for why the editorial team opted for a print publication, Stella Nwakaeze, who handles Orange Cube’s marketing, said it provides tangible results after months of hard work.
“A publication makes it more serious. It makes it more secure. Because now it’s like, ‘Ok, what have you guys been working on?’” ‘Oh, here we go.’ We have proof of that,” she said.
Kayla Daigle, also an editor of issue zero, said print provides a powerful alternative to sharing art on social media, where many of those featured in Orange Cube are already established.
“It’s a really beautiful way to capture the artists’ essence,” she said. “You can hold it in your hands, but then you can also creep them on social media and dive deeper into each artist.”
