VIENS: Performance Art Residency of the Project Manifesto

The Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario (GNO)’s new exhibition, Viens, is the culmination of the artists’ residency held as part of Place des Arts’ Project Manifesto.

Pascaline Knight, Mariana Lafrance and Julie Lassonde met for a first time in October, in the context of the 6th Foire d’arts alternatifs de Sudbury (FAAS), to share their artistic practices. In only three days, they dived into each other’s world through improvisation as a way to initiate a common reflection on subjects that move them.

In February, they are back in Sudbury for a week residency where they will be putting together their vision and understanding of Nouvel-Ontario – a mythical rather than geographic territory.

From their individual standpoint, they question the body, the language, the ego, the territory and/or the imaginary, while using these notions in a collective experiment. From the «I», individual, to the «Us», collective, they are also in a quest to invest «You».

This collaboration climaxes during the evening of performances held on February 16th. The three artists offer to the public a unique occasion to broaden their notion of welcoming and the conditions that foster its success or present challenges. Viens is an evening of performances as well as its repercussions, exposed from February 16th to March 30th.

Art opening at the GNO : Saturday, February 16th, at 4 p.m. (performances at 4:30 p.m.)
Reception with the artists : Sunday, February 17th, at 11 a.m.
Exhibition runs from February 16th until March 30th.

The artists

In performance and ad hoc action, Pascaline Knight uses the red margins and blue lines of Canada brand workbooks to reveal the links between presence and body. Her practice explores these implicit structures to reveal their unconscious normative power.

Mariana Lafrance creates absurd little worlds that combine fractured memories with an invitation to a wholesomely honest future. The games and wisdom of children, and the personal and collective spheres, collide and play off one another to create a vivid and dynamic installation.

Julie Lassonde’s practice mixes arts with justice. Through body movement in relation to objects and spaces, along with short texts, she aims to open avenues for reflection on the development of social norms.

Find out more here.