Trames narratives / Storylines at L’Imagier in Gatineau

The first exhibition in the new 2.6 million redevelopment of the artist-run centre L'Imagier in Gatineau, Trames narratives / Storylines, opened in May 2019. With a title that suggests an anthology of contemporary art from Canada and Quebec, the exhibition gathers together an impressive cohort of curators and artists. Six Quebec-based curators (Kasia Basta, Marianne Breton, Paul Brunet, Marie-Hélène Leblanc, Stefan St-Laurent, and Julie Tremble), many from the National Capital Region, contributed to the development of the exhibition. They each selected one or two of the seven artists in the show (including Chun Hua Catherine Dong, David Elliott, Kablusiak, Kim Kielhofner, Carl Trahan, Jennifer Lefort, and Mélanie Myers). The number of people involved and the number of artworks that are clustered in the modest-sized gallery evoke a housewarming party.

Jennifer Lefort, Salutations sincères, 2019, installation view (photo: Mégane Coulombe)

Like any party in full swing, there are lots of conversations going on at once. The soundtrack from Kim Kielhofner’s video about her time at the Est-Nord-Est Artist Residency in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is the only work that is audible in the exhibition, but the many brightly coloured works in the show are just as loud. Jennifer Lefort’s Salutations sincères [Warm Regards], created especially for the show, resemble giant memo spindles or receipt spikes with impaled sketches, scraps, canvasses, and bits of multi-coloured plaster and polystyrene, comprising a monument to vanquished time in the art trenches. These and other excellent works, such as Mélanie Myer’s trenchant wall and floor pieces and Kablusiak’s playfully unsettling photographs, are sure to spike further discussions. The complete text of my review of the exhibition was published here on the July 10 Akimblog.

Bouquiniste Mobile Project Launch at EBA

Members of the Bouquinistes Collective launched our project, The Bouquiniste Mobile, at Enriched Bread Artists (951 Gladstone) on Saturday July 6 from 2 to 4 pm. Like the Bouquinistes of Paris from which the group takes its name, used booksellers on the banks of the Seine, the Bouquinistes of Ottawa mean to operate outside of official channels and contribute to the circulation of ideas.

Installation view, Bouquiniste Mobile Silent Auction, EBA July 6

The project brings together three text-based artists living in the Ottawa area (including myself, Mana Rouholamini and Guillermo Trejo) through a platform developed by a local artist, Adam Brown, whose work can be characterized as social practice, enabling each to present their work in a dynamic way to an audience that might not necessarily be an art audience.

Installation view, Bouquiniste Mobile book sale, EBA July 6

Inspired by Brown’s Friendship Library, a 2014 installation on the grounds of the Arts Court which provided a temporary shelter and transformed public space into a site of cultural activity, the Bouquinistes Collective have made it their mandate to provide an accessible experience of art. The Bouquiniste Mobile can be maneuvered to capitalize on opportunities for public engagement and disseminate artworks where people gather, at parks, festivals and other events.

To raise funds for the project, there will be a silent auction of artworks by collective members as well as a fabulous used book sale! Tea and snacks will be provided. Come to the EBA to learn about the project, get some great deals and chat with the artists. More information about the Bouquiniste Mobile is available on the project's website.