On the walls

“Le Grand structure Légére III,” by Sylvain Lessard.

Jeu de Plans is the latest offering from Montreal-based artist and architect Sylvain Lessard. Lessard looks at architecture by forming a link between organic matter and fashion, identifying the plans involved in designing a particular structure. Vernissage Mar. 6, Galerie Dominique Bouffard (1000 Amherst) 6 p.m. 

The same night, check out the vernissage for Séripop’s latest offering, a bright printed-paper installation at Galerie Hugues Charbonneau. Belgo Building (372 Ste-Catherine W.), #308, 5-8 p.m.

Monastiraki (5478 St-Laurent) also welcomes a new exhibit this week. J’adore ton travail is a collection of works on paper by Jo-Ann Balcaen exploring the pop cultural vernacular. Vernissage Mar. 8, 6-9 p.m.

Art Matters is back! Back for its 13th edition, the Concordia-based winter arts festival runs from Mar. 8-22 at a variety of venues around town. The opening party goes down at Espace Reunion, with music by Baked Goods, Asthma Camp, Marc Bartissol and Sam Unger. 6660 Hutchinson, Friday, Mar. 8, 9-3 a.m., $5 The festival launches numerous exhibits this week. First up is The Tactility of Objects (A Retrospective), taking place at Les Territoires. It features work from 12 different artists attempting to capture the “lost intimacy” between the viewer and the artist. Vernissage Mar. 8, Galerie les Territoires (Belgo Building, 372 Ste-Catherine W., #527) 6-8 p.m. Art Matters also launches its speaker series this week, Choose Your Own Adventure . Artists and cultural workers including Amy Blackmore and Kathleen Sharpe will lead a discussion about careers in the arts. Mar. 9, Articule (262 Fairmount W.) 12-4 p.m., free

The latest from Kim Waldron makes its way to Oboro this week. Beautiful Creatures looks at the stages of turning animal to meat, with studies of the slaughterer, the butcher and the cook, alongside stuffed animal figures. Bring an appetite, as Waldron herself will be supplying visitors with a “carniverous treat,” but there will be meatless eats too. Vernissage Mar. 9. Oboro (4001 Berri), 5 p.m.

Art Mûr is hosting a blitz this Saturday, with four new exhibitions starting up. Sonny Assu’s #NeverIdle uses a hashtag as a play on our “meme culture,” taking a more meaningful look at how individuals are defined. Springbreakers Tsantas is a study of just that — shrunken heads, or tsantas as they’re referred to in Latin America, recreated by artist Renato Garza Cervera and inspired by tourists he encountered in his native Mexico. Bevan Ramsay’s Soft Tissue studies human meat consumption. Through sculptures and cast moldings of pigs, cows and even humans, Ramsay tells the story of the often grotesque ways we produce what we eat. Finally, the artistic duo of Cooke-Sasseville present Built Heritage, a three-part installation depiction of buildings scaled to the size of a human, like large dollhouses. A church, skyscraper and museum are each made comical and at times befuddling. Vernissage Mar. 9, Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert), 3-5 p.m.

Edgy Women hosted a series of short video screenings at Nuit Blanche, but the annual exploration of feminism and art really kicks off this week. Celebrating its 20th anniversary and running from Mar. 7-10, this year’s festival is centred around the theme of sport, athletics and gender. They’ve got a ton of great events lined up, including Edgy Luche, Unruly Hockey, arty alternate uses for gym spaces and a colloquium held inside the boxing ring at Blue Cat Boxing Club. Check their schedule for details, and stay tuned for Cult MTL‘s chat with artistic director Miriam Genestier about this year’s events. ■

By Emily Raine and Kristen Theodore.
Cover image from #NeverIdle, by Sonny Assu.