Special event - 2018-2019 edition - A fourth tailor-made edition for Lumière sur l'art

An original creation by Manon De Pauw on Avenue Cartier

QUÉBEC CITY, Nov. 22, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - In the wake of three successful editions, the Société de développement commercial du quartier Montcalm (SDC Montcalm) and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) have boldly entrusted the 34 giant lamps in Lumière sur l'art, an essential attraction on the commercial thoroughfare in the Montcalm district in Québec City, to artist Manon De Pauw.  A genuine explorer of light, the artist has designed an original, unique, highly dream-like series.

The tailor-made illumination features duos that echo each other and series that play with symmetry, opposition or superimposition. It proposes an anthology of shapes and colours. De Pauw has brilliantly adapted to the formal constraints of the lamps. "I approached Lumière sur l'art as a play on light, matter, form and colour, an exploration of the temporality and circularity of images, while constantly considering the viewpoint of passers-by. The lamp shades on Avenue Cartier are at once utilitarian objects and artistic media, lit at night and turned off during the day. These dualities influenced my conception of the series of images," Manon De Pauw noted enthusiastically.

The new installation presented in the heart of the Montcalm district since January 2015 by the SDC Montcalm is sure to delight the public. It presents images produced by photographing materials such as coloured transparencies, paper, water, watercolours, sequins, feathers, ribbons, and elastic bands on a light table. All of the images stem from a meticulous composition based on several camera angles. Each lamp shade crystallizes in a manner of speaking its own creation process, as the recurring hand of the artist in the series of 34 photos attests. The hand places, holds, adjusts, feels and attempts to grasp elusive, unpredictable matter.

From Pellan to De Pauw

Following the representations of works by Alfred Pellan and Fernand Leduc in 2015-2016, works by Rita Letendre and Jacques Hurtubise in 2016-2017, and works by Pierre Ayot in 2017-2018, Manon De Pauw quickly became the obvious choice for the new edition given the singular nature of her approach linked to her fascination for light. What is more, the artist's works are found in the collection of the MNBAQ and its Prêt d'œuvres d'art collection. It is also on display at the MNBAQ's Pierre Lassonde Pavilion on Grande Allée: L'Apprentie 1, L'Apprentie 2 et L'Apprentie 3 (2008) in the From Ferron to BGL exhibition. Contemporary Art in Québec.

"The assignment of Lumière sur l'art to an artist of Manon De Pauw's stature has renewed the formula by presenting an especially attractive original work for passers-by seeking intemporality and poetry. The MNBAQ is proud to participate in this outstanding initiative by businesspeople in the Montcalm district. Through their enthusiasm, the Quartier des arts is proposing a unique attraction in Québec City, which also creates a forceful link between Avenue Cartier and the MNBAQ, between city residents and their museum," Annie Gauthier, Director of Collections and Research at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, said.

The fourth edition of Lumière sur l'art will remain in place on Avenue Cartier until the fall of 2019, thereby showcasing artist Manon De Pauw and enabling the Quartier des arts to highlight present-day art. From one season to the next, this major attraction, which draws both city residents and growing numbers of tourists, will illuminate the lives of strollers through new luminous creations that resemble inspired sparks.

The Artist

Manon De Pauw, in brief

Manon De Pauw lives and works in Montréal and is represented by Division Gallery. She teaches at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques de l'UQÀM. The artist's work has been exhibited at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the La Chapelle Theatre, the Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico City, the Festival des films sur l'art and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. In 2009, the Galerie de l'UQÀM and curator Louise Déry presented the exhibition Manon De Pauw - Intrigues, which was subsequently presented at the Musée régional de Rimouski (2011) and the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris (2012). In 2010, the artist acted as guest curator of the exhibition Actes de présence at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal in conjunction with her series Point de vue sur la collection. In 2011, she was the Québec finalist for the Sobey Art Award and in 2012 the visual arts prize-winner of the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award of the Canada Council.

Over 10 years, Manon De Pauw has collaborated, in particular, with choreographer Danièle Desnoyers, musicians André Pappathomas, Joane Hétu and Philippe B, and director Denis Lavalou. In 2014, she presented at Usine C the interdisciplinary performance La matière ordinaire in conjunction with the Temps d'Images festival. In the spring of 2017, she presented Cocons somatiques at the Agora de la danse in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Pierre-Marc Ouellette.

Information Sheets

Giant Lamps

Designed in light of the golden number, which best respects the formats of the composition of the works, each of the 34 glossy semi-transparent vinyl paintings measures 942 cm long by 200 cm high. Printing required three ink passages to obtain optimum quality and ensure their durability. The structures of the lamps, including welded aluminum parts, weigh 56 kg and measure 1.6 m high and 2.4 m in diameter. Five LED strip lights powered by city street lamps provide lighting.

Self-supporting structures

The 17 self-supporting structures, each one equipped with two lamps, comprise three steel tubes with a diameter of 127 mm. Their height (4.9 m) and weight (705 kg) are equally impressive. They are painted brown like the city street lamps and are mounted on the sidewalks on avenue Cartier.

The Lumière sur l'art circuit was designed by LightEmotion, under the direction of a strategic committee comprising the Office du tourisme de Québec, the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec, and Québec City. It was implemented by Scène Éthique under the direction of the SDC Montcalm and its partners. The project was made possible through financial support from Québec City, the Entente de partenariat régional en tourisme de la région de Québec (EPRTRQ) between the Ministère du Tourisme, the Office du tourisme de Québec and the Secrétariat à la Capitale-Nationale, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, and the advisory role of the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec.

The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is a state corporation funded by the Gouvernement du Québec.

Lumière sur l'art
2018-2019 edition
Avenue Cartier, Quartier des arts, Québec City

SOURCE Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

418 643-2150 or 1 866 220-2150 /mnbaq.org