Michel Lamothe
Fréquenter le paysage
Curator_ Pierre Rannou
November 9, 2013, to January 26, 2014
For many years now, Michel Lamothe has made the notion of landscape the core focus of his photography. This retrospective exhibition attempts to shed light on the different forms of exploration, and the consistent aspects, of what is far more than a simple theme. By titling two of his series with the word paysage (landscape), Lamothe has underscored this aspect of his practice. For beyond the frequent presence of easily recognizable elements typical of the genre – whether in nature (mountain, tree, waterway, cloud, etc.) or in urban life (street, building, park, etc.) – his work questions multiple issues related to this type of imagery. The various series he has developed over the years seem to play, each in its own way, with the ambiguity inherent in the images, but also with our ability to truly see the world around us. The exhibition also includes works dealing with the human landscape, a subgenre of contemporary photography that represents the body in pictures to be read as actual landscapes. Overall, it suggests ways to follow the development not of a concerted theory of landscape but, rather, of what Michel Collot* calls a pensée-paysage (thought landscape).
Another part of the exhibition Fréquenter le paysage will be on display at Plein sud, centre d'exposition en art actuel à Longueuil, from November 2 to December 7, 2013.
Presentation on Saturday, November 9, at 2pm
Opening \ Launch on Saturday, November 9, at 3pm
* Michel Collot, La Pensée-paysage. Philosophie, arts, littérature (Arles: Actes Sud/ENSP, 2011).
EXPRESSION was initially founded as a visual arts gallery at the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe in 1985. In 1989, EXPRESSION became a museum institution, moving to its current location, a vast space on the 2nd floor of Saint-Hyacinthe’s public market, described by many as one of the most beautiful of its kind in Québec. EXPRESSION is a space that has made its mark on Québec and Canadian art scenes. EXPRESSION initiates students to contemporary art on a daily basis. EXPRESSION frequently publishes remarkable books on contemporary art. EXPRESSION promotes the work of renowned contemporary artists. EXPRESSION benefits from the expertise of a core team seasoned by years of challenges and successes. EXPRESSION is made up of administrators and a community who have ceaselessly supported contemporary art. EXPRESSION has been growing for 35 years.
With its impressive and innovative history, EXPRESSION is an exhibition centre destined to become a full-fledged museum.
