Face forward

Zïlon has been Montreal’s pop art bad boy for so long that the mayor should just make it official—except that’s not “bad.” And since the days in the ’80s when his iconic, comic-esque faces were all over the streets, to the present, where they often go for thousands in big galleries, he hasn’t lost his punk ethos. “I’m not a tourist. I’m a self-taught artist and I had my heyday in the punk era,” he says. “Music is the soundtrack for my creativity. Iggy Pop, the Stooges, Acid Mothers’ Temple—when I work I’m jamming with canvasses, my paintbrush becomes an electric guitar.” Challenging commercial culture in the artist’s signature style, Zïlon/Sonic 2 features almost 150 works, pitting dark characters against bold colours that echo the painter’s ’80s aesthetic like the wailing guit’ solo in the heart of all Quebecers. It recently opened at Galerie Yves Laroche (4 St-Paul E.) and continues until Nov. 20 —Matthew Woodley

Clashes ’n’ thrills

While most people tend to view conflict in a negative light and attempt to avoid it at all costs, choreographer Katie Ward prefers a bring-it-on approach. “Conflict, when handled healthily, can lead to possibilities and a deeper understanding,” she says.

In her physically charged The Thrills: Wilderness Retreat, Ward takes the bull by its horns and brings clash into choreography within the context of an imaginary rock band. “Aggression becomes a new creative track for the group and leads to some spiritual transformation,” she explains.

The Thrills is part of a double-bill evening at the Festival du Monde Arabe called Mouvements d’humanité: d’Essadiqi jusqu’à Ward, the other half being Hinda Essadiqi’s Laissez-moi vivre jusqu’à demain, which confronts crisis and disharmony in the Arab world. It’s at Tangente (840 Cherrier), 8:30 p.m. nightly to Nov. 5, and at 4 p.m. on Nov. 6, $15, 525-1500. —Marites Carino

A Main event

A few weeks ago, a very exciting thing happened in the local arts scene. Galerie La Centrale (4296 St-Laurent) hooked up a new projector, wired up some outdoor speakers and started showing video on its large storefront window. I watched the public pass by the gallery one night and noted that not one group of pedestrians walked by without commenting, “What the $&*! is this?” Before stopping to check out Haligonian Glynis Humphrey’s video installation.

Go see this work when it’s late enough to be dark outside, but early enough that the gallery is still open. Inside the gallery is an audio experience involving large weather balloons and various speakers including a very groovy parabolic one. Rest your head, hands, ears or nose on one of the balloons and feel as if you too are now submerged in water, your heartbeat audible inside your head. Breathing Underwater is one of the best shows to hit Montreal this year. Exhibition runs until Nov. 20 and La Centrale is open until 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday nights. Info: 871-0268.

Sun Queen song

After touring North America and the Caribbean with Franklin Dubey’s Umoja choir, and landing a singing role in Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba in Florida, Odessa “Queen” Thornhill is mounting her first solo multidisciplinary show, Life Beyond the Sun. “I’ve always had the different elements—dance, music, poetry—and I just decided to integrate all of these together. You already have everything inside of you, it’s naturally in there but it’s up to you to find the core of it.”

Backed by an ensemble of drummers, dancers and a guitarist, Thornhill explores the awakening spirit of a young black woman through song and spoken word. Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent), doors at 6 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. sharp, $10. —Vincent Tinguely

Is it Art?

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ArtsHole

FIRST NATIONS FIESTA: Dancing, drumming, storytelling and sounds inspired by the oral and dance traditions of North American First Nations people gets it on at the MAI (3680 Jeanne-Mance), in Gaetan Gingras’ Manitowapan, 8:30 p.m. nightly, from Nov. 10–13 (English shows on Nov. 11 and 12), www.manitowapan.org for more. • RISE AFTER THE OCCASION: To wrap up his exhibition, which “takes as its metaphoric structure the parallelism between hunger and the search for social understanding; between the nourishment of our bodies and of our minds,” Toronto artist and DJ Luis Jacob is conducting a free bread-making workshop and potluck at Articule (4001 Berri, #105). Though that doesn’t happen till Dec. 10. Jacobs’ Open Your Mouth and Your Mind Will Follow kicks off this Saturday, Nov 5.

ARTISTAT: Duration, in seconds, of Chih-Chien Wang’s “Smile Yushan” a video about savouring life that is looping at Dazibao (4001 Berri, #202) until Nov. 12: 30

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