Summer is peeking its sweaty head right around the corner, meaning that endless construction and longer days are here to make us forget about the six months of winter that blanketed the streets of Ottawa. Not to worry! Here steps in a break from school, followed by endless events to fill your (hopefully) not-so-busy schedules.
Starting June 8, Pique takes center stage, taking over three floors of the downtown Arts Court building complex, nine stages and exhibition spaces and half of Daly Avenue. The festival showcases innovative and underground music and art for all ages, and admission is pay-what-you-can. You can party outside and bask in that sunshine, or do the same in one of the many indoor areas to choose from.
Pique’s summer edition is a lovely blend of curatorial perspectives as well as a display of diasporic subcultures. Across nine stages and exhibition spaces, over 30 artists and curators will bless us with live music, dance, performance art, visual media and installation.
Photo by: Serena Yang
In addition to the list above, Debaser Director Rachel Weldon tells me via email about the workshops the festival has in store.
“The workshops will include two workshops curated by Chukwubuikem and Kosisochukwu Nnebe: a voguing workshop presented by ballroom artist Bubblegum 007, and a stepping workshop by the Montreal steppers. There will also be a community sound-making workshop hosted by Douglas Ewart and Jesse Stewart.”
Pique art market will also be present on Daly Avenue, with approximately 25 art and food vendors participating — from prints and publications to textiles, beadwork press-on nails and wearables.
Broadcasting live from Club SAW and the SAW Courtyard, tune into the Pique live stream anywhere in the world at thisispique.com/live-stream, featuring dynamic performances and live-to-air interviews. You can also join Cybernetique, an interactive Zoom watch party (yeah, remember Zoom? Good times), to engage with our hosts and socialize with fellow virtual attendees.
Photo by: John Finnigan Lin
This edition of Pique stands out for our exciting curatorial partnerships, Weldon shares.
“We are working with SAW exhibiting artist Kosisochukwu Nnebe, whose show The Seeds We Carry opens at SAW Gallery on the same day as Pique, and her brother Chukwubuikem, on performance programming that resonates with the exhibition presented in SAW, celebrating Black aliveness and resistance.”
Pique is also presenting an exhibition by emerging local curator Harley Wegner, exploring the erotic alongside Western religion and Indigenous spirituality, presented with support from the Indigenous Curatorial Collective. Additionally, the festival is working with Mars Souleil and CONTRA to offer a stage that celebrates queer South Asian artists and their diaspora. You can expect groundbreaking performances and visual artists to take over several overlooked spaces around the Arts Court to bring interventions that explore gender and sexuality, spirituality, materiality, and environmentalism.
Here’s who you can also expect:
- A L M A
- Alice Longyu Gao
- anglephroot
- BubbleGum 007 + Fiji Siriano 007*
- Bucko + Marisa Gallemit
- Douglas Ewart + Jesse Stewart
- Franki
- Giotto
- Harley Wegner
- Honeydrip + King Shadrock + Emma Forgues*
- Horizon Factory
- Karen Ng
- LaFHomme
- Masahiro Takahashi + Brodie West
- Montreal Steppers*
- nabilio
- NINO BROWN
- Pelada
- PYNE
- San Farafina*
- Silla
- Tangerine
- Zoma
Photo by: Ming Wu
This summer edition of Pique will be as diverse as ever, with music ranging from psychedelic dub, bold hyperpop, ethereal new age, visionary free jazz, high-octane hardcore, afro-diasporic polyrhythms and many things in between. With artists from underground music scenes around the globe, this is a festival you can’t miss.
Pique is all-ages and pay-what-you-can. Tickets are available for about $25-50. Audience members are also invited to register for our pay-what-you-can program for subsidized tickets. Tickets are general admission and offer access to all event spaces and stages, subject to capacity.
The event site has automated doors, accessible gender-neutral washrooms, and elevator access to all levels. The EQUIPE harm reduction team will be on-site to support audience members. Their staff and volunteers are trained in harm reduction strategies to help audience members throughout the event.
