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Heart on her sleeve: Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, the Montreal artist behind Pony

Turning life’s heartbreaks and anxieties into creations that blend nostalgia with a sharp edge.

Rachel Cheng

Rachel Cheng

November 13, 2024- Read time: 6 min
Heart on her sleeve: Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, the Montreal artist behind PonyPhotograph: Courtesy Pony / @ponymtl

Walking up rue St-Hubert, the Pony store is hard to miss on a strip as eclectic as the Plaza with its blue exterior and an array of colourful stuffed toys on display.. The inside is bright with primary colours, recalling a fever dream from a sleepover, or the TV set from a 90s kids' show, except there’s a giant yellow penis in the corner with a smiley face on it. Instead of teddy bears, the store sells stuffed versions of characters like Anxiyeti, a figure that, according to its description on the online store, spent a lot of time alone in the forest and just wants to find people to hug.

Photograph: Rachel Cheng / @rachelhollycheng

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