Festival Art Souterrain
Discover the curatorial vision of the 18th edition of the Festival Art Souterrain during a guided tour led by the exhibition curator, Ariane Plante. She will explain the narrative thread of the program, the selection of artworks and artists, and share her reflections on the dialogues created between unconventional spaces and installations.
A unique opportunity to understand the intentions behind each project and engage directly with the curator.
Ariane Plante, exhibition curator
“In this most polarized era, duality appeared inescapable to the Festival Art Souterrain team, who wished to make it the theme of its 18th edition. Invited to appropriate duality in order to curate the exhibition, I chose to consider duality first by its expression in the material.
In tangible mediums – sculpture, painting, installation… – as in the so-called ‘dematerialized’ practices– video, digital, sound.. – the notion of materiality remains at the very heart of visual arts. By the way in which it configures space and colour, by its changing states or even by the conditions under which its properties are revealed, matter can manifest dualities in an anthology of modalities. Shadow and light, real, imaginary and virtual worlds, lightness and gravity, immobility and movement, or even organic and architectural forms oppose, intertwine or merge to shape and offer new sensory and aesthetic experiences.
The duality I see here goes far beyond the physical games of matter. A work of art can summon both the intimate and the collective, creating a dialogue between natural and artificial life, and between domestic and wild environments. Questions of identity and migration, along with social, political, and territorial issues, as well as our troubled relationships with consumption, memory, nature, and science, are equally present. However, if the works carry in their wake the echo of antagonistic tensions that stir our era, they also resonate complementary forces that contribute to establishing new relationships, inventing places for sharing, meeting, and engagement. They shed light on pacified visions where individual and collective dualities are made, not by passions that divide, but by impulses that transform our way of being in the world, nourishing our ability to imagine a common future, bursting with tenderness, joy, and solidarity.”
Biography
Active in Quebec’s art scene since 2005, Ariane Plante is a writer, artist, and curator specializing in visual and media arts. She has developed and directed major exhibition projects, including for the Mois Multi festival, the Grand Théâtre de Québec, the Foire en arts actuels de Québec, and Place des Arts. She has also curated exhibitions at the Maison des arts de Laval, the Centre d’art Jacques-et-Michel-Augé, and in various other contexts.
A recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, and Première Ovation, she has also served on numerous juries. Her work has been presented at festivals and exhibition venues across Quebec and Canada, in France, as well as on online platforms and in digital publications.
Date : Wednesday, April 29 at 6:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Audience: All ages
Pricing: Paid visit
A privileged experience to discover the curatorial behind-the-scenes of the festival and deepen your understanding of contemporary art!