April 10 – 29, 2008
FRESH & FRENCH!
A Group Show Celebrating Spring, Romance and all things French!
OPENING PARTY EXTRAORDINAIRE
THURSDAY APRIL 10th
7 pm – 1 am
*HOTSHOT
181 AUGUSTA AVE (in Kensington Market)
FEATURING ARTISTS:
Adeline Cohen (Graphic Design & Illustration)
Krist Papas (Photography)
Marie Pierre Rousseau (Mixmedia Photo Illustrations & Calendars)
Ella Cooper & Benjamin Paley (Photography, Video Installation)
mixMotion (Video Kissing Booth)
OPENING PARTY CELEBRATIONS INCLUDE
15 Second French Lessons
French Kiss Video Installation
DJs - Maike Murray Maas & The Dirty French Man
Contest Prizes and other cheeky surprises
PLUS:
Shirts by Yasmine Louis
Limited Edition T-Shirts by Toronto based Parisian artist Adeline Cohen
Featuring LP Compilations, CDs, photography and calendars of Montreal bands
King Khan, the Demon Claws, the Cockroaches, Vicious Delicious and more.
Show runs April 10 – 29, 2008
Curated by Ella Cooper
FRESH & FRENCH
Opening Reception April 10, 2008
Runs til April 26th
Adeline Cohen (Graphic Design, Illustration and T-Shirts)
Marie Pierre Rousseau (Mixmedia Photo Illustrations and Calendars)
Krist Papas (Photography)
Ella Cooper & Benjamin Paley (Dance Photography, Video Installation)
Brett Sejko (Photograhy)
mixMotion (Video Kissing Booth collaboration with Ella Cooper)
Yasmine Louis (Special Slk Screened Shirts)
CDs, limited edition compilations and collectible LPs by King Khan & BBQ, the Demon Claws, Vicious Delicious, Bloodshot Bill, Les Vautours, The Nymphets and the Cockroaches all featured in Marie Pierre Rousseaus' work.
ELLA COOPER
Fresh & French Curator
Ella Cooper is a local arts manager, fine arts photographer and art enthusiast, curating her first show ever that celebrates spring, romance and all things French by showcasing the work of the following artists who are inspired by Paris, Montreal and that stereotypical joie de vivre, fashionable chic and romantic love associated with the French.
Originally from Montreal, Ella holds an extensive background in visual arts, dance, photography, music, design and new media. Ella also spends a chunk of her time working in the studio above *Hotshot as the Founding Director of the Emerging Arts Professional Network, plus she carries out a number of arts management, promotion and graphic design contracts through her new company Ella Cooper Creative Arts. She serves on the board of the Cultural Careers Council and has been awarded numerous grants for arts management training from the London Independent Theatre Council in England and the CCCO’s Income Managers Program.
In addition, Ella continues to receive growing recognition for her artwork and is a recipient of Chalmers Professional Development Award and OAC Visual Artist Grant for her dance photography which has also appeared in Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Now Magazine. Ella makes numerous appearances as a guest speaker for conferences and panels to speak on issues surrounding the next generation of arts leaders and was recently selected as one of the Luminato Festival's Milles Femmes Magnifique celebrating 1,000 of Toronto's most inspirational women in the arts.
ADELINE COHEN (Paris)
 Adeline Cohen aka Nefaj (pronounced Néfâge) la Rage is a Toronto based graphic designer. Parisian at heart, she emigrated in Canada in 2006 because like any true Parisian, she hates Parisians, Parisian dog owners and Parisian drivers, but she loves Paris (of course!), her Parisian friends and Parisian designers.
She takes inspiration from pop-art, graffiti art, concious Hip-hop and French electro. Her artwork is full of nostalgia for the city that lives in her soul, with a touch of the vibrant, open-minded and cheerful feel of Canada. Her work is a veritable marriage of Toronto and Paris. Each piece has something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue… you know what’s next…
To know more about Nefaj, visit her website.
MARIE-PIERRE ROUSSEAU (Montreal)
 Cultivator of communal arts and purveyor of style, Montreal-based designer and multi-media events coordinator Marie-Pierre Rousseau comes to the playing field armed with an unusual talent at providing a unique sensory experience to those who come in contact with her work. Her roots grounded in the fine arts stems from an early age whence she had been exposed to the cultural medium through her parents, and the related extended families that had inspired the young artist to pursue an appreciation and later on, a practical application of the arts with a sense of purpose. Upon finishing with a baccalaureate in Industrial Design at the University of Montreal, it had been clear for her to integrate the many schools and complexities of art and form into more functional offerings.
Her inclinations transpired into an array of meaningful and diversified projects, starting off as a technician in the interior set design of local museums, later transforming into a multimedia designer and coordinator for private and public events.The road she took helped boost the awareness of her talent, and that of the local players engaged in her projects. Her flair for style and her strong work ethic had forseen her situation develop favorably towards fashion design and corporate branding that are indicative of her cultured and cultivated backgound.
Marie Pierre aims to improve her surroundings quite literally as an art director for spatial interiors and exteriors, or figuratively speaking through the bridging of communities, cultures, and subcultures in just expressions that communicate a deeper exploration into art.
KRIST PAPAS (Toronto)
 Krist Papas, a Toronto based photographer documents the relationships between people and place throughout his travels. He represents everyday life transforming it from the mundane to a reflection on people's private experiences in public spaces.
In his series Parisian Moments he explores the 'joie de vivre' in his representations of couples and family. It is the intimate moments shared between his subjects that capture the quintessential nature of
Parisian life and the joy of living.
During CONTACT, May 2008 Krist will be exhibiting a selection of photographs from his Greece series at Myth, 417 Danforth Ave. For more information go to his website.
BENJAMIN PALEY (Toronto)
 When the idea of a French Kiss video installation first came up, Benjamin Paley was immediately contacted. Having avidly practiced and honed his skills since the tender age of 13, Ben is considered something of an expert on the art of the French Kiss. He started his career writing the letters of the alphabet with his tongue as passersby watched at the inner harbor in Baltimore. Since then his to tongue has taken him around the world to Thailand, Ohio, New York, Israel, Greece, and, of course, France in the pursuit of the perfect kiss. In August 2005, he settled in Toronto, where he was born, to take advantage of the large developing market for his art. He has been kissing in the alleyways, parks, and patios of TO since then.
Beyond his artistic skill as a kisser, Benjamin is known for his willingness to do anything in the name of art, especially if it includes dressing up or taking off his clothes. In the past, this has resulted in Elvis Presley impersonations, erotic poetry readings, impromptu burlesque performances, spandex and the use of copious amounts of body paint.
Ben is currently working on starting up Toronto’s first all-male burlesque troupe and invites you to contact him boylesque@gmaill.com if you are male and have a propensity for taking off your clothes in the name of art.
YASMINE LOUIS
SPECIAL SELECTION OF SILK SCREENED SHIRTS WILL BE SOLD DURING THE RUN OF THE SHOW.
In 1985, after spending my entire childhood in West Africa, my family and I immigrated to cold, very cold, Montreal. By 1992, after finishing a fine arts degree, I decided to move to Toronto to study at the Ontario College of Art and Design in the Textile Printing Program. In Toronto, I discovered that being half Swiss, half Egyptian, francophone and newly bilingual, was the perfect way to blend into this amazingly multicultural city.
This was also when I discovered that silk-screen printing is my passion.
After graduation, and three years at the Harbourfront Craft Studios, I opened my own silk-screen printing studio in the Queen West District of Toronto. It was during this time that I developed my funky line of silk-screen printed pillows. This was just the beginning of a great printing adventure. From pillows to napkins to light boxes to now clothing and commissioned work – I have printed on every possible fabric and surface, participated in some of the biggest craft shows in Canada and the U.S. and collaborated with fabulous artists and designers.
The neighborhood has changed over the past few years but, I am still creating in my downtown studio. I have the same talented sewer that has been with me since the beginning. And although I sometimes hire extra help to assist me when needed, every single item made in my studio is hand printed, with water based pigments, by me.
The best part of all this is meeting the people who love my work and that have supported me all along. So please, next time you see my booth at a show, drop by and say hi.
Printing printing printing, what a great way to spend ten years. And I can’t wait for more!
Check out Yasmine's Website
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