16 January-1 February 2014
Collage Workshop with Jesse Collette: Saturday, 1 February, 10AM-2PM
Assemblage Workshop with Jesse Collette: Sunday, 2 February, 10AM-2PM
“Raconteur” by Montreal artist Jesse Collette hosts three bodies of work: “Pseudoblepsis” (assemblage) and “Umwelt” (collage) focus on pictoral narrative to express the artist’s personal life experiences. The collection “Traces” features a series of sculptural drawings which explores the material qualities of paper both as a drawing surface and as sculptural material.
The works in both the series “Pseudoblepsis” and in “Umwelt” were created through meticulous juxtaposition of found objects and images, allowing Collette’s work to take on a polysemic trait that opens up many possible narratives. Each interpretation is caught in a balance of familiarity and ambiguity, creating a tension that invites the viewer to deeper contemplation.
Collette bridges the spheres between two- and three dimensional work with his series of sculptural drawings titled “Traces”. Here he exploits the medium of paper beyond its habitual “surface-only” approach and stretches the strength and flexbility of the paper fibre to its limits. The compositions are based on found markings in the urban landscape; stories gleaned from city dwellers leaving their traces behind as they go about their daily lives.
As a multi-disciplinary artist, Collette is uncommitted to any one mode or medium. Through research and contemplation, a project reveals itself, each experience inheriting its own process. This balance between premeditation and intuition is important to him, as it allows him to explore new techniques and processes.
¨My curiosities rest in how to engage one`s imagination, not limit them to mine. I am but a composer of possibilities.¨
ABOUT JESSE COLLETTE
Jesse Collette is a multi-disciplinary artist from New Brunswick, now living and working in Montreal. Collette studied Visual Communication at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before completing his BFA at Concordia University in Montreal. Though he majored in painting and drawing, Collette studied a wide range of disciplines including sculpture, papermaking, and multiple print processes. He also has a background in carpentry and landscaping, two trades which continue to be an integral part of his work. The artist continues to reside in Montreal, but maintains close ties to his maritime heritage.
Collette’s work is rooted in experience and process, with a focus on the exploration and translation of the human condition. Collette’s work investigates the means by which we are reminded of beauty, tragedy and our inherent absurdities.
(from the gallery’s press materials)
INFORMATION
Visual Voice Gallery
Suite 421
372 Sainte-Catherine Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3B 1A2 Canada
(514) 878-3663
Hours:
Wednesday-Saturday, Noon-5:30PM
and by appointment
Image:
Epic (diptych, detail)
by Jesse Collette
22″x22″ (each panel)
mixed media