Retail Vérité: Vancouverama

Description:

To celebrate the launch of A Maior’s artist novella Retail Vérité: Vancouverama, Bruno Zhu of A Maior performed a reading at Sweet Cereal Mountain, an artist-run space located in Robson Public Market. Following the reading, a reception took place upstairs in the food court with catering from Nine Dumplings Nine Dishes.

Retail Vérité: Vancouverama was the outcome of writing workshops led by Zhu at Western Front in February 2025. Across three sessions, Zhu invited participants to arrive with a character—either a shopper or business—and from there they engaged in a series of improvisational exchanges. Operating in the spirit of exquisite corpse, the process generated its own internal logic, weaving together reflections on commerce, fashion, and popular culture into a supernatural murder mystery set in a Marpole strip mall.

On March 26, 2026, a launch event took place at Art Metropole, Toronto with a conversation between Bruno Zhu and writer Derek McCormack.

Presented in partnership with Art Metropole, Toronto; Bierke Verlag, Berlin; and Sweet Cereal Mountain, Vancouver with support from the Mondriaan Fund.