Retail Vérité: Vancouverama Book Launch

Once upon a time there was a strip mall in South Vancouver, on Granville Street across from the big Safeway, just next to the public library, and not far from the Fraser River. On the morning of January 3, a dead woman was found in the parking lot with two suspicious incisions on her neck. A thin trail of blood mixed with a sinister green substance bewildered the patrons and shopkeepers. Bernadette stumbled upon a bloodied corkscrew. @munchenwithmili lurked around with their phone. Sheila clutched onto her tinctures. And then Pest Detective Star dropped from the sky…

In partnership with Art Metropole, Bierke Verlag, and Sweet Cereal Mountain, Western Front is pleased to present the launch of Retail Vérité: Vancouverama, A Maior’s second novella and the outcome of writing workshops led by A Maior at Western Front in February 2025. Through a blend of improvisation, LARPing, and speed dating, the participants sketched the characters, narrative, and setting in real time. Operating in the spirit of exquisite corpse, the workshops were led by improvisational exchanges triggered by prompts. As a result, the collective writing process generated its own distinctive, internal logic that navigates thoughts on commerce, fashion, and popular culture to draw a portrait of contemporary retail phenomena.

The workshop included James Albers, Kathy Feng, Manon Fraser, Fiona Glen, Tiziana La Melia, Ben Lickerman, Trey Le, August Mesic, Nina Ortiz, Paige Smid, Kiel Torres, and Yasmine Whaley-Kalaora.

The book launch will take place at Sweet Cereal Mountain, with a reading by Bruno Zhu of A Maior, followed by a reception upstairs in the Robson Public Market food court. Retail Vérité: Vancouverama ($25) is available for pre-order during online registration, and for purchase at the event.

About the Artist

A Maior is a clothing and home goods store located in the outskirts of Viseu, Portugal. Since 2016, an eponymous exhibition program has been hosted within the shopping environment. A Maior is managed by the staff, the artist Bruno Zhu, and his family. A Maior has been featured in exhibitions at Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam; Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem; Kunsthalle Freeport, Porto; X Museum, Beijing; Life Sport and BQ, both Berlin. In 2022, A Maior was the writer-in-residence at San Serriffe in Amsterdam, who commissioned Retail Vérité, A Maior’s first novella.

Accessibility

What to expect: The short reading will take place on the ground floor, and will be standing-room only. ASL interpretation is available upon request. If you require a reservation for an access requirement, please contact us at info@westernfront.ca. or +1 (604) 876 9343. We will make our best endeavours to help you.

Acknowledgements

Presented in partnership with Art Metropole, Toronto; Bierke Verlag, Berlin; and Sweet Cereal Mountain, Vancouver.