Remains of the day

Scraps of chocolate bar wrapper, fortune cookie inserts, Scrabble games and snippets of conversation like, "Maybe David Bowie will have the flu tonight," make their way into the work of Suzanne Dery, an artist who takes inspiration from the remnants of everyday life.

"I like pop culture, I love little packages, like when I'm on the airplane and there's the little sugar packet," she says of borrowing graphic elements from advertising, old posters and comics. "Some of the works are intricate, but they can be grabbed easily."

A graduate of Concordia Fine Arts, Dery is better known as half of inflatable sculpture creators the Flators. Turkey Dreams, her first solo show, refers to a state of self-imposed reverie. "You know, when you eat turkey and everyone says you get so sleepy?" she muses. "And it's also about being an artist, and your dreams that your efforts will bring a big success somehow."

The 50 pieces on display at Quartier Éphémère (745 Ottawa) include drawings, collage and an animated love story involving a cherry blossom, a fountain and the Olympic Stadium. It runs from Tuesday, March 15, 5 p.m., through May 1.» Sarah Musgrave

Tattoo you

It's been five years since Vancouver-based Holy Body Tattoo was in town with Circa, a sultry yet satirical tango-inspired performance. This week they're back, with artistic directors Dana Gingras and ex-Montrealer Noam Gagnon tackling societal subjects everyone can relate to, including exclusion, inclusion and integration, in monumental, a group piece that runs at Usine C (1345 Lalonde) until Saturday, March 12.

monumental incorporates the company's largest-ever ensemble of artists and collaborators, including contributions from visual artist Jenny Holzer, filmmaker William Morrison and lighting designer Marc Parent. The piece is set to a soundscape by composer Roger Tellier-Craig, the Tambours du Bronx and godspeed you black emperor!

Gagnon and Gingras have made a name for themselves with their edgy, physical, multimedia performances, but the duo sticks behind the scenes this time around, directing nine dancers in a first-time experience for the company, whose name, incidentally, comes from their belief that powerful life experiences leave heavy imprints, like tattoos, on the soul. Call 521-4493 for tickets. » Marites Carino

Weezy reads

Jon Paul Fiorentino's latest collection is an acidly funny series of stories tracing the brutal youth of Jonny, a fat, asthmatic, diabetic pariah. "Asthmatica is almost exclusively autobiographic, except for the parts I made up," Fiorentino quips. "All the protagonists had different names, and then every character just became Jonny because I'm the Tony Danza of writers, I can only respond to my own name."

The outrageous humour of Asthmatica's stories, lists and crossword puzzles delivers a stealth attack against sterile hyper-suburbia, mall capitalism and familial norms, not to mention broad swathes of serious CanLit. "Canada is like this amazing breeding ground for comedy, but for some reason literary humour hasn't really evolved," he says. "It's hard to crack wise about the homestead!" Hear Fiorentino crack wise along with guests Robert Allen, Jason Camlot, Ibi Kaslik, Maya Merrick and host David McGimpsey this Saturday, March 13, 8 p.m., at the Jupiter Room (3874 St-Laurent), free. » Vincent Tinguely

Matters arty

Y'all chose it as the city's second best art exhibition in our 2004 Best of Montreal readers' poll, and Concordia's student-run creative explosion, Art Matters, is back and likely happening now in a gallery, bar, theatre or mezzanine near you.

This Friday, March 11, one of the bigger bashes goes down at Concordia's FS building (1438 Overdale) with RePlant: A Video Party, featuring five videos, six live performances, three bands and a VJ trio, all with a social consciousness bent. And not only is it free, but all proceeds from the $2 beer bar go straight to the Brazilian Rainforest Foundation for good measure. It goes from 9 p.m. till the wee hours.

This year's Art Matters festival, the fifth in as many years, brings together more than 150 artists in 20 venues across town and continues until March 17. Check out http://artmatters.concordia.ca for the full schedule. » Matthew Woodley

Is it Art?

EXTREME INCLUDED: Every year around this time, scores of people from cold climes flock to impoverished tropical countries to drink and flip like all-beef patties on their sands for seven days, taxes in. Not your cup of tequila? May we suggest a visit to Cabrete, Dominican Republic's Extreme Hotel. As if the name doesn't say it all, the boutique accommodation sits smack dab in front of an aws reef surfbreak, and is home to a kiteboarding school, a halfpipe for skaters, free beach 802.11b/802.11g wireless Internet access and a bar tended by Extreme Girls, whose ages, favourite foods, sayings and body types can be perused at www.extremehotels.com (P.S. they're hiring), and you can bet there's white sand somewhere to be found. Now that's fucking relaxing!

ArtsHole

BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE, JA? Scotland's spectacular Forth Rail Bridge is the link between architecture and photography in a new work by renowned German artist Dieter Appelt. His Forth Bridge - Cinema. Metric Space is a giant eight-part photographic tableau inspired by the span. For those extra interested, Appelt will have a conversation with curator Hubert Von Axelman, on the implications of the work, in German, with "spontaneous translation upon request." That's March 10, 7 p.m., at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (1920 Baile), where the exhibition continues until May 22. • WORDS ON WYSE: B.C.-bred, Montreal-based artist Max Wyse brings a collection of works on paper, reflecting his twisted characters and smudged, 'toonish tone to the Société des arts sur papier (4826 St-Denis), continuing through April 14.

ARTISTAT: Number of doubtlessly stunning Concordia students taking the runway in Departure, a fashion benefit for the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation with a fundraising goal of $10,000, March 10, 7 p.m., at the Metropolis, $20: 40

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