Twins
dal 13/1/2004 al 21/2/2004
Segnalato da
13/1/2004
Twins
Art Gallery Bishop, Lennoxville, QC
Like many artists in The Found and the Familiar, Carmen Bouchard focuses on the snapshot. However, instead of limiting herself merely to this medium in Twins, Bouchard combines photography, installation and ...dressmaking! With the help of cheap disposable cameras, Twins documents Bouchard and her sister's trip to Los Angeles dressed as 'identical' twins in matching handmade dresses.
by Carmen Bouchard
Curated by Chris Hand
The Art Gallery of Bishop's University (AGBU) kicks off 2004 with a first-time
co-production with Zeke's Gallery, a Montreal space best known for its anti-white
cube atmosphere and its eclectic programming of unshown or upcoming artists. With the
intention of highlighting themes present in the main exhibition at AGBU while
promoting
fresh perspectives, Curatorial Assistant Zoë Chan chose one artist featured in
Zeke's
Gallery's past season to show on the outside walls of AGBU. In tandem with The
Found and
the Familiar: Snapshots in Contemporary Canadian Art, a travelling exhibition
dedicated to
the snapshot, AGBU is proud to present Carmen Bouchard's photo-based series
Twins.
Like many artists in The Found and the Familiar, Carmen Bouchard focuses on the
snapshot. However, instead of limiting herself merely to this medium in Twins,
Bouchard
combines photography, installation and ...dressmaking! With the help of cheap
disposable
cameras, Twins documents Bouchard and her sister's trip to Los Angeles dressed
as
'identical' twins in matching handmade dresses. The resulting series of
photographs
function as larger-than-life 'souvenirs' in which the two young women pose or
are
seemingly caught unawares at various tacky tourist sites.
Composed of large-scale photographs of the Bouchard sisters' holiday besides a
clothesline
of colourful dresses, Twins is a flamboyant tribute to sisterhood. Moreover,
while playfully
exploring notions of identity and individuality, Bouchard cheekily poses that
eternal
question, 'Does the dress make the woman?'
Carmen Bouchard was born in Baie Comeau, Québec. She received a BFA from
Concordia's theatre program in 1986. She currently lives in France where she
organises
various trade shows and sports events. Bouchard describes her artistic practice
as
'artisanat conceptuel.' She sees it as a lifelong 'labour of love - a work in
progress'
celebrating sisterhood and examining her place in a world that globalisation has
rendered
increasingly homogenous and bland. She really likes sewing.
Twins by Carmen Bouchard is a co-production of AGBU and Zeke's Gallery.
Source: Zoë Chan/Chris Hand
Opening reception: Wednesday January 14, 2004 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Image: Nixon's Wives, 2000
Los Angeles, Aristomenis Tsirbas
37 x 47, Series of 5
Art Gallery of Bishop's University
Lennoxville - Québec