Sexing up the smut

There's nothing subtle in the multi-breasted bodies, mega cocks, guns, fluorescent pink labia and squirting sexual orifices in Mat Brown's paintings. That's exactly his point.

"We live in an over-sexualized culture," the 23-year-old says. "But what's under it is a hugely repressed sexuality. All these fetish things that go on behind closed doors, the hidden aspects, it's all part of this overly Christian morality that's being enforced. This is a reaction to the lack of beauty and subtlety in so much of what's out there."

Brown's series of ink washes on board depict a phenomenon he calls the "Dead Love Generation": the products of our loveless, Internet-addicted time. Judging from the anatomical detail in his paintings, though, Brown, has logged on to the ol' skinternet a few times himself. "Well yeah," he says. "But more like looking at a car accident. And a big part is admitting that this is ingrained in me as someone who's been raised in the Internet age." Through his no-balls-barred confession, Brown is bringing sexed-up smut away from the glowing monitor and into the public. "I'm saying let's look at it," he explains. "Don't just close the door and start clicking."

Dead Love opens on Thursday, Sept. 16, 5 p.m. at F52 (4826 St-Denis) and runs until Oct. 14. » Matthew Woodley

Stretching and stasis

"I look around and see a lot of us stuck in a place because of fear - like hating our jobs, where we live or our relationships," says Rubberbandance founder Victor Quijada. "I wanted to give ourselves courage to change what we want to in our lives." From these sentiments, came the title of his latest work, Slicing Static. "It's like cutting the static," he continues. "It takes a lot of courage and self-love to jump."

Quijada's current quintet was born out of an artist residency at Usine C (1345 Lalonde), where the static slicing takes place. It fuses the disparate disciplines of contemporary dance, ballet and breakdancing. Learning to dance on the street in L.A., and then moving on to more formal styles with Twyla Tharp and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Quijada mixes up the moves with a compelling soundtrack by local electro-minimalist Mitchell Akiyama. Slicing Static runs until Sept. 25., 790-1245. » Marites Carino

Cheap seats

At the junction where theatre subscriptions, loyalty cards and discount coupons meet, lives a brand new idea called a "Carte Premières." Ten alternative theatre companies have banded together to offer deals to theatregoers while, they hope, attracting new audiences. Here's how it works: purchase your Carte Premières (available at the Monument-National, La Licorne and Théâtre D'Aujourd'hui) for $20 and instantly become eligible for half-price tickets to at least 10 productions over the course of the season. With the exception of the bilingual Temenos, so far all of the companies associated with the card are French, but, even with the season underway, other companies are encouraged to join. Cardholders will receive regular e-mail updates and can choose to see as many or as few of the shows as they want. For more information see www.cartepremieres.com » Amy Barratt

Gallery birth

Smelling of fresh paint, a new art space is born at 1000 Amherst, #103 and #104, and on view is a christening series of works by Montrealers. The Centre d'Art Amherst is the brainchild of art dealer Sylviane Poirier and businesswoman Filomena Alapi, who owns the property.

The first exhibition upon entering shows drawings by Renée Lavaillante and occupies the new permanent location of Galerie Sylviane Poirier (formerly at 372 Ste-Catherine W.). Continue down the hallway and there are four more exhibition spaces, ranging from large to closet-size. All of the artists currently showing were invited by Poirier, but in the future the spaces will be available for artists to rent to mount their own exhibitions. Occupying the largest room is a group show by 15 artists including Lorraine Simms, Karen Trask and Daniel Corbeil, followed by solo installations by Marie-Josée Coulombe, Dalia Chauveau, Paul Litherland and Sylvain Léveillé in the remaining galleries. The exhibitions run until Oct. 3. » Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

MANIC INQUISITIONS: Relatively inexperienced in life and unjaded by the day-in, day-out stresses of holding a job, paying bills and putting up with other people, children are possessed with a genuine curiosity that can be somewhat annoying. Sometimes, though, kids are charming in their naïveté, and providing mentorship can be life affirming. There's now a new way for children to let parents know they need an answer. Qwesty is a big plush question mark that kids can hang on a grownup's arm when they get curious, letting the adult know that there's a query in cue before retreating to a corner to occupy themselves silently until their number comes up. It retails for $8.99 (U.S.) at www.qwesty.com.

ArtsHole

PEACE AND HONEY: In the name of peace, interdisciplinary artist Elizabeth Chitty mixes dance, spoken word, singing, video and still image projections in Songs for a Blue Moon. Moving from a fall into darkness to a newfound world of peace, Chitty enacts a spiritual transition before images of landscapes, her body and dripping honey. It's at Tangente (840 Cherrier), Sept. 16–18, 8:30 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. • ELECTRICAL FIRE: Abandoned for more than a decade, Champ Libre brings a little life back to the des Carrières incinerator (1266 des Carrières, Rosemont) with Désert, their sixth annual Manifestation internationale vidéo et art électronique, a giant electronic art exhibition that takes place there from Sept. 20–27, www.champlibre.com for more.

ARTISTAT: Number of demonstrations, experiments, tours, forums and discussions in all artistic disciplines imaginable in Les Journées de la culture, a free, three-day art attack taking place all over the province from Sept. 24–26 (www.journeesdelaculture.qc.ca for schedule): 1,200

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