Esther Calixte-Bea
biography
Esther Calixte-Bea is a multidisciplinary artist of Ivorian and Haitian origin born in 1996 in Longueuil. She is also a body hair activist known as Queen Esther (formerly Queen Esie). Calixte-Bea completed a bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing at Concordia University (2020). Her work has been presented in Vie des Arts as well as in several media outlets, notably on CBC radio, La Fabrique Culturelle and TVA Nouvelles. Her photographic series entitled “Lavender Project” has been featured in Fashion Canada and Glamour UK, among others. She has also been part of several group exhibitions, including MAADI by Stanley Février, presented at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2022). Imaginaire Souverain at the Maison de la Culture Janine-Sutto and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau (2022). Calixte-Bea presented her first solo exhibition Creation of an Ethereal World at La Centrale Gallery Powerhouse (2021) and her second in Chiguer Art Contemporain gallery (2023). The Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec has recently acquired one of her artworks (2024).
artist statement
Esther Calixte-Bea's practice develops through different art forms such as painting, drawing, photography, textiles, installation and writing. Through her work, she challenges Eurocentric beauty standards by addressing the taboo of female body hair. In her visual compositions, black female figures wear their body hair proudly rather than with shame. The hair becoming glorified on their bodies pays homage to her Ivorian tribe named Wè. The artist addresses themes of identity by inventing a fictitious ethnic group called Fyète-Souhou taking the word pride in Haitian Creole and the word divine in Guéré (Ivorian dialect). Calixte-Bea also addresses the theme of individuality by giving each figure a unique appearance through their elaborate hairstyle inspired by various pre-colonial African hairstyles, as well as the issue of vulnerability by creating a space for healing in her work. Calixte-Bea builds an inventive and color-filled world, often inspired by nature, her personal life and her cultural heritage. She paints female characters with acrylic paint and oil pastels, creating a world with a royal and futuristic appearance. She places great emphasis on hairstyles. Navigating through various mediums, she can also bring her figures to life by creating clothing, wigs and accessories that are displayed on mannequins in the exhibition space. In her self-photography work, the artist wears her own creations while highlighting her body hair. Finally, it is through writing and poetry that she tells the story of this ethnic group, illustrating their way of life.
Education
2016-2020
Concordia University
Undergraduate: Painting and Drawing
2014-2016
Dawson College
Visual Arts
2009-2014
Heritage Regional High School
FAF- Visual Arts
Solo Exhibition
2024
Welcome to the Garden, La Maison de la Culture Janine-Sutto, Montreal
2023
To Be & To Belong, Chiguer Art Contemporain, Montreal
2021
Creation of an Ethereal World, La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, Montreal
Group Exhibition
2024
Chlorophylle et Mélanine, Place du Marché Atwater, Montreal
2023
The 2023 Art Volt Collection, Le Livart, Montreal
We do not dream of labour, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa
Hors-Piste Basculement, Atrium Métro Longueuil- Université Sherbrooke, Longueuil
2022
Imaginaires Souverains, Maison de la culture Janine Sutto et Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal
J'habite le territoires, Maison de la Culture de Longueuil Marcel-Robidas, Longueuil
ARTCH, Dorchester Square, Montreal
Stanley Février's MAADI, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal
Art.Écran, Place de la Création, Montreal
Entre, La P'tite Porte, Montreal
Aynalem: L'oeil du monde, Centre d'Art Diane-Dufresne, Repentigny
Dos à Dos, Face à Face, Institut National Art Contemporain, Montreal
Vues d’Afrique-Rallye Expo : Union Urbaine, Boutique Espace Urbaine, Montreal
What is the Future of Canadian Afro Descendant Art, Black Wealth Club X Gallea Digital Exhibition, Montreal
2021
Af-Flux Biennale Transnationale Noire: Monde Bossale, Art Mûr, Montreal
Wall-to-Wall Mural & Culture Festival, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Wild Trails, Jano Lapin Gallery, Montreal
Opening a Dialogue, Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, Quebec City
(collaboration with The Womanhood Project)
Musée d’Art Actuel Département des Invisibles (MAADI), Université de Sherbrooke, Campus Longueuil
2020
This is what Compels me to Compel them, Le Livart, Montreal
HUMA-I-N, Galerie Rad Hourani, Montreal
New Legacies : Untangling the Collective Conscience (online exhibition), Repos Anxieux, Montreal
Black History Month Takeover, Concordia University EV Building, Montreal
2019
Vocation en Art, Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
Reclaiming My Place (student exhibition), Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Montreal
Le Salon, Atelier 2112, Montreal
Body; Language, VAV Gallery, Montreal
L’Environment c’est Intersectionnelle, Librarie Racine 2.0, Montreal-Nord
SPACE Exhibition Perspectives, Warren G Flowers Gallery, Montreal
2018
Vocation en Art, Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
SPACE Exhibition “En-tropy ”,Warren G Flowers Gallery, Montreal
26 ème édition du Salon des Arts Visuels, Centre Socioculturel Alphonse Lepage, Brossard
Vocation en Art 2nd part, Maison des Citoyens Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
2017
Vocation en Art, Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
25 ème édition du Salon des Arts Visuels, Centre Socioculturel Alphonse Lepage, Brossard
SPACE Exhibition “Glitch”, Warren G Flower Gallery , Montreal
Vocation en Art 2nd part, Mayson des Citoyens Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
2016
Vocation en Art, Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hubert
The Global Art League, Montreal Art Center, Montreal
Apis (End of Year Exhibition), Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Dawson College,Montreal
SPACE Exhibition “Visions”, Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Dawson College, Montreal
2015
SPACE Exhibition “Trans”, Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Dawson College, Montreal
Grants
Conseils des Arts et Lettres du Québec, 2022
ARTCH Creation Grant, 2022
Conseils des Arts du Canada, 2021
Artist Residency
Développement de carrière à l’international, Artch x NYC Crit Club, 2023
Instagram Residency at L’Imagier, 2022
Awards
Visual Artist of the Year Finalist, Gala Dynastie, 2023
Salon Des Arts Visuels De Brossard 25 ème Edition “Jeune artiste prometteur” 2017
Vocation En Art Exhibition “Relève Jeune Artistes” 2016
Collections
Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec
The St. Claire Collection
Rad Hourani
Art Volt
Private
Auction
Parle moi d’amour- Les Impatients, 2023
Trait d’Union- Festival International du Film sur l’Art, 2022
Publication
The Trans-Exhibition, Edited By Mulvey Frank, Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Montreal, Catalogue de l’Exposition, Page 52, 2015, ISBN 978-1-55016-643-9
Visual Arts Graduating Class Apis 16, edited by Smith Stephanie, Meredith Colin J., Vu Caroline, Minh Le Tina Thu Ngo, Dawson College, Montreal, Catalogue de l’Exposition, page 16, 2016
Visions, edited by Mulvey Frank, Warren G. flower Art Gallery, Montreal, Catalogue de l’Exposition, page 80, 2016, ISBN 978-1-55016-996-6
Glitch, edited by Mulvey Frank and Beattie Amanda, Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Montreal, Catalogue de l’Exposition, page 12, 2016, ISBN 978-1-55016-325-4
Entropy, Edited By Beattie Amanda, Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Montreal, Exhibition Catalogue, Page 10, 2018, ISBN 978-1-55016-931-7
Perspectives, Watson Sarah, Warren G. Flowers Gallery, Montreal, Catalogue de l’Exposition, Page 14, 2019, ISBN 978-1-55016-798-6
Lalonde, Chloe " Lavender Project" Yiara magazine, 18 Mar 2020. p.24-25 PRINT https://issuu.com/raissapaes/docs/yiara_volume8
Zavaro, Adele. "Esther Calixte-Bea" L'Organe 'Periple', Mar 2020. p. 20 PRINT https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z1Z2BQqDJz2etpdVKz8RR4Almi_MWVoo/view?fbclid=IwAR3xyhfN4C7ssX7rTuQWm_-YjT05NXdwZQIFh-x55zYkaRnO7QZju08M6iA
Articles
Froundjian , Nanor. “Esther Calixte-Bea Addresses One of the Biggest Taboos: Female Body Hair: Special Issue.” The Link, 1 Oct. 2019, https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/esther-calixte-bea-addresses-one-of-the-biggest-taboos-female-body-hair
Mignacca , Franca G. “With a Lens on Body Hair, an Artist Challenges Notions of 'Normal' | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 26 Oct. 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/photo-series-tackles-stigma-women-chest-hair-1.5336927
Picotte, Vanessa. "Elle défie les conventions et expose sa pilosité sur les réseaux sociaux" Le Courrier du Sud, 29 Jan, 2020, https://www.lecourrierdusud.ca/elle-defie-les-conventions-et-expose-sa-pilosite-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux/
Floud, Rebecca. " PRICKLY SUBJECT Women who’ve embraced Januhairy proudly show off their natural fuzz after ditching the razors for a month" The Sun. 29 Jan 2020. https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/10693776/women-ditch-razor-hairy-fuzz-januhairy-proud-snaps/
London, Bianca. "Women are defiantly ditching their razors and posting empowering #Januhairy snaps on social media" Glamour UK. 30 Jan 2020. https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/januhairy-campaign
Londo, Bianca. "'There's nothing wrong with me, there's something wrong with society': Meet the artist who powerfully displays her chest hair to bust beauty ideals" Glamour UK. 17 Feb 2020, https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/esther-calixte-bea-interview
Tv Interviews
Denis Lévesque . "Pas gênée de montrer la pilosité de sa poitrine" TVA Nouvelle. 28 Nov 2019. https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/11/28/elle-ne-se-gene-pas-pour-montrer-sa-pilosite-de-poitrine
Studio Direct. "Esther Calixte-Béa, artiste, photographe et étudiante" TVRS. 13 Feb 2020. http://www.tvrs.ca/emissions/studio-direct/sur-demande?show=29151