Esther Calixte-Bea
bio
Esther Calixte-Bea is a multidisciplinary artist and body hair activist, born in Longueuil of Haitian and Ivorian origin. Also known as 'Queen Esie' and known for her photography series the 'Lavender Project. Her work addresses topics such as beauty, identity, individuality and vulnerability in various forms that are often inspired by her personal life and culture. She recently completed her BFA at Concordia University in Painting and Drawing. Her work has been featured in CANADIANART magazine, GLAMOUR UK, TVA Nouvelles and more. She has exhibited her work in several group exhibitions such as Af-Flux Monde Bossale at Art Mûr and This is what Compels me to Compel them at Le Livart. Calixte-Bea had her first solo exhibition "Creation of an Ethereal World" at La Centrale Powerhouse gallery.
artist statement
Esther Calixte-Bea’s artistic practice expands through various art forms such as painting, drawing, photography, fashion and poetry. Her work addresses topics such as identity, individuality and vulnerability in various forms that are often inspired by her personal life and culture. Through her work she challenges the lack of diversity in the Quebec art industry. She confronts Eurocentric beauty standards by addressing the taboo of female body hair and glorifies it on the bodies of her black female characters. Her body of work presents a universe full of vibrant colours, a safe space where everyone can be themselves. Recently, Calixte-Bea has created a fictional tribe called Fyète Souhou-te, a complex group of women that live by their own rules while simultaneously tackling gender norms and gender-based beauty standards.
Education
2016-2020
Concordia University
Undergraduate: Painting and Drawing
2018
Centre F.P. Pierre Dupuy
Lancement d’Entreprise en Art Visuel
2014-2016
Dawson College
Visual Arts
2009-2014
Heritage Regional High School
FAF- Visual Arts
Solo Exhibition
September 23rd -October 28th 2021
Creation of an Ethereal World, La Centrale Gallery, Montreal
Group Exhibition
2022
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
(model part of 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
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
Awards
Vocation En Art Exhibition Coup De Cœur 2016
Vocation En Art Exhibition Young Artist 2016
Salon Des Arts Visuels De Brossard 25th edition Promising Young Artist 2017