PLAYFULLY ECCENTRIC: PME artists

“I don’t know if I’m personally eccentric, but I believe the work could be fairly categorized as eccentric,” says Jacob Wren—writer, performer, all-around theatre dude—about his Montreal-based group PME-ART, a loose gathering of interdisciplinary artists crafting performance art-y events since 1998.

For HOSPITALITY 3: Individualism Was a Mistake, third in a themed series, performers Caroline Dubois, Claudia Fancello and Wren ask: How do you deal with complete strangers? What kind of negotiation happens when you’re trying to work together with other people?

The open-structured show, which opens at Usine C (1345 Lalonde) tonight, Thursday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. and runs until the 14th, begins with performers asking the audience questions and bringing the words of these “strangers” into the work.

Later, Wren and co. play records from their collections and tell stories about them—“like a DJ that gives you a lot more information than most”—then incorporate this into a live music event.

“I’m interested in the Old World idea of hospitality that perhaps we’ve lost a little bit,” says Wren. “Strangers come to your door and you have a responsibility to let them in and show them kindness.”

by NEIL BOYCE

Office art party

ALL STRIPES: From Christmas Office Party

In these uncertain economic times, and with the current government’s ongoing devaluation of the arts, local galleries and arts organizations have become more forward-thinking and inventive in their search for alternative funding opportunities.

Thus the Christmas Office Party, a one-night collaborative fundraising extravaganza in support of four of the city’s excellent artist-run centres: Articule, Skol, la Centrale and Dare-Dare. “We already share various initiatives and audiences,” explains Articule’s Esme Terry, “so we were open to pooling our resources on a more administrative level too.”

It was the good folks at Dare-Dare who came up with the concept. Styled after those “morale boosting, tie loosening, photocopying abusing, gossip circulating, seasonal debacles” familiar to the 9-to-5 crowd, the event promises to subvert expectations with an array of performances by Women With Kitchen Appliances, Annie-Claude Deschênes and Patrick Vézina’s Conclusion Finale, Chernobyl Cha-Cha, and DJ sets by Sons of Warsaw, Dirtyboots and others.

The fun takes place tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. at Espace Jean Brillant (3520 St-Jacques), and promises to be a most entertaining and worthwhile end to the work week. Tickets are $10 at the door.

by STACEY DEWOLFE

 

Gore for the holidays

Angus Philip Byers doesn’t find artistic inspiration in the usual spots. He’s more of a comic convention-going, monster movie-loving, psychobilly-listening kind of guy. Same goes for his alter-ego, Fast Eddie Jr., whose illustrations are often nods to popular culture, dripping with blood, brains and tentacles. He has few qualms about making art on the lower rungs of the cultural echelon, and even fewer about scheduling an art show and sale, tomorrow, Dec. 5, 7 p.m., at Nexus Gallery (218 St-Paul W.), just before the holidays.

KILLER KISS:
“Lip Rip” by Byers

ARRRGHT Show II: Blood Money, will host 20 or so artists from the dark side, and all pieces are $100. Co-organized with Stef Elie, the one-night-only exhibit—at a kung fu studio—will allow patrons to buy handmade dolls, paintings, prints and other pieces right off the wall. Works by Jay Jay Jackson, Rue Morgue’s Ghoulish Gary, and other pin-up, poster and tattoo artists will be on hand.

“The people who like our stuff don’t have a lot of money,” Byers says, and ultimately, he’s glad to have his work on someone’s wall, even if it means only breaking even.

by TRACEY LINDEMAN

Canadian sushi

When you step into the gallery at the MAI (3680 Jeanne-Mance), you immediately come face-to-face with dozens of photographs of local sushi take-out spots. Welcome to Survival Japanese Cooking, a solo exhibit by Japanese visual artist Shié Kasai who questions globalization and immigration through Japanese food in Montreal.

MUGS MEET NORI:
From Survival Japanese Cooking

Kasai got the idea for the exhibit in Rotterdam, where she was craving Japanese comfort food but was unable to find authentic ingredients so instead used what was available, like Lipton-style green tea. “The show started with the concept of camping, where you have to survive,” says Kasai, who used photography, video, drawings and paintings to create the show.

Kasai, who’s lived in Montreal for a decade, surveyed more than 100 people to define Canadian cuisine. “I decided to create a Canadian sushi,” she says, “and the show represents the idea of a foreign food sneaking into another culture, which is Canada, and totally different.”

Take a seat at the exhibit’s workshop table and create your own colourful paper cut-out sushi, until Dec.13.

by MARITES CARINO

Is it art?

FEED YOURSELF WITH THE DARK SIDE: Toast: one of the simplest and yet most diverse foods known to man. It pops up for breakfast, lunch, dinner. It goes well with just about anything: eggs, jam, soup, bacon, beans, tuna, lightsabers...

The Force is taking over your versatile meal with the Darth Vader toaster, one of the latest products from the Star Wars Web shop. It looks and works just like any other toaster except it emblazons your slice with the ominous head of the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Though not officially available until January 2009, it looks as though the appliance of the Dark Side, which retails for $54.99 (USD), might already be sold out.

At press time, the Star Wars site was saying it was “temporarily unavailable,” but in the meantime, you can drool over a tempting and somewhat ominous piece of toast at www.geekalerts.com darth-vader-toaster.

Arts hole

LAST SHOW OF ’08: Galerie Synesthésie (94 Ste-Catherine E., #7) celebrates the opening of its last show of the year, tonight Thursday, Dec. 4, 6–9 p.m. with work by artists C. Colond, K. Cinnante, J-E. Barrette, Tom Shortliffe, C. Fairchild, M. Bruzzone, A. Llorens and M. Wolff. Some of the pieces on view will also be available to buy and range in price from $30 to $1,000-plus • PAYING TRIBUTE: Adam Kelly’s award-winning play The Anorak, about the man behind the murder of 14 women at the University of Montreal’s École Polytechnique, will be remounted this week in honour of the tragedy’s 19th anniversary. Performances take place tonight, Thursday, Dec. 4, through Saturday, Dec. 6, at Theatre 314 (10 des Pins W.)

Artistat

The time of night you’ll be able to wear your PJs, dine on pancakes and play bingo as part of Puces Pop’s Breakfast for Dinner sale, happening this Saturday, Dec. 6, at Église St-Michel (105 St-Viateur W.): 8 p.m.