The Papier12 art fair is such a wonderful
place to visit. You are bound to meet people you know, you’ll have the
opportunity to chat with up-and-coming artists and, most importantly, it’s the
occasion to view amazing art. Located in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles,
Papier12 went all out to celebrate its fifth anniversary, with a ritzy red
carpet and two large red and blue sculptures by Canadian artist Shayne Dark.
Image via RSVP Report
I entered Papier12’s large white tent on
Saturday afternoon, happy to be greeted by familiar faces at Galerie d’art Jean-Claude Bergeron. I meandered through the rows, contemplated every artist
at every booth – and am now ready to let you know my top three artists.
I’ll start with Elmyna Bouchard from Galerie Trois Points. I’ve been keeping an eye out for Bouchard’s etchings for
quite some time, and was pleasantly surprised to see her new production of
stamping on paper. (I’ll give a well deserved shout out to GTP’s staff that was
extremely friendly and approachable. When entering any art venue, I am a firm
believer that a friendly face is a must.)
Elmyna Bouchard’s Tiges, Stamping on paper, 2011
Parisian Laundry's booth blew me away with artwork by Jaime Angelopoulos. Using conté and oil pastels on paper,
Angelopoulos’ deceptively simple compositions and bright colours were a feast
for the eyes. Not only was the work fantastic, but so was the framing.
Jaime Angelopoulos: The Traveller, pastel on paper, 2011 & Untitled, pastel on paper, 2012
Finally, my heart melted when I saw Arnaud Maggs at booth number 203: Susan Hobbs Gallery. When writing my MA
thesis on Mail Art several years ago, I fell hard for Maggs’ photographs of
envelopes, Notificationi and ii. To see two photographs of his Contamination series was a huge treat.
Arnaud Maggs, Contamination, edition of 3
An honourable mention goes
out to Antoine Tavaglione, who has been featured numerous times on this blog. Presented at the Maison Kasini booth, I was delighted to see Tava’s collaboration with Dave Tarado.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge of (and love for!) art. It's great for someone who doesn't know much about it - like me! - to get introduced to local artists. I will definitely look up the artists in your top 3!
ReplyDeleteDo check them out! We have such great local talent.
DeleteLove your comments Dominique: keep 'em coming!
E. xo
So very interesting! There are great things happening in Montreal and you know where to look for them; thank you for your contageous passion!
ReplyDeleteThank you MC for such a thoughtful message - I really appreciate it!
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