About — Alissa Zilber

ABOUT
SHOP

DRAWINGS & PAINTINGS
Work
From the Floor
Sketchbooks

RESIDENCIES
n10.as
Ministry of Casual Living

POSTERS
Sleep Talking
The Death of Homer
Between Lions and Men

OTHER PROJECTS
Has anyone seen my bike?
Grand Eugène
Radio

Alissa Zilber (b. 1997) is a Canadian visual artist creating existential drawings and paintings that reveal the uncanny in everyday life. Merging abstract and representational forms, her work exposes the delicate, often unspoken connections between individuals, the spaces they inhabit, and the emotional currents that flow between them. Her paintings are impressions of shared experiences rather than portraits of specific people.

By sketching in lively, crowded settings, Alissa’s practice combines the raw immediacy of real life moments with fleeting daydreams, resulting in introspective, liminal scenes. Her painterly approach blends traditional figuration with a stylized sensibility to composition and vivid colour palettes. Working with a variety of materials—such as graphite, charcoal, acrylic, and spray paint—she produces works ranging from intimate, small-scale depictions of solitude to life-sized figures grappling with connection and alienation.

Her recent work is centered around people’s individual, vulnerable moments within the lively energy of mosh pits, crowds, and nightlife. Through these paintings, Alissa reimagines tender glimpses of daily life, layering and manipulating the painting surface until the image emerges, simulating the ebb and flow of a room as it fills up and empties with people.

Alissa’s distinct world—caught between spatial and emotional realms—comes to life through bold colours and expressive strokes, with darkness serving as a place for hidden emotions and unspoken stories to reside.

Alissa sells her work independently. Please email to get in touch about artwork prices & collaborations.

Contact:

alissa.zilber@yahoo.ca

@johnnyfraud

CV

EDUCATION

MFA Painting
Tyler School of Art & Architecture, Philadelphia, PA | 2027

BA English Literature & Art History
McGill University, Montréal, QC | 2019

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025 The Red Car
Collectif ArtAir, Montréal, QC

FIELDWORK
Halte Festival, Montréal, QC

Art During Chaos
LADIES DRAWING CLÜB, Virtual

2023 Servile Salon, Vol. 3 In Walks Night
4821 Rue de Verdun, Montréal, QC

2022 I Am Here: Home Movies and Everyday Masterpieces
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON

2017 MOVE
Galerie Mainline Gallery, Montréal, CA

2016 Unobtrusively Obvious
Takt Kunstprojektraum, Berlin, DE

How Would This Happen?
Takt Kunsprojektraum, Berlin, DE

RESIDENCIES

2022 n10.as Digital Residency, Montréal, QC
2021 Ministry of Casual Living, Victoria, BC
2016 Takt Kunstprojektraum, Berlin, DE

AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS

2024 Booooooom 2024 Illustration Awards, Longlisted
2015 Creative Innovators of Tomorrow Fund, NSCAD (awarded; declined)

PRESS

2025 Friend of the Artist, Vol. 20 (forthcoming)
Chill Mag, Issue 4
Curatory Magazine, Vol. 1 (Back cover + interview)
LADIES DRAWING CLÜB Magazine, Issue 13 (Cover)
2022 Interview for AGO × Portraits of Resilience, CTV Toronto
2021 The Social Distancing Festival, Featured Artist

Alissa moves fluidly between visual art and music—collaborating with musicians on album art, posters, vinyl packaging, videos, titles, and merch. She’s also produced exhibitions, hosted radio shows, and worked on record releases, supporting both local artists and larger projects.

Over the past decade, Alissa has worked with music festivals, non-profit galleries, theatre companies, radio stations, and independent artists. She’s passionate about keeping art spaces sustainable and accessible. Her current work explores how music venues and nightlife environments can shape collective experience and foster solidarity, especially within local, DIY-driven communities.