Julie Liger-Belair

Fairy tales, legends, dreams and the surreal worlds they evoke have always been a part of the human experience; a way to make sense of our surroundings and explain our fears. As a child these captured my imagination, weaving themselves into the fabric of my personality. Because of this I am today a collector at heart, constantly collecting fragments of ideas and objects, each with their own little stories to tell. Combining them in different ways in my work, they form new narratives and meanings.

I create mixed-media works using acrylic paint, wood, metal, Japanese paper and found images. I use Victorian era photographs I’ve collected over the years, finding that these, in of themselves, evoke imagined histories and feelings of nostalgia. Their serious and stern faces provide an ironic counterpoint to the humour and levity I try to inject into the work. Alternatively, my pieces make evident a playful fascination with all forms of iconography, creating alter-pieces for everyday life, making sacred of the mundane.

Julie Liger-Belair lives in Toronto, where she attended the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD University). For the past 20 years, she has participated in group and solo shows in Canada, the United Stat...

Solo/Dual Exhibitions

2019- Absurd Imaginaries, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, MI, USA
2018- Brexit- Im Stich Gelassen & Kanadische Ikonen, Germany
2013- Where Gods Fear to Tread, Akasha Art Projects, Toronto,CAN
2012- The Frog Croaked Twelve, Akasha Art Projects, Toronto, CAN
2009- Behind Closed Doors, Dale Smith Gallery, Ottawa.
2008- Sardine Saints and Dustpan Gods, Dale Smith Gallery, Ottawa.
2007- The Little Red Thread, Dale Smith Gallery, Ottawa.
2006- La Grande Parade, C1 Artspace, Toronto.
2006- Nous Sommes Tous de Drôles d’Oiseaux, Dale Smith Gallery, Ottawa.
2004- The Circus and the Pimp’s Jalopy, AWOL Gallery, Toronto.

Group Exhibitions (selected)

2017- Open Door 13, Rosalux Gallery, Minneapolis, USA
2000-2013- Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition,Toronto
2011 - Square Foot, AWOL Gallery, Toronto
2010- Mail Me Art 2, Red Gate Gallery, London, UK
2010, 2011- 6 x 8, The Paper Place, Toronto
2009- In September, Parts Gallery, Toronto
2007- Heat, Dale Smith Gallery, Ottawa
2007- Folk Arts Feature, Ontario Crafts Council Guild Shop, Toronto.
2005- Square Foot NYC, Project Spaceman Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2005-6, 2010- The Shelf Project, C1 Artspace, Toronto.
2003- Glass Slipper, OCAD Gallery, To...