Co.Lab Gallery presents

HOPE HEART

NOT TOO SWEET

Opening Friday, February 6th, 2026, 7-10pm

Hope Illson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Thunder Bay, whose work explores the tension between softness and strength. Drawing from tattoo culture and a distinctly feminine visual language, her illustrations lean heavily into pink, and sweetness  while resisting the assumption that delicacy is fragile or passive. Instead, Hope positions tenderness as something resilient, foundational, and quietly powerful.

Her recent body of work, Not Too Sweet, is composed of tattoo-inspired illustrations presented on wood panels, combining saturated colour palettes with bold linework. While the imagery appears dreamy and playful, it holds an underlying edge - challenging traditional ideas of toughness and reconsidering what strength can look like when it is gentle or emotional.

Process plays a significant role in Hopes practice. Throughout the making of these works, materials often resisted her - surfaces tore, images broke down, and textures shifted beyond her control. Each piece required repair and reinforcement, becoming a physical reflection of the themes embedded within the work. Rather than restarting because of these disruptions, she responded to them intuitively, allowing repair and rebuilding to strengthen the final image.

Hope’s work speaks to those who have felt underestimated, overly soft, or emotionally exposed. It offers an alternative understanding of toughness - one that does not rely on volume or aggression, but instead exists alongside vulnerability. In her world, power can be quiet, tenderness can be enduring, and sweetness does not negate solidity. Sometimes, strength is pink, cute and sweet and that’s part of the beauty.