Enjoyable Festival | When art and inclusion become one

Alluring photos, suggestive illustrations, naughty accessories: you’ll find a bit of all of this, and more, at the brand new Jouissif festival in Montreal. A name that says a lot, but does not say everything.

This new erotic event, which is taking place this weekend at the Bain Mathieu, is intended first and foremost to be inclusive. On the menu: sexual and gender diversity, but also of bodies, as far as the works are concerned, but also and of course of the artists, who are counted here by the dozens.

These include French photographer Fabrice de Bray, local illustrator Jessi Tremblay, and Brazilian visual artist Raphael Hubner, not to mention the artisans who have created various ceramic dildos, fine lingerie, and jewelry, let’s say, less conventional.

For two days, visitors will have the opportunity to discover a variety of works, in addition to attending workshops on niche topics (BDSM, for example). A festive evening is also planned, with various performances, to celebrate inclusive art in all its forms and, of course, all its colors.

A space for the community

The idea for the project was born in the wake of the affair of the fake festivals, remember, earlier this year. Among these, the Sexposition festival specifically promised a showcase for several artists from diverse backgrounds. Dead on the soap opera, this festival has left several artists in the lurch, including Alexis Genta. The latter went to seek the help of Nadia Cardin, developer and organizer by trade, to co-organize with him this new and this time very real event.

Because there are not many exhibition spaces for artists from the LGBTQ+ communities, she accepted the challenge: “There is a need, there is a challenge, go, we do it! “, reacted with energy Nadia Cardin.

Priority, therefore, to subjects known as “queer and committed feminists because there is little space to highlight them without them being drowned in what already exists”.

What to expect ? To something “colorful”, promises the organizer, “which looks like us”.

The ultimate goal here is to “open up dialogue and communication”. “Sexuality, eroticism, it’s super intimate to everyone,” she says. But if we manage to open the channels of communication, to break taboos, to better understand the differences, it can help in many spheres of life. ” How ? The simplest way in the world, “because we open up to the difference…”, she invites.

What to see

The exhibitor

“It’s hard, there are so many! “, answers Nadia Cardin, before settling on the artist Ann-Aumalie Sauvage, a visual artist with canvases as colorful as they are exploded, who is part of the “reappropriation of the sacred feminine”. Among the 43 exhibitors (artists and craftsmen together), we should also mention the presence of Charlie Bourdeau, an uninhibited illustrator, who tackles questions surrounding sexual freedom, grossophobia or intersectional feminism in a playful way, all on magnets and tights. Saturday and Sunday.

The workshop

La Fauve presents Sunday at noon a “vulvar workshop” bearing, as its name suggests, obviously on the vulva, but also the word that surrounds it, with the objective of demystifying the question, dialogue and inform. Notice to interested parties: participants will even be invited to create a clay vulva with their hands!

The performance

The evening, which promises to be festive on Saturday evening, will be hosted by drag artist Sasha Baga, who will give two performances as a bonus, between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. He is the “flagship” artist of the evening, a committed personality, who wore, earlier this year, a dress made from scratch based on hate posters seen in Quebec and the United States, during rallies anti drag. Paid festive evening.

The Jouissif festival is held on June 17 and 18 at the Bain Mathieu. Free entry for the exhibition and the market.