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About Delia

Delia Landers is an artist and political theorist living and working between Philadelphia and Montreal. They received their BA in Fine Art and Political Science from Bryn Mawr in 2019 and an MA in Political Theory at the University of Toronto in 2020. Delia primarily works in oil to create colourful impressionist style paintings, though their practice spans many mediums. Their work explores themes of imagined realities, exploration of identity, interpersonal dynamics, and the beauty of the mundane. They have been selected for numerous upcoming exhibitions in Montreal, including a solo show of their project, Reflected Realities, in March of 2025 at Occurrence, a residency retrospective at Jano Lapin Galerie in November 2023, and as part of the Pictura Festival at Galerie ERGA in December 2023. They have also been the recipient of the six month Desjardins Studio Residency at Jano Lapin Galerie.

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Artistic Process

EN:

As a scholar of political philosophy and a multidisciplinary artist, Delia often brings their academic

background into their practice by creating philosophically rooted, technically complex, and conceptually rich bodies of work. Their political theory research in graduate school focused mainly on the role of popular

education and grassroots organizing in democratic participation and was shaped by their training in classical theory. In university at Bryn Mawr College, they studied fine art with a focus in painting, enriched through a holistic, liberal arts curriculum including art history and art theory. Their thesis, the culmination of a  year long development and part of a graduation exhibition, was a series of portraits of members of their church community on reworked materials from the structure of their childhood church to explore themes of queerness, community, and faith. They are currently developing two projects, Reflected Realities and Eudaimonia, which delve into their personal philosophy as influenced by this study. Delia often uses memory, reflections, and portraiture alongside theoretical writing to fully explore personal philosophy and expressions of identity in their work. They mostly work from photographic references and use a limited palate and traditional oil painting techniques to create their impressionist style paintings on both canvas and wood. Visually their work plays often with color, light, shadow, and transparency and reveals the artists way of seeing the world.

While primarily an oil painter, they also paint in gouache and watercolour, draw with charcoal and pastels, use various approaches to printmaking, create zines, write, and consistently challenge themselves to learn and use new media. Delia has been working full time as an artist for the past year and half and spends upwards of 50 hours a week on their practice. Delia views their artistic practice as holistic and sees the creation of a healthy life, both mentally and physically, care for their community, and connection with others as artistic endeavours. Delia is inspired by the world around them, by other artists both within and outside of their community, by literature and philosophy, and by a deep exploration of self.

FR: 

En tant que spécialiste de la philosophie politique et artiste pluridisciplinaire, Delia intègre souvent leur formation universitaire à leur pratique en créant des œuvres philosophiquement ancrées, techniquement complexes et conceptuellement riches. Leurs recherches en théorie politique pendant leurs études supérieures se sont principalement concentrées sur le rôle de l'éducation populaire et de l'organisation de la base dans la participation démocratique et ont été façonnées par leur formation en théorie classique. À l'université, au Bryn Mawr College, iel ont étudié les beaux-arts en se concentrant sur la peinture, enrichis par un programme holistique d'arts libéraux comprenant l'histoire de l'art et la théorie de l'art. Leur thèse, aboutissement d'une année de développement et d'une exposition de fin d'études, était une série de portraits de membres de leur communauté religieuse sur des matériaux retravaillés de la structure de l'église de leur enfance afin d'explorer les thèmes de l'homosexualité, de la communauté et de la foi. Iel développent actuellement deux projets, Reflected Realities et Eudaimonia, qui explorent leur philosophie personnelle telle qu'elle a été influencée par cette étude. Delia utilise souvent la mémoire, les réflexions et le portrait en plus de l'écriture théorique pour explorer pleinement la philosophie personnelle et les expressions de l'identité dans leur travail. Iel travaillent principalement à partir de références photographiques et utilisent une palette limitée et des techniques traditionnelles de peinture à l'huile pour créer leurs peintures de style impressionniste sur toile et sur bois. Visuellement, leur travail joue souvent avec la couleur, la lumière, l'ombre et la transparence et révèle la façon dont les artistes voient le monde.


Bien qu'iel soit principalement peintre à l'huile, iel peint également à la gouache et à l'aquarelle, dessine au fusain et au pastel, utilise diverses approches de la gravure, crée des zines, écrit, et se met constamment au défi d'apprendre et d'utiliser de nouveaux médias. Delia travaille à plein temps en tant qu'artiste depuis un an et demi et consacre plus de 50 heures par semaine à sa pratique. Delia considère sa pratique artistique comme holistique et considère la création d'une vie saine, à la fois mentalement et physiquement, la prise en charge de sa communauté et la connexion avec les autres comme des efforts artistiques. Delia est inspirée par le monde qui l'entoure, par d'autres artistes à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de leur communauté, par la littérature et la philosophie, et par une profonde exploration de soi.

Exhibitions and Residencies

Artist en Residence, Jano Lapin Gallerie 

July 2023- December 2023

Chosen for a six month studio residency  at Jano Lapin Gallerie in Verdun, Montreal. More information about the gallery and Delia's position here.

Éclats d'identité : Peintres au Féminin, Group Exhibition, Galerie Jano Lapin, Montreal, QC November 2023 

An exhibition of contemporary art entitled "Shards of Identity - Female Painters" featuring three talented artists: Caroline Létourneau and Delia Rose Landers et Alexandra Riesbri. As part of the gallery's artist residencies, the featured artists have been creating on site since July 1, 2023, and the majority of their work has been produced during this period.The works of these three women artists highlight different perspectives on identity, ranging from self-portraiture, to cultural approaches, to the exploration of ecofeminist identities. 

More info here.

Sacred Anomaly, Group Exhibition, ERGA (Pictura Festival), Montreal, QC 
December 2023 

Part of the Pictura Festival celebrating painting in Montreal, this exhibition, featuring a diverse cast of Montreal visual artists, will explore the concept of ‘anomaly’ in relation to the experience of marginalized communities. Through compelling and experimental work, these artists will explore what it means to be an anomaly, para-normal, and extraordinary in the modern age. 

More info here.

Reflected Realities, Solo Exhibition, Occurrence l”Espace d’art et d’essai contemporains, Montreal, QC
March 2025 

Delia’s project, Reflected Realities, will be shown in the 2025-2026 season as a solo exhibition. 

Contact

Contact me for information on original work, prints, and commissions. 

Prints, stickers, bags and more available here 

itsadel5@gmail.com

416-918-9379

Photos of Delia by Nautica Simone. @nauticaenomis

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