Salia Hadidi – The Concordian

The street artist takes a stand against the hypersexualization of women in modern society

As you walk into the exhibition room on the Phi Centre’s second floor, you find yourself being stared at by prints of women wearing nothing but their T-shirts, which they have lifted up for the occasion. Warm welcome, right? Think again. They are not here to seduce you, they are here to embrace and affirm what has been taken away from them—their feminine power and stature. The bigger-than-life wheatpaste pieces—a type of paste-up art affixed to walls using flour and water—are the work of a street artist named MissMe. You may have already come upon one of them as she originally plastered them on walls all across the city. She didn’t stop at Montreal though, as she exported her art to the streets of Dakar, London and Havana, to name a few.

MissMe created the exhibition in front of the Nuit Blanche 2016 crowd. Photos courtesy of the Phi Centre.

I came across her work for the first time through a short video—directed by Mohammad Gorjestani for Brit+Co company and presented at this year’s South by Southwest festival—which showed the origins and purpose of her work, namely why she quit a successful job in advertising and started walking down Montreal’s streets at night to put up her art. Frustrations that arose from certain aspects of her career, along with issues such as social media censorship—some of her content was deemed inappropriate and taken down—made her take a stand against the hypersexualization of women in today’s society. And while most will agree to women taking back control of their sexuality, some argue against the necessity of nudity to move the debate forward.

Indeed as you face the so-titled Army of Vandals, all 36 of them sporting almost nothing but a black balaclava with attached ears, your focus will go to their bodies. After you’ve discovered the first aesthetic of realistic bare skin, you start pay attention to the details of the strong and proud figures’ messages. Modeled on the artist’s silhouette, they feature some of her past projects like “Horny Betty,” “Fingers with Attitude” and “Unicorn Boob” as part of her body.

Her army awaits to be displayed on the walls of the Phi Centre. Photos courtesy of the Phi Centre.

MissMe’s inspiration doesn’t stop at her Army of Vandals. As a singer and avid fan of soul music, she previously drew her idols, including Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and George Gershwin, as a tribute to their artistic influence. She also touched on recent events with “The Story of a Refugee Family from the Middle East” posters put up in bus shelters, in which she depicts Mary and Jesus as refugees, drawing a parallel between the biblical figures’ journey and the current crisis.

Ultimately, MissMe would like to live off her art, and proclaims herself an artist vandal who uses streets as a platform, rather than a street artist per se. As she calls out for “self-confident women to join … the army” for an upcoming art installation on her Facebook page, you get the feeling that you will shortly be seeing much more of her.

Keep an eye out for her work on the streets and go check out her exhibition which is extended until April 2, at the Phi Centre, in partnership with Lez Spread the World.

21 and Over revolves around a group of guys on a partying journey, but this isn’t The Hangover. One of the characters has an important event to attend the next morning and is the subject of many troubles, but this isn’t The Hangover. There are a lot of naked people, alcohol and drugs involved, but THIS IS NOT The Hangover.

Now, we are not going to waste time pretending this movie aspired to Oscar contention, which it would have obviously failed miserably at. For the purpose it serves, the movie could be considered decent, bringing a few smiles, but still feels too recycled. 21 and Over’s storyline is simplistic: Jeff Chang, a promising med student who is played by Justin Chon, gets a surprise visit from his two longtime friends Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller), on his 21st birthday. With one of the most important interviews of his life scheduled for the next morning, Chang agrees to a quiet celebration with the pair. Festivities quickly get out of hand, turning into a night of debauchery and depravity.

Whereas recent movies like The Hangover and Project X have relied on either memorable lines and performances or insanely over the top attitude, 21 and Over wanders in the middle, not knowing where to stand. Instead of being a non-stop ride of laughs, it’s few funny scenes, which are essentially summed up in the trailer, come up almost carelessly, here and there. And when it tries to bring up more serious subjects, it never gets to the bottom of it. As for the cast, the main actors have previously endorsed similar roles: Teller as a party animal in Project X and Astin as the nice guy next door in Pitch Perfect. Chon, while unconscious for the better part of the movie, brings a funny twist and harmony to the group with his first major role.

21 and Over matches whatever low expectations the trailer had allowed us to prepare for. It brings nothing new to the table, and while you maintain the hope of being surprised by exciting writers, you quickly sober up and become aware of the silence in the screening room. The movie scrapes whatever was left of The Hangover‘s vomit-covered cutting room floor, but still doesn’t manage to get any substance. Instead, we are thrown in the middle of clichéd frat parties, getting forever wilder and yet still serving as a reference for prospective college students.

We are chasing Jeff Chang throughout the whole movie, without ever getting anywhere. “Did we just kill Jeff Chang, again?” might be the quote which sums up 21 and Over the best, more specifically, its repetitiveness and lack of interest. Dear viewers, save yourselves that Cheapy Tuesday ticket, and go rent a comedy more worthy of your money. 21 Jump Street, I Love You, Man, Mystery Team, to name only a few, ensure that you can still turn your brain off and keep laughing.