Alain Paiement

Arrangements d'après nature, photographic and videographic installation, 2009
September 12 - November 29, 2009, opening September 12, 5 pm

 

Presented in coproduction with Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal, the exhibit Arrangements d’après nature heralds Alain Paiement’s return to the Montreal art millieu. Discover the artist’s latest artistic endeavors, as both galleries are packed with his creations.

Occupying the main exhibition hall, a photographic installation unravels a narrative framed around the residential space of a hunter and his spouse that is as racy as it is surprisingly insightful. In these pictures, the husband’s stuffed animals and other hunting trophies confront his wife’s wax dolls, silverware and curios in a stark dichotomic clash. This project follows previous research around spatial representations constructed from cartographical techniques. However, this newest work by Alain Paiement perverts his previous top-down view and documentary rigueur by restoring architectural volumes and deliberately using simplistic digital modifications. Optical distortions characterize the artist’s work, they present his unique view of the world.

A selection of photographic works produced between 1996 and 2008 is presented in the smaller gallery and help to put into perspective the artist’s transition from geographical perspectives to new procedures of fictions that characterize his newest productions.