Last year’s Exotic Egyptian Malha Laili was such a success that it’s crossing the street from the Casa del Popolo to the roomier Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) to accommodate the crowds of curiosity-seekers likely to turn out for the second installment of this night of Egyptian culture.
Meant to convey some semblance of the experience of spending a night in a Cairo café, this year’s Malha Laili features veggie eats, hookah smoking and music by the Land of Cush, an orchestral supergroup headed by local musical mastermind Sam Shalabi. Cush promises to feature, in its 17-player line-up, more notable local musician types than you can shake a sphinx at. If that isn’t enough, lovely performer Shanna will also be on hand to perform that most exotic spectacle, belly-dancing. The Mideast madness that is the Malha Laili, sure to be a cookin’ evening for all, takes place this Saturday, Aug. 17, 9 p.m., $7. :
-Mark Slutsky

 

Sweet taboos

Emerging artist Ian Sternthal launches his first solo exhibition, Debut, this weekend. The material focuses on “themes relating to sexual taboos and individual identity in an oversaturated world.” Sternthal’s work takes the form of collages and large-scale photographs, which “while continuing his preoccupation with altered actualities, express a more serene and tranquil reality.” The exhibit will unfortunately be the last at the student-run Lotus Eaters Gallery (372 Ste-Catherine W., #328), which has been a haven for up-and-coming contemporary artists. Debut runs from Aug. 17–31. Vernissage Saturday, Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m. :

Tactile
textiles

Consumerism and body image is a common preoccupation in art these days, and the meeting of the two is explored in seemingly interesting ways by artists Lea Jafiavora and Geneviève Genest in their new show, Skindeep.

Both artists use a bunch of different media to express themselves, though the use of textile materials unifies the show. “I wanted to try to play with different materials to create different dresses, each of which has its own meaning,” says Genest. The result: pieces like “Plastic Surgery,” a dress made entirely of bubble wrap and duct tape. Jafiavora has also created some art-fashion pieces for the show, like a bunch of pretty skirts-“but if you look carefully,” says Genest, “there are little words written on the material like ‘dirty.’” As well, Jafiavora has got a selection of paintings hanging, originally designed on a computer and then transferred to the paint medium-like using a scanner in reverse. Skindeep runs through Aug. 31 at Elle Corazon (176 Bernard W.). :
-Mark Slutsky :

 

 

Is it Art?

Add inches to your crayon! It used to be that once you worked a crayon down to a weenie little nub you had but two choices: chuck it or eat it. But the ever-creative folks at Crayola have come up with a fix. The Crayola Crayon Maker™ turns tired old bits of wax into a brand new stick of colouring alchemy—and not a brown mélange, mind you, but an unique swirled mosaic of colours. The Maker comes with stick-on labels too, for an extra-personal touch. “Intrepid artists,” boast the makers, “tell of combining left-over pieces of atomic tangerine, radical red and black into a bold swirl and labelling it ‘Mutant Tiger at Large.’” For a demo video and details of the Name That Nub contest, see www.crayola.ca. :

ArtsHole

Art that dissects: Natalie Reis and Klara Porkrzykwo will be presenting Anatomia, “an exhibition that explores the interior and exterior of the human body ... viewed in full form as well as separate parts and in states of illness and injury” in various mediums. At the VAV Gallery (1395 René-Lévesque W.), Aug. 19–30. * Two fountains: Alec and Marina Dempster show their mixed-media exhibit, Dos Fuentes, at Galerie rad’a (841 Gilford), along with traditional Mexican music, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 6–9 p.m. * Celebrating suburbia: Anthony Burnham captures the suburbs in an “intimate and experimental fashion” in Supurbia, running at Quartier Éphémère (745 Ottawa) from Aug. 17–Sept. 22. Vernissage on Aug. 16, 5 p.m. :

Artistat:

Number of sites at the Art Trek Festival, an exhibition in which artists open the doors of their studios, put on by Arts N.D.G. and running until Aug. 23, (486-ARTS for info): 15 :

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