From April 9^th to May 3^rd, 2008

Nicole Béland invites you to two great exhibits of her latest work

A Brave New World was Aldous Huxley's take on a futuristic totalitarian society in 1932. Since then, countless writers have been fascinated by this subject for the revealing parallels they could draw with contemporary society. My first introduction to the subject was not the usual bleak and moralizing tale but a hilarious romp called "Sleeper". In this brilliant satire, Woody Allen gives us the essence of a totalitarian society in a side-splitting manner. In the movie, humans no longer make love but seem to enjoy their shower stall device called an "orgasmatron". In this exhibit, my paintings and photography also illustrate our loss of contact with the natural world and how our beloved machines tend to dehumanize us.

Art is Oxygen : What a catchy title! But as all catchy titles go, it's a lie. Art is not oxygen but it is important to me. It is also the title to my soon to be published art book. In it, I explore personal mythology. Profound beliefs acquired early on in life and that are hard to shake even when they become limiting. Personal symbo-lism, ego construction and all that Freudian stuff is what great works of art are made of. Of course, if you can make people laugh, that works too. Some artists have this big persona they hide behind. I'm trying to be the genuine article here. I hope you can witness it with me as I showcase some of my best original works chosen for the book.

Official Opening on Saturday, April 12^th, 2008

from 14h00 to 17h00

at Galerie Luz (Belgo Building, #418)

372 W, Sainte-Catherine Street, Montreal

Regular Hours : Wednesday to Saturday - 12h00 to 17h00

Phone: (514) 908-2880

nicole@artisoxygen.com