Gabrielle Laïla Tittley

Gabrielle Laïla Tittley (born February 22, 1988) is a self-taught Canadian multidisciplinary artist who goes by the name Pony, which stands for "Poor One Newly Young".[1]

Gabrielle Laïla Tittley
Born (1988-02-22) February 22, 1988 (age 36)
Known forMultimedia artist

Life

edit

Gabrielle Laïla Tittley was born to a Palestinian mother and a Franco-Ontarian father on February 22, 1988, in Quebec City, Quebec.[2] She grew up in Outaouais and Newfoundland before moving to Montreal at the age of 17.[3]

Career

edit

Events and installations

edit

L'Amour Passe à Travers le Linge

edit

Tittley created L'Amour Passe à Travers le Linge (LAPATLL), a charity event that took place yearly from 2013 to 2015. In partnership with other visual artists, the objective was to raise money for different non-profit organizations by selling limited-edition shirts.[4]

No Role Models

edit

Tittley's 2017 immersive installation, No Role Models, was initially inspired by rapper J. Cole. Joe Rocca, a member of local group Dead Obies, was in charge of the music for this 3-dimension exhibition at the PHI Centre in Montreal's Old Port.[1] The event took place from March 4 to March 9, 2017, during that year's edition of the Nuit Blanche festival.[5][6]

Fun House

edit

In 2018, Tittley collaborated with Aldo during the yearly edition of Mural Festival. The artist participated in the Fun House project, which consisted of a two-level art installation on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.[7] Pony's partnership with the shoe retailer also entailed the creation of a special edition of Pony x Aldo Mx3 sneakers, released on August 23, 2018.[8]

Pop-ups and stores

edit

Tittley has a company named Pony which sells clothing, pins, stickers, and prints.[9] In January 2019, Tittley's art and merchandise were exposed for an event and pop-up shop at Zeppelin Station in Denver, Colorado.[10][11] After multiple ephemeral pop-up shops, the artist's first permanent store, Emotions Infinies par Pony, opened in October 2020 on Plaza Saint-Hubert in Montreal.[12]

Au Bout du Feel

edit

A few months later, Pony participated in a fashion show for the 2019 edition of the Festival Mode & Design.[13] Her segment, titled Au Bout du Feel, was presented on August 21.[14]

Series

edit

Still Optimiste

edit

With Sid Lee's assistance, Pony created the digital illustrations Still Optimiste, published on Behance on July 13, 2016. The series was produced with a combination of photography and digital imaging techniques.[15]

Hoaka swimwear

edit

In 2018, Tittley collaborated with Quebecois business woman Elisabeth Rioux, owner and founder of Hoaka Swimwear. Together, they launched a collection of swimsuits influenced by Pony's illustrations.[16]

Mental Wealth

edit

Tel-Jeunes and Pony worked together on a mental health campaign in October 2019. This project aimed to address issues that teenagers may experience such as hyper-sexualization and technology addiction. Comedic short films were shared on social media to raise awareness on mental health issues. Pony also created a line of clothes and illustrations around the same theme.[9][17]

Television

edit

The first season of Résiste! originally aired on February 9, 2021, on TV5. This cultural magazine, composed of ten episodes, is Tittley's first experience as a television host. For this show, she travels to different cities in North America and Europe and attempts to grasp their cultural and socio-political context through art by meeting locals.[18][3]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Pony : l'univers pop de Gabrielle Laïla Tittley". La Fabrique culturelle (in Canadian French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  2. ^ MAGNERON, Philippe. "Tittley, Gabrielle Laïla - Bibliographie, BD, photo, biographie". www.bedetheque.com (in French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Dans "Résiste!", Pony mange des villes". Le Devoir (in French). February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. ^ Bourque, Eliane. "L'amour passe à travers le linge: pour une troisième année!". Boucle Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "Pony: No Role Models at the Phi Centre". Phi Centre | For art in all its forms. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  6. ^ "Pony X Joe Rocca, un duo de feu". La Fabrique culturelle (in Canadian French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "Aldo & Montreal Artist Pony Tease Collaboration at MURAL Art Festival". Highsnobiety. June 21, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  8. ^ "Aldo x PONY Launch". www.blogto.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Simard, Valérie (November 17, 2019). "Une collection pour la santé mentale signée Pony et Tel-jeunes". La Presse (in French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Pop-up at Zeppelin Station Brings in Canadian Artist's Colorful and Provocative Work". 303 Magazine. January 10, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  11. ^ "Purgatory by Pony seen at Zeppelin Station, Denver". www.wescover.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  12. ^ Magalhaes, Zoe (October 16, 2020). "Pony: weirdness et renouveau sur la Plaza St Hubert". Journal Métro (in French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Gagnon-Paradis, Iris (July 22, 2019). "Festival Mode & Design: quand mode, musique et danse se rencontrent". La Presse (in French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "PONY – Au Bout du Feel". Festival Mode & Design. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Behance. "Still Optimiste". Behance. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  16. ^ Vincent, Sandrine. "Elisabeth Rioux et PONY collaborent pour Hoaka et c'est TROP beau". Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "PONY x Tel-jeunes".
  18. ^ "Résiste!". TV5 Unis (in Canadian French). Retrieved February 25, 2021.