1. Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain re-opens after a summer break on August 11th with Encodeurs, an exhibition featuring Darsha Hewitt + Alexandre Quessy and Alexandre Castonguay + Mathieu Bouchard + Ken Campbell. The exhibition continues to September 1.

Vernissage: Saturday, August 25th from 2:30 - 5:00 pm

Alexandre Castonguay + Mathieu Bouchard + Ken Campbell: Drawing by numbers

Elements, Alexandre Castonguay with Mathieu Bouchard, 2005. Image: Artengine.ca

“Drawing by Numbers is an interactive exhibition comprising a wall-mounted plotter that lightly engraves participant’s images. The drawings are based on the image analysis of visitor’s movements, retaining their outlines. They are registered when people make gestures that are close enough to the coded gestures that are often characteristic of interactive art installations and of the usage of portable electronic devices.

A few typical gestures emerge: the interactive hand wave, the body shift from side to side, etc. The repetitive gestures of individuals within interactive installations are normalized as they are already socially coded.”

Darsha Hewitt + Alexandre Quessy: Rotarian Choir

Magnetic Identity Liberation Front, Stephanie Brodeur & Darsha Hewitt. Image: piksel.no

The Rotarian Choir is a sound installation featuring a chorus of table-top and wall-mounted rotary telephones. Relying solely on the original gong ringers in these modern communication devices, The Rotarian Choir chimes out a repertoire ranging from cheerful and uplifting to downright dismal compositions.

The timbral range of the phones vary from harmonious ringing to subtle clicks and muted metallic purrs.

2. Auction houses benefit from rising art prices.

“Sotheby’s and its larger competitor, Christie’s International, are benefiting from an 11-year quadrupling of contemporary-art prices. That may stall…”

Sotheby’s auctioneer Tobias Meyer auctions a Mark Rothko painting in May. Image: bloomberg.com

Read more HERE