Opening November 7 from 5 to 7 PM. Artist in attendance.
Huile sur toile
Oil on canvas
182,9 x 228,6 cm (72” x 90”)
The Exhibition
David Lafrance’s latest paintings are an extension of his personal reflections on a landscape, and thus a society, in metamorphosis.
The artist delves into meteorological phenomena threatening our current era, both physically and psychically. The forecast is distressing and inescapable in Lafrance’s observations.
Amid representations of a nature in turbulence, each painting is punctuated by a contrasting window into an idyllic pastoral scene – postcards of an idealized past uninterrupted by climate change. Reminiscent of surrealist paintings from the 1930s, Lafrance’s aerial cognitive landscapes are populated by disembodied hands and arms, geometric and unstructured shapes and cartoonish faces that set the mood for the series. The sun is tired and wrinkled in “Un soleil de trop” (2018) and sleeping heads are metaphors for a dormant populace in “Sun Dog” (2018) and “Marée haute” (2018). Lafrance approaches the canvas with a sense of urgency, skilfully layering distinct forms of composition in a dynamic assemblage of painterly gestures.
About David Lafrance
David Lafrance (b. 1976) holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montréal (2001) where he is currently completing his MFA. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions and biennales in Canada, the US, and in France. Among his recent solo exhibitions are Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay (2018), Ceaac (2015), Strasbourg; Galerie Hugues Charbonneau (2014); L’Œil de Poisson (2014), Québec City; and the Musée régional de Rimouski (2012), which won the prize for “Best exhibition outside of Montréal” at the AGAC’s Gala des arts visuels. He recently participated in various group exhibitions, namely at the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides (2018), Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (2015), l’Œil de Poisson (2015), Art Action Actuel, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (2013), and at the Centre d’art l’Écart, in Rouyn-Noranda (2013).
His work is part of several private and public collections, including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (CPOA), the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec; the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montréal; Lotto Québec; Hydro-Québec; and Mouvement Desjardins.