Elisabeth Heidinga is a Toronto | Nîmes based contemporary artist from France, born (1981) in Cologne, Germany. She graduated with honours from OCAD University in 2010. In her practice, she paints large acrylic canvas panels that are then cut into fine strips by laser. Selected strips from different panels are re-assembled and woven together. Each work is made up of strips that are fragments of many different paintings. "I paint with the purpose of cutting my abstract paintings apart. Strip by strip, I then assemble and weave fragments of various paintings, into a single piece of work. Living in a multicultural city like Toronto has uniquely influenced my work. As I assemble the strips, the fragments of my paintings begin to represent the different facets of life (culture, community, life events, education, etc.) that weave us together, in this case literally and conceptually. The colour and composition mirrors a portrait that unfolds before me when encountering a stranger/new environment/culture we have in this city and I get to discover it as I weave. My goal is to create work that will inspire a discourse and continue to push and blur the boundaries of art, design and craft. The process is symbolic and metaphorical on a few levels, with painting being largely male-dominated and craft traditionally identified as a female activity, my paintings bring worlds together. However, this is beyond gender issues, but simply two opposing concepts meeting, challenging and rethinking the mountains that stand in our way – thoughtfully taking apart and reassembling what lies before us to create a new perspective of equality."