Alpha bestiaries (an alphabet with illustrations of various beasts) are closely associated with children's books, assisting a child's development in terms of language. Animals fascinate and delight, residing in our consciousness and in our imagination.

Winnipeg-based arts magazine Border Crossings commissioned The Winnipeg Alphabestiary, selecting 26 artists who call or have called Winnipeg "home." The result is an impressive collection featuring work by many established artists such as Wanda Koop, Eleanor Bond, Aganetha Dyck, and Diana Thorneycroft; recent stars, such as Marcel Dzama and Sarah Anne Johnson; and several who are gaining a reputation nationally such as Mélanie Rocan, Dominique Rey, Erica Eyres, and Shaun Morin.

Unlike a traditional alpha bestiary, this collection of images produces both expected and unexpected associations. All the animals presented are surprisingly inventive. Although some have real world counterparts, others are the output of an active imagination. As Border Crossings editor Meeka Walsh writes, "The Winnipeg Alphabestiary is about both "Beauty and the Beast and Beauty in the Beast."

This astonishing collection provides an interaction with many complex ideas about the animals with whom we share our world

Exhibition Details:

Artists: Eleanor Bond, Daniel Dueck, Michael Dumontier, Aganetha Dyck, Marcel Dzama, Cliff Eyland, Erica Eyres, Neil Farber, Simon Hughes, Sarah Anne Johnson, Wanda Koop, Drue Langlois, Bonnie Marin, Shawna McLeod, Doug Melnyk, Shaun Morin, Alison Norlen, Kim Ouellette, Jon Pylypchuk, Dominique Rey, Mélanie Rocan, Tim Schouten, Diana Thorneycroft, Andrew Valko, Janet Werner and Adrian Williams

Curator: Mary Reid, Curator, Contemporary Art and Photography