FOFA at CASA

The projects of Lauren Chipeur, Ludovic Cléroux, Véronique Chagnon Côté and Steven Smith Simard were selected separately and not as a whole. Therefore, this exhibition sets them together, but not under common a curatorial theme. (Re)-presenting the works at Projet Casa brings forward questions about the spatialization of artworks, the link between the artists, and their mutual intentions. Are they considered a unit now that they are showcased together in a different gallery? Is it relevant to find a common thread between them, or instead is each project more self-sufficient? Finally, how do we look at art in a university setting or a traditional white cube (or black box), as opposed to a reconverted domestic space?

The exhibitions, s e e p a g e, 5155 rue d’Iberville Paintings, Petites pièces, and The Awakening, were to run from March 2 to April 10, 2020, and have been abruptly interrupted on March 13, the day after the opening. Luckily, friends and family had the chance to celebrate the artists moments before the quarantine. When Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau reached out to revive these projects at Projet Casa, it was a relief: the anxiety brought by the interruption and the potential cancellation of shows was tangible. I am enthused to see that these installations have a second life outside of the FOFA Gallery. As I write these words, I do not have a physical exhibition space for the next few months and must creatively use the virtual realm to present artworks. In the meantime, there are always collaborations enabling the art milieu to (re)question and (re)activate itself.

Eunice Bélidor, FOFA Gallery Director