Yannick Pouliot at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

8 February – April 20, 2008

Yannick Pouliot, Empire-possessif, 2007. Image: macm.org

VoCA contributor Catherine Toews was in Montreal recently, where she was seduced by young Quebec rising star Yannick Pouliot’s exhibition at the Musee d’Art Contemporain.

Here are her thoughts:

The moment we stepped through Yannick Pouliot’s Louis XVI: indifférent, a dizzying installation consisting of a series of identical, wallpapered hallways, each containing one chandelier and one chair, we were surprised. Surprise is a rarely triggered feeling and the elegance and modesty of Pouliot’s work packs such a powerful punch that it’s hard not to be won over.

Louis XVI: indifférent was the stand-out centerpiece of this young Quebec artist’s whimsical presentation. The straightforward chairs in the hallways contrasted with a series of intricate furniture sculptures in the adjoining gallery – odd, quietly grotesque mutilations of everyday life. We were less enthusiastic about the framed serigraphs on the wall, silhouetted images of jumbled furniture, which seemed unnecessary.

Yannick Pouliot, Régence: monomaniaque, 2007. Image: macm.org

Le Courtisan, an additional installation in an outer hallway of the museum, was wonderful. Inside a cramped, unassuming wooden column was a beautifully decorated interior and a booming sound system, triggered each time the door closed. It was a startling, funny piece, and the perfect ending to a truly enjoyable viewing experience.

-Catherine Toews is an interdisciplinary artist currently completing her BFA in Sculpture at the University of Manitoba.