Exmuro, a public and contemporary art organization, inaugurates the Aire publique space opposite Place Royale, in Quebec. A first exhibition brings together four disparate works: large pink men, an installation of 8,000 pieces of glass, a cave made of artificial fur and hundreds of bison skulls.
Last April, Exmuro announced the end of the unusual passages project, a trademark of the organization presenting outdoor works in downtown Quebec for around ten years. The Public Area project took over in the Hazeur house, a four-story cultural venue of rare museum quality.
“We have gained a new way of creating and disseminating art,” says the co-director and artistic director of Exmuro, Vincent Roy. As proof, none of the works in the opening quartet would be feasible outside.
With its four walls and roof, the Public Area is still considered a public art space by its creators. To achieve this feeling of openness, there was “no other choice than free”, expresses its artistic director. Exmuro finances its projects with grants and voluntary contributions from visitors.
Disjointed works
Giant inflatable statues bearing the image of Mr. Rose, the mascot of the “cuteism” movement of the multidisciplinary artist Philippe Katerine, who invade the facade of the Hazeur house. Smaller versions of these candy men welcome the public at the entrance this summer.
“The Mignoniste exhibition” is located on the first floor of the Public Area and offers a journey through various drawings, various sculptures, paintings and photographs from the world of the French singer. It partly follows a fairly classic form with framed drawings and some sculptures.
Vincent Roy wishes to move away from this classic form of “frame on white wall”. He gets there with the other three proposals.
Abyss, by Alissa Bilodeau, invites spectators into a room covered in fake hair and very colorful textures. Alternating between pink and blue, the imagined cave stimulates all the senses thanks to its soft carpet and its captivating music, created particularly to illustrate the “ambiguity of nature”. The feeling of entering a stuffed animal’s dream will particularly appeal to children.
Abyss realizes Alissa Bilodeau’s dream of “filling a space as much as possible with lots of textures and materials”.
“The place speaks”
The Hazeur house also made it possible to create works anchored in the history of the place, like what Exmuro did in the street with its unusual passages. Built On Genocide, by Jay Soule, indigenous artist from the Chippewas Nation of the Thames River, denounces the violent colonization of Canada. An introductory poster explains what genocide is for the artist. It lists the destruction of peoples and cultures of life, starting with the annihilation of the plains bison. “I put the bison massacre first, because it represents the entire basis on which Canada is built,” says the artist.
Other posters present the genocidal reality, including one where Justin Trudeau is depicted reading the Little Golden Colonizer Book to children. The installation then shows 1,500 replicas of bison skulls stacked in the basement of the Public Area.
“The vaults are Mr. Hazeur’s former basement, where he stored his skins and furs,” explains Vincent Roy. Bringing indigenous art there lets the place speak. »
The artist Jérôme Trudelle is also inspired by the place of memory with Resurgence. Eighty frames and 8,000 pieces of suspended glass were used to create a “chronosculpture”, an impression of suspended time which stands out from the whole. “Exmuro asked me to create a work that takes a historical look at Place Royale,” says the artist from Quebec.
To carry out this mission, he received help from an archaeologist who provided him with certain pieces of ancient glass which were found on Place Royale. Jérôme Trudelle notes, however, that “99% of the glass in the work does not come from artifacts.” This is also the case for window frames which “are old, but come from everywhere”. A conscious choice for the artist who wanted to illustrate the almost complete restoration of Place Royale which he describes rather as a “reconstruction”. “It’s beautiful, it’s well restored, but it’s been completely rebuilt. »
To further anchor the sculpture in the historical context and the idea of a “simulacrum”, Mr. Trudelle created his “own artifacts” by engraving each window, whether broken or not, with various historical information on the Royal Square. A team of 20 volunteers worked with the artist for a month to arrive at the final product.
Looking to the future
For next year, Vincent Roy promises an edition with “a more editorial and political tone” and a selection of Quebec artists. The idea of understanding the object as a theme is envisaged for the third year of the Public Area.
The Public Area does not mean the end of outdoor art installations for Exmuro. The organization continues to broadcast works in different cities. In the coming months, several will be installed in the Petit-Champlain district and on Place Royale in order to complete the programming of the new broadcast space.
“The Mignonist exhibition” continues until October 2024 while the inaugural exhibition will end in March 2025. Admission is free.