Sonja Ahlers

Sonja Ahlers is a visual artist and poet from Victoria, British Columbia. An autodidact without formal training, she makes use of and has expanded upon the notion of the artist’s book as a way to challenge the often-closed system of the art gallery. Ahlers pushes the parameters of what an artist’s book might be, in both her published work and her book-inspired installations that fill entire rooms. Delicately fusing collage and text with a diary-like sincerity and contemporary social analysis through a feminist lens, Ahlers pioneers what could be called the ‘highbrow zine’, utilizing a style and voice developed in the North American west coast underground. With three published books and installations across Canada and internationally, she has honed the revolutionary DIY form into a mature and nuanced voice. (Photo Credit: Rosemary Scanlon)