Presented as part of MOMENTA Biennale de l’image and in collaboration with VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine
September 16, 2023 — 1:30 PM @ VOX / 3 PM @ Artexte
On the occasion of the 18th edition of MOMENTA Biennale de l’image, and in collaboration with VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine, Artexte is pleased to invite you to the launch of Who Was Who Was Who in Contemporary Canadian Art by John Latour, published by Éditions Artexte.
This dictionary by John Latour is the result of extensive research through artist files in the Artexte print collection, which aimed to identify and document artists who made or make art through artist personas and under pseudonyms.
Join us for a discussion with John Latour, artists Rémi Belliveau, the Marion Lessard collective and Éric Simon as they explore the use of fictitious identities in their respective practices. This discussion will be moderated by Hélène Brousseau, a former Artexte librarian who had the privilege of accompanying John Latour during his research residency.
Start your visit at VOX, on the 4th floor, and discover the exhibition of artist Rémi Belliveau, who will be taking part in the talk. VOX invites you to watch the full version of their video L’Empremier. Live at Beaubassin (1970) (2023), from 1:30 to 2:30 PM.
Schedule of the event
At VOX, centre de l’image contemporaine (4th floor of the 2-22):
- 1:30 – 2:30 PM: Projection of L’Empremier. Live at Beaubassin (1970) (2023) by Rémi Belliveau;
At Artexte (3rd floor of the 2-22) :
- 3:00 PM: discussion with John Latour, and artists Rémi Belliveau, Marion Lessard, and Éric Simon, moderated by Hélène Brousseau;
- 4:00 PM: Official launch of Who Was Who Was Who in Canadian Contemporary Art by John Latour.
About the guests:
Rémi Belliveau (them/they) is an Acadian interdisciplinary artist and musician hailing from Belliveau-Village (Memramcook, NB), an Acadian hamlet located in Mi’kma’ki, the traditional unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Since 2012, their work has been exhibited in shows and events in the Maritimes, Québec and Ontario including the Confederation Centre Art Gallery (Charlottetown), Galerie de l’UQAM (Montréal) and the National Gallery of Canada. As an arts professional, Rémi has also co-directed Moncton’s Galerie Sans Nom (2014 to 2018), has assumed the role of (co)curator in two retrospectives (2015, 2018), has taught as a sessional at the Université de Moncton (2017), and has published in Canadian Art magazine. Their distinctions include Atlantic finalist for the 2021 Sobey awards, 2022 Claudine-and-Stephen-Bronfman fellow and resident at the Fonderie Darling’s 2023-2026 Ateliers Montréalais.
Hélène Brousseau is the Digital Media and Visual Resources Librarian at Concordia University, where she is the subject specialist for cinema, contemporary dance, and music. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in fibres from Concordia University (2008), a Certificate in Archives Management from UQAM (2013), and a Masters in Library and Information Sciences from the Université de Montréal (2015). She worked at Artexte Information Centre from 2016 to 2022 and taught at Collège Maisonneuve. Since 2018, she has served on the Board of Directors for Vtape, a non-profit video distribution centre. Her current research looks at issues around open access dissemination in the arts and the role of libraries in providing access to immersive technologies to facilitate learning.
John Latour is the Teaching & Research Librarian – Fine Arts at Concordia University and a visual artist. He holds a BFA in Studio Art, a MLIS and a MA in Art History. He has published articles in Art Documentation and Art Libraries Journal. Solo exhibitions of his work have been held in Alberta, Ontario and Québec, and most recently in the UK. John is represented by Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain.
Marion Lessard is a collective of five individuals incarnated within the same body. This unusual structure, both individual and collective, acts as a blurry mirror that references the philosophical paradoxes of the One and the Many. Intrigued by the notions of individuality, originality, and identity that constitute and inform it, the Collective examines the sociopolitical, linguistic, and cultural structures on which Western notions of identity are based. Some members of Marion Lessard have studied philosophy at the Université de Montréal and others haven’t studied at all, but together they hold an MFA degree from Concordia University. In recent years, the Collective has presented its work at the Fonderie Darling, Dazibao, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Verticale, B-312, Dare-Dare, OFFTA, and in many other parallel spaces. Marion Lessard’s work is featured in the 18th edition of the MOMENTA Biennale de l’image.
Éric Simon has created objects, images, and texts for almost forty years. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout Québec and internationally. On his own or with friends, he opened four ephemeral galleries in Montréal (Galerie Comme des stars, Galerie Silk Master/Maître de soi, Galerie Pas de tatouinage, and Galerie Aux plus graves ennuis). In each case, it was foreseen that the gallery would close at the end of his exhibition. He has published books of fiction and poetry. His latest book, Simon et Gauvin sont deux drôles d’épistoliers, produced in collaboration with Pierre Gauvin, was published by Moult Éditions in 2022. Éric Simon taught Painting and Drawing for fourteen years at Concordia University, where he was also the program director for the Department of Studio Arts. He lives and works in Hudson, Québec.