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For his photo series A Chronicle of Love & Loss in Sickness & in Health, American photographer Devin Elijah delved into feelings much deeper than the juxtaposition of Polaroids and New York City would normally suggest… @ La Petite Mort Gallery, April 13-29

Sculptor Joel Prevost found the perfect setting for the opening of his show, “Variations on the Same Theme” at Gallery 240 in downtown Ottawa. Prevost’s sculpted torsos, from clay, bronze, hydrostone and resin, show the beauty and imperfections of his male and female models.

Provocative and uncompromising, Montréal photographer Evergon is one of the most sought-after art-makers in the ARTSIDA roster this year. The Concordia professor’s donation, “Tom” is a strikingly cold portrait of a porcelain cat the artist found on a trip to Italy with his late lover; it speaks to the sense of loss, but also humour, that infuses the Chez Moi series from which it is drawn. 2B spoke to the profound (and campy) wit about his family, his late lover, and being in erotic limbo in advance of the big ARTSIDA auction on April 7th…

Working in a deliciously rich figurative style, painter Daniel Barkley is a home-town boy with an eye for his fellow home-town boys. Depicting them more often than not in the nude, covered in blue paint, holding pieces of riverside refuse, or more recently, adorned in gold leaf, Barkley transforms his visceral male subjects into palpable bodies of paint, like Gold # 4 (Tanner), his gift to ACCM for ARTSIDA…

Jess MacCormack donates to ARTSIDA for the first time this year with a haunting watercolour from her recent series. Her socially engaged and critical queer work will make a heartfelt addition to the auction’s forth edition April 7th at the Musée d’art contemporain.

François Escalmel is one of the newer faces donating to ARTSIDA this year. His originality and altruism will fit right in at the auction’s forth edition April 7th at the Musé d’art contemporain. Banner image: “Bargain Hunting” by François Escalmel.

Move over Tom of Finland, because Tom de Pékin is coming to Québec this March. Based in Paris (not Beijing), this renowned visual artist got his famous pseudonym from his first collection, Rêve au cul, in which he took inspiration from Maoist propaganda to create images of sexual revolution. The prolific artist will be coming to Montréal to participate in Radical Queer Semaine’s 2012 edition.

Less than a year ago already, Michael Solovyev moved his art studio and entire family from his native Russia to the corner of Montcalm and Ontario Est, in Montreal. Born in the city of Sarov, Russia, this new addition to the Village art scene started off in architectural design, moving on to textiles, set design, and painting. In advance of his upcoming solo exhibition, 2Bmag’s Jérimi Scott sat down with the warm, affable father of two to talk about art, expatriation, and making a home in the gay Village.

Opening this weekend is Anita Schoepp’s latest artistic venture into sexuality, a multidisciplinary exhibition titled It started with a simple question. The opening is from 5-10pm on Friday, February at 17th  at Eastern Block Gallery (7240 Clark street). She has invited seventeen local and international artists to answer the question ‘How would you personify your sexuality?’ in the medium of their choice.  The responses are myriad, from poetry and installation to painting and performance. Anita has included artists just starting out alongside folks with more experience. Vernissage at Eastern Bloc Fri. Feb 17, 5-10pm

The Fire on Ice musical fireworks festival has been getting a wonderful response for past few weeks now, proving that even some of the coldest darkest nights can be the brightest. Every Saturday night during the month of December the Quays of the old port have been transformed into a free spectacle of light and music for the public each night to the theme of a beloved children’s fairy tale. The placement of the fireworks makes the ever popular old port skating ring even more wondrous on these nights. All of this combined with the anticipated start of Igloofest promises a very special January this year for the old port.