You might remember Elisabeth Belliveau‘s 2004 exhibition at the newly named Khyber Institute of Contemporary Arts. The talented artist filled the Ballroom Gallery with a delightful menagerie of ready-made sculptures, created by twisting and folding worn gloves and purses into whales, ducks and doves. Belliveau, a Nova Scotian native, who now lives in Montreal, is back in town to launch the great hopeful someday, a collection of her zines and a DVD of animations.
The book is an updated collection of her zine something to pet the cat about, a heavily illustrated diary of love, memory, friendship, imagination, humour and hope. Compiled not as day-by-day entries, but more like a 20s-something Chicken Soup for the Indie Soul, Belliveau’s writing is nostalgic but travels an urban edge. Mixed-tape accidents, soul-sucking jobs, break-ups, drinking and depression are exquisitely illustrated by images of animals, plants, portraits and domestic scenes. Shot in warm, glowing light, Belliveau’s collection of mostly stop-motion animations is strange and sweet—more honey than sugar—starring a cast of clay characters with large round heads, black-holes for eyes and wee noses. See what I mean at the launch—Sunday, October 28, 3pm at Eyelevel Gallery, 2063 Gottingen, 425-6412.
Send arty treats, not tricks, to suec@thecoast.ca
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.