La Centrale galerie Powerhouse is proud to present the exhibition Creation of an Ethereal World by the artist Esther Calixte-Bea, curated by Cécilia Bracmort, from September 23 to October 28, 2021.

The exhibition is located at the gallery, at 4296 boulevard Saint-Laurent. It is possible to reserve a one-hour time slot here, or, to visit the exhibition without an appointment during opening hours. For group visits, you can write directly to communication@lacentrale.org.

A vernissage* will be held at La Centrale on Thursday September 23 from 5:30pm to 8pm, the artist and curator will be in attendance.

A talk between Esther Calixte-Bea and Cécilia Bracmort will take place at La Centrale on Friday September 24 at 6pm. A recording of the conversation will be made available on La Centrale’s website. A reservation is required to attend the talk at the gallery, to reserve a place click here or write to communication@lacentrale.org.

Creation of an Ethereal World is a solo exhibition featuring the work of emerging artist Esther Calixte-Bea, curated by Cécilia Bracmort. Conceived from a semi-mythological and semi-autobiographical perspective, Creation of an Ethereal World presents the artist’s fantastical universe, filled with bright colours, magical landscapes, and inhabited by marvellous black female characters. Representation is a central notion to Calixte-Bea’s work, as she challenges Western beauty standards and the violence inherited from centuries of colonialism and patriarchy.
In her practice, which incorporates both the ancestral practice of painting and that of selfies in social media, Calixte-Bea creates works that speak to her personal experiences, her quest for identity, and self-acceptance. For Calixte-Bea’s first solo-exhibition, the curator Cécilia Bracmort wanted the exhibition space to become the perfect setting for the artist’s works produced between 2019 and 2021. Thus, La Centrale transforms into a garden, where the characters, personal reflections, and mythologies of Calixte-Bea can fully express themselves. Creation of an Ethereal World presents the inner journey of a young woman of her time towards the acceptance of her body; freed from the feeling of shame and the subliminal messages imposed by a culture of images and consumption.
Cécilia Bracmort

Esther Calixte-Bea is a multidisciplinary artist, born in Longueuil, of Haitian and Ivorian descent. She is also known as “Queen Esie”. Her work is inspired by her personal life and culture and addresses topics such as identity, individuality, and vulnerability in various forms.
Through her work, she confronts Eurocentric beauty standards by addressing the taboo of female body hair by glorifying it on the bodies of her imaginary black female characters. Her work presents a universe full of vibrant colours, a safe space where everyone can be themselves free of embarrassment.
For more information: www.divinepiphany.com/esther-calixte-bea

Cécilia Bracmort is a French born, Montreal-based curator and artist. Her Caribbean heritage (from Martinique and Guadeloupe) influences her artistic and curatorial practices which are focused on the notions of identity – individual or collective, memory and history. Curious and full of ideas, her projects are made to connect worlds, social environments, and concepts that do not usually mix. Cécilia Bracmort’s projects seek to form bridges between far-reaching themes she connects with such as sport, ecology, trauma, and mythology. Through her work, she aims to open doors to make visible new ideas and identities, and to encourage people to think outside the ‘white’ box and to invite them to see the world anew under a different lens.
For more information: www.ceciliabracmort.com

This project received a grant from Canada Council for the Arts and is supported by Home Depot.

* La Centrale ensures that it is a safe place in accordance with health and safety guidelines

Picture : Esther Calixte-Bea, Birth of a Tribe (2021). Acrylique sur toile | Acrylic on canvas.

Read the booklet of the exhibition