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Esther Calixte-Bea's Fyète-Souhou Tribe
Fyète-Souhou (formerly known as Fyète Souhou-te) is a fictional tribe created by Esther Calixte-Bea inspired by her culture and personal life. Fyète meaning pride in haitian creole and Souhou meaning divine in guéré an ivorian dialect. Much like her last name being a combination of her haitian mother and ivorian father's last name, she combined haitian and guéré words to create the name of this tribe. Fyète-Souhou is divine pride or proud to be chosen by God. In this tribe, Calixte-Bea represents hairy black women, their everyday life, traditions and struggles while challenging eurocentric beauty standards. As a hairy women herself, the artist has discovered through her ivorian side of the family that her hairiness is hereditatry and that back in her great grandmother time body hair on women was seen as beautiful and not shameful. She decolonizes beauty through this tribe, discusses the topic of identity, lose of identity while reflecting on her upbringing in Canada. The artist uses painting, drawing, writing, fabric and more to create an immersive world. For Calixte-Bea, creating a fictional tribe is creating a space for healing and allowing the audience to discover an imaginary world they can escape in.
Af-Flux Biennale Transnationale Noire: Monde Bossale
September 11- December 11 2021
Creation of an Ethereal World | First Solo Exhibition
September 21 -October 28 2021
"Creation of an Ethereal World" at La Centrale Powerhouse gallery, feminist artist-run center
Canada Council for Arts - Home Depot, over 100 visitors at vernissage and over 500 vistors overall
Take a look at the exhibition pamphlet
https://issuu.com/lacentralegaleriepowerhouse/docs/plan_de_salle_esther_calixte_bea
Photos of the exhibition
Video of the exhibition
Articles & Mentions
https://viedesarts.com/en/reviews-en/creation-dun-monde-ethere-ou-comment-incarner-sa-divine-essence/
https://journalmetro.com/local/le-plateau-mont-royal/2712006/casser-les-codes-de-la-beaute-feminine-avec-esther-calixte-bea/
https://magazineinsitu.wordpress.com/2021/10/25/jusquau-28-octobre-2021-a-la-centrale-une-exposition-immersive-et-salutaire-proposee/
https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/creation-of-an-ethereal-worlds-psychedelic-universe-of-paintings-urges-viewers-to-question-beauty-standards-and-colonial-oppression
https://theconcordian.com/2021/10/68255/
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/you-are-shocked-but-you-shouldn-t-be-montreal-exhibition-celebrates-female-body-hair-fantasy-and-beauty-1.5599701
https://journalmetro.com/local/rosemont-la-petite-patrie/2706318/premiere-biennale-transnationale-noire-a-la-galerie-art-mur/
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