Esther Bourdages works in the fields of visual arts and technology art as a writer, independent curator, and scholar. She holds an MA in art history from the Université de Montréal, where she wrote about Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely and the relationship between sculpture within an expanded field, as multimedia and sound art. Her curatorial research explores art forms such as site-specific art, installation art, and sculpture, often in conjunction with technology (media and digital art).

Working as a long-term collaborator on contemporary art exhibitions with the Darling Foundry / Quartier Éphemère in Montréal has provided Esther with many opportunities to develop her work in these areas. She is particularly interested in developing interdisciplinary projects that relate to contemporary ideas in the fields of architecture, anthropology, urbanism, and cultural studies. Recent work related to this has examined urban environments in relation to the social and historical fabric of cities. An especially important aspect of her curatorial practice is sound, which she endeavors to treat as an independent rather than a supplementary medium.

Esther has authored many articles and critical commentaries on contemporary art. In addition to her creative practice, she is also actively involved in artist-run centres and independent structures. After serving as president (2012–2016), she is currently the secretary of the Board of Directors at Eastern Bloc, a leading Digital Art Exhibition & Production Centre dedicated to emerging artists. She has been involved with Quartier Ephémère / Darling Foundry for many years. In 2015, she was the editor-in-chief of .dpi, a journal dedicated to digital and feminist culture, produced by Ada X in Montréal. Since 2011, she has been the co-host of CAFE on radio CKUT FM 90.3, where she talks about art and culture. She has been working at OPTICA, centre d’art contemporain since 2017.

As a musician, she performs under the name Esther B; she plays turntable, handles vinyl records, and records soundscapes. She has performed in Canada, the U.S. and France; her works have also been presented in England, Germany, Palestine, Portugal, Belgium, and Denmark. Improvisation allows to her to create raw, non-linear music peppered with altered sonic quotes and abstracted sounds, textures mostly produced by vinyl that has undergone specific alterations (grinding, cutting, etc.). Together with Carrie Gates and Marinko Jareb, she is a member of the Canadian turntable trio Vinyl Interventions, which also presents its eponymous workshop. Since 2002, she has organized A Microphone in a Noize Storm, a concert series dedicated to new music. She also does radio art pieces based on field recordings.