The opening of several exhibitions took place Saturday evening at the Beaverbrook Museum of Fine Arts, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, including one dedicated to the artist Greg Charlton.
In office as director of collections and exhibitions for several years, John Leroux has two new accomplices within the Museum: the curator of indigenous art Emma Hassencahl-Perley and the commissioner of Canadian arts Ray Cronin.
Until June 1st, John Leroux offers to show the world of Greg Charlton. Several years ago, this local visual artist discovered an abandoned attic in a house he was renting and decided to create a body of work by drawing on the walls from 1999 to 2001.
His Italian Baroque-inspired art, with its angels, busts and faces, quickly transformed this attic into a sort of sanctuary, where he actually moved.
The house and attic have since been destroyed, but ten years ago John Leroux had time to take photographs which are now in the Beaverbrook Museum.
It’s really poetic, it’s as if we discovered a ruin like in Greece or Rome, says John Leroux, curator of the exhibition. Greg Charlton – Grenier.
Open in full screen mode
John Leroux in the “Greg Charlton – Grenier” exhibition room.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Noémie Avidar
John Leroux is also curator of the photographic exhibition Ian MacEachern – Black and white is like radio.
Nova Scotian Ian MacEachern, who has a career spanning more than 60 years, has traveled across Canada and the United States as a photojournalist. His black and white photos capture his interest in social documentary and street photography.
The only point of color present in the exhibition, a small red ashtray placed at the foot of one of the photos. A nod to the era, because it’s the ashtray from Hebner’s Taxi, from the 1960s, says John Leroux.
Ian MacEachern was also the first official photographer for the musical group The Velvet Underground.
Open in full screen mode
St. James Street, Saint John, NB, in the 1960s, a photo by Ian MacEachern.
Photo: Ian MacEachern
Sculpture in the spotlight
Ray Cronin is the curator of the exhibition. Under construction : new Canadian sculptureswhich offers a selection of sculptures offered as gifts to the Museum.
Among the lot, a sculpture of Workbook Canada, a blue aluminum cover, small 3D printed star fragments and a Zamboni made of construction materials.
The most important thing in contemporary sculpture, particularly in Canada but also elsewhere in the world, is to create a familiar object and make it strange, says Ray Cronin.
Open in full screen mode
“Chants de travail”, by sculptor Jean-Pierre Gauthier (in photo), will be presented during the exhibition “Under construction: new Canadian sculptures”.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Noémie Avidar
Ray Cronin is also curator of the exhibition Graeme Patterson – Strange birds, where this artist from Sackville offers an immersive world where starlings reign until the marsh revolts.
It’s an installation with models of houses and a huge wall with projections of a birdman dancing in a sequin outfit. The music is omnipresent, the humor is there.
He is truly one of the most important artists in Canada for sculpture, he is the youngest artist ever purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, says Ray Cronin to describe Graeme Patterson
The importance of indigenous art
The Beaverbrook Art Museum also has ongoing exhibitions of Indigenous art.
According to curator Emma Hassencahl-Perley, a museum’s collection is an opportunity to offer a critical perspective on how Indigenous people are represented in institutions. The new curator of indigenous exhibitions has a mandate to root art in history.
I feel a certain responsibility, especially when it comes to producing works by First Nations women artists, she says. The history of art has bypassed and excluded us like other minorities. This aspect inspires me a lot in my work.
Open in full screen mode
Emma Hassencahl-Perley is the Curator of Indigenous Art at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Noémie Avidar
The life and legacy of Kenojuak Ashevak, in which Emma Hassencahl-Perley participated, highlights one of the pioneering indigenous artists of the Arctic territory. This retrospective presents previously unpublished drawings.
Wesuwe-tpelomosu, which can be visited since October, is an exhibition which explores the question of matriarchy in modern society by drawing on examples of the lives of indigenous women, their leadership, their self-determination and their activism within their community and their family.
With information from Noémie Avidar
2024-01-21 23:20:25
#exhibitions #discover #Beaverbrook #Museum #Fine #Arts
