The summer edition of Pique multidisciplinary arts festival, happening June 10 at the Arts Court, is the biggest and boldest edition of Pique yet! The all-ages festival will present 30 artists across ten stages and multiple exhibition spaces, indoors and outdoors, for groundbreaking performances, art exhibitions, screenings, workshops, and more.
The block-wide arts festival will serve as a joint-birthday party for two of Ottawa’s leading cultural presenters. Pique producer organization Debaser celebrates its 10th anniversary this spring, and host venue and presenting partner SAW celebrates its 50th. The two organizations are joining forces to bring marquee programming to Pique on June 10, including performances by Lido Pimienta, Bear Witness (member of the Halluci Nation), Aïcha Bastien N’Diaye, and Quatuor Bozzini performing the music of 2022 Pulitzer Prize Winner Raven Chacon.
The occasion triples at the Arts Court Open House Party, bringing together the building’s resident cultural organizations to animate every corner of Ottawa’s most vibrant cultural hub for an afternoon of free building-wide family-oriented activities.
The outdoor Art Market returns to Daly Ave with 25+ artists and food vendors, and for the first time at Pique, we are bringing live music back to the Saint Lo Jail Hostel (the site of Debaser’s first-ever show ten years ago)!
“There is so much to see, hear and experience at this edition of Pique!” says Debaser Founder and Director Rachel Weldon. “We are thrilled to join forces with SAW, an organization and space near and dear to Debaser, to celebrate both of our organizations’ anniversaries.”
“The SAW team is ecstatic to partner with Debaser to celebrate our milestone anniversaries at Pique,” says Stefan St-Laurent, Artistic Associate, 50th Anniversary Program, SAW. “Multiple curatorial forces came together to dream up the most ambitious and exuberant showcase of music, performance and art that we have ever presented. SAW and Debaser are committed to defending cultural pluralism within the Nation’s capital, providing space for politically and socially engaged artists who further our shared goal of creating a more inclusive and progressive society. For this edition of Pique, SAW has invited some of the world’s leading Indigenous musicians and performers in a show of solidarity and resistance.”
More programming highlights include:
- Lido Pimienta will be the artist-in-residence for the month leading up to Pique, hosted by SAW at the historic Rochon Residence in the ByWard Market, culminating in a special performance at Pique.
- Guest curators Many Place Money Party take over the parking lot of the Saint Lo Jail Hostel, the site of Debaser’s first event in 2013, for a hyper-pop program featuring New York’s Frost Children with emerging regional artists Hug Mosh, Fireball Kid and Everett Rama.
- Mexico City-based performance artist EYIBRA presents a six-hour durational performance and multimedia piece incorporating 3D visuals, movement and sound art that explores the artist’s queer non-binary identity in the context of their Ukrainian roots, presented in the ODD Box.
- We Are the Medium guest curators Sundus Abdul Hadi and Yassin “Narcy” Alsalman present a special pop-up of Maktaba Bookshop, an artist-run concept bookshop and cultural space, fully integrated into the festival.
- Visit the microcinema of the Digital Arts Resource Centre to check out Radical Noise: Social Action through Music and Video, including shorts by Lido Pimienta, Bear Witness, Howard Adler, Lesley Marshall, and more.
- The scenic outdoor terraces of the Ottawa Art Gallery will be transformed into intimate showcases of local talent, including Anaïs Cardot, THEA, Bonnie Doon and Matt Miwa, Backseat Dragon, and Go Long.
- A livestream broadcast from Club SAW and SAW Courtyard produced by Kilam Media will allow audience members anywhere in the world to experience Pique programming, watchable at thisispique.com.
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EVENT DETAILS
What: Pique summer edition
When: Saturday, June 10, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm to 2:00 am
Where: Arts Court (67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON)
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/pique-summer-23-tickets-621954371267
Lineup:
- Lido Pimienta
- Bear Witness (of The Halluci Nation)
- Colloboh
- Frost Children*
- EYIBRA
- Aïcha Bastien N’Diaye
- Anaïs Cardot
- Jairus Sharif
- OK Naledi
- THEA
- Hug Mosh*
- Bonnie Doon
- Matt Miwa
- Kathryn Patricia
- Go Long
- Backseat Dragon
- Fireball Kid*
- N’nerjie
- Siaka Diabate
- KAY-fayb
- Everett Rama*
- 13assa & Shaye A
- and the music of Raven Chacon performed by Quatuor Bozzini
* curated by Many Place Money Party
Guest curators:
Many Place Money Party
We Are The Medium
The full schedule for Pique is available here.
Tickets to Pique are now on sale on Eventbrite. The OAG is fully accessible, with multi-user washrooms, and admission is always free. The accessible entrance is at 10 Daly Ave. Free childcare is available during exhibition opening receptions. All doors at DARC (SAW) have accessibility buttons to press for automatic entry. DARC is located on the main floor (one story above ground) of the Arts Court building. DARC’s main entrance is located at 67 Nicholas Street which is fully wheelchair accessible. Alternate wheelchair-accessible entry is available through 2 Daly Ave at the Arts Court main entrance or the Ottawa Art Gallery. Elevator access is available from 9am–11pm.
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