Week 23: April 7th
Foire Plural, the return of family, year-end art shows, and (so much) more.
Welcome to Community Service, a biweekly newsletter featuring a curated selection of art and design events in Montreal. This list is loooong, and filled with a little bit of everything; including the art fair and end of year exhibitions and publication launches and a multi-show at family and so much more! It covers events happening during the middle of April.
Vernissage: Aggregate
April 7th (6-9pm) - Galerie Nicolas Robert
What are you up to tonight? For one night only, the 2025 Concordia Undergraduate Sculpture end of year exhibition is happening at Galerie Nicolas Robert. Head over to see the work of 20 talented artists eager to show off their new pieces.
Vernissage: The Lion’s Share by Fatine Violette-Sabiri
April 9th (5pm) - Galerie Eli Kerr
The Lion’s Share is Fatine-Violette Sabiri’s first solo show at Galerie Eli Kerr. Sabiri is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses photographic and tactile craft mediums. Her practice employs intuition toward examining personal narratives from encounters with people and objects in her immediate surroundings. The use of photography within Sabiri’s work draws from various sources, referencing her own editorial fashion images, commissioned portraits and personal documentary photographs. Autobiography and storytelling emerge as methods for her art practice, where, throughout the varied disciplines and approaches in her work, she cultivates the importance of instinct, adaptation and humour.
Vernissage: Réalités Réfléches by Delia Landers
April 9th (5pm) - Occurrence espace d'art et d'essai contemporain
Delia Landers first began this project in 2013, by noticing moments in which reflections created a brief disconnection from expected reality: like a cloudy sky reflected in a car mirror set against a bright blue expanse. These “breaks” represent a desire and ability to reimagine one's reality entirely and to recognize the beauty and complexity of everyday moments.
Delia draws on their experiences as a political theorist, a queer person, and an artist to create paintings that represent a larger ability to question and change one's reality. They emphasize this through otherworldly, bizarre, and intriguing aspects of these reflective moments. They then further abstract these scenes through the translation into paint with their brightly coloured impressionist style pieces.
Vernissage: The Avinoff’s
April 11th (6-10pm) - family (200 Laurier Ouest)
Organized by Jonathan Schouela and Alex Shoumatoff, The Avinoff’s features artworks by the amazing Avinoff siblings (Andrey Avinoff and Elisabeth Shoumatoff), as well as artefacts and ephemera from the Avinoff/Shoumatoff Collection. The exhibition is part of a multi-show happening at family on April 11th: more below.
Vernissage: King by Sophie Présente
April 11th (6-10pm) - family (200 Laurier Ouest)
Presented by Sophie Présente, King features the work of Jesus Morales and Gabe Seamon. This exhibition delves into the influence of online aesthetics and their inherent structures in shaping and disseminating depictions of masculinity. Drawing on Kurt Schwitters' Merz Picture 32 A. The Cherry Picture — and how artists use fragmentation, appropriation, ready-mades, and text-based art to remove manufactured content from its context, underlining how the medium shapes meaning and ideology.
Vernissage: Ladders and Snakes
April 11th (6-10pm) - family (200 Laurier Ouest)
Ladders and Snakes is a group exhibition showcasing works from Alex Pouliot, Carmine Tagliamonti, and a collaborative film by Mie Beers and Olivia Du Vergier. Presented as part of Bureau 200, this is Julien Parant-Marquis’ first curatorial project.
There are two other exhibitions on as part of this event at family:
Dye Jardin Papillon: Dye Jardin Papillon curated by Nick Howe
W-Z.tv: On Pause
Publication Launch: The Page 5
April 11th (8pm) - Zamalek Kitchen (8280 Boul. Saint Laurent, Studio 407)
The Page 5! Already! The launch of the fifth edition takes the form of a party at the Zamalek Kitchen, featuring all-vinyl picks by A&R BLOQ, BUCKSHOTS, and SAMMY. Get your hands on a copy of the publication there featuring pieces from over 15 writers and artists (and the first ever print ad for Community Service, thank you Reilly!).
Art Fair: Foire Plural
April 11th-13th - Grand Quay, Port of Montreal
It’s that time of year again! Created by and for galleries, Foire Plural brings together the plurality of voices and works in contemporary art from across the country. I’m not going to list the 37 different Montreal art galleries that are featured there this year, because this newsletter is already getting a little long. Head over to their website to check out all the details and purchase a ticket.
Opening: Studio B
April 12th-13th (11am-6pm) - Studio B (9600 Saint-Laurent)
Studio B is dedicated to supporting and celebrating local talent. Its mission is to uplift independent creators, artists, designers, and small businesses by offering an inclusive platform to showcase their work, collaborate, and grow their networks. Studio B’s official opening offers a first look at the space. Guests will be able to explore Studio B’s curated vintage clothing collection (by Lau B), connect with members of the local community, and learn more about how the space will be used to support artists and host events.
Studio B is actively seeking independent vendors and creators for future editions of their Marchés B series. If you are an artist or maker that would be interested in participating, you can apply here.
Vernissage: Three Way Mirror
April 13th (2pm) - Galerie Stewart Hall
Three Way Mirror showcases the work of the queer collective by the same name (made up of Daniel Barrow, Glenn Gear, and Paige Gratland), who are united by a shared commitment to craftsmanship and handmade work. The forms of art they explore, which are both personal and political, include hand-drawn animation, sewing, weaving, leatherworking, beadwork, and paper doll making. At the Stewart Hall Art Gallery, the collective will create a "triangle" of queer craftsmanship that will unfold as a production studio. The exhibition will evolve as the artists create new works together and with the public. Head to the West Island say hi to your parents (or mine)!!
Artist’s talk: Rose B. Simpson for Art Speaks
April 14th (5:30pm) - Gesù Amphitheatre
In this artist’s talk Rose B. Simpson will reflect on what she describes as her life-work: “a seeking out of tools to heal the damages I have experienced as a human being of our postmodern and postcolonial era—objectification, stereotyping, and the disempowering detachment of our creative selves through the ease of modern technology. These tools are sculptural pieces of art that function in the psychological, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual, intellectual and physical realms. The intention of these tools is to cure, therefore, my hope is that they become hard-working utilitarian concepts.”
Vernissage: Nodes.Noeuds
April 17th (5pm) - Société des arts technologique (SAT)
Nodes.Noeuds is an exhibition that explores the relationships between ideas, identities, and disciplines within Concordia’s Computation Arts and Design Department. Inspired by Édouard Glissant’s concept of creolization, it celebrates diversity and collaboration by highlighting different aspects of creativity, from initial concept development to cultural storytelling, inviting visitors to engage with the evolving nature of art, design, and technology. The exhibition emphasizes the power of exchange in shaping new perspectives and possibilities.
Finissage: la trahison des choses by Stanley Février
April 17th (5-7pm) - Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal
Head to la Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal for the finissage of Stanley Février's latest exhibition, la trahison des choses, curated by Cluca. The question of sensitivity and the notion of collective survival among artists is at the heart of Février's latest work.
Vernissage: Formed and Fired
April 17th (6-10pm) - Jano Gallery
Formed and Fired is the Concordia Undergraduate Ceramics thesis class end of year exhibition. Head over to Jano Gallery on April 17th to celebrate their incredible work. More details to come!
Publication Launch: Pulse Magazine
April 17th (6-10pm) - Système
More print magazines from Montreal <3 Pulse’s first issue is inspired by the innocence of spring. You’ll find profiles on local designers and creatives, diary entries on self-discovery, and essays on rules to follow. Featuring art by Olma Research, a profile on a new vintage store, an essay on leaving Montreal only to return, an essay on a life-changing meme, and more. Make your way to Système on April 17th to get your hands on the first issue.
If you have an art or design-related event you would like to include in future editions of the newsletter, you can send us an email at communityservmag@gmail.com
See you around.