Patrice Duhamel

“Le surcroît (2007) is an installation comprised of video projections and amalgamated drawings in compact clusters that mutually respond and reveal each other. They are reciprocal prototypes, or rather models of one another. They represent deregulated ecosystems that are populated by diverse characters engaged in the process of behavioural recognition. Between sensuality and violence, they are confronting socio-emotional disturbances.” – The artist.

Patrice Duhamel
Born in Contrecoeur, Canada, in 1970
Lives and works in Montréal, Canada

Working mainly in photography, video and drawing, Patrice Duhamel explores the complexity of human interaction with the environments in which they live. His installations, which juxtapose diverse images and video clips, often reconstruct encounters between individuals and inert objects, and these experiences tend to spin out of control. Sensual connections are transformed into violent interactions while rational actions acquire an emotional charge. In Passages secrets (2005), for example, two men are seen interacting with a revolving door; instead of simply walking through, they do a sort of unchoreographed dance that turns violent and sensual. Duhamel’s way of filming is free from dramatic cinematographic artifice, forming a direct contrast with the content of the piece,which oscillates between being tragic, romantic and heroic. Most people use revolving doors every day without giving the idea much thought. Duhamel’s video, however, encourages us to reflect on our interactions with the objects and individuals involved in such motions.The accumulation of images and scenes in Le Surcroît (2007) acts in a similar fashion, presenting viewers with associations and motions that are seldom reflected upon. In these videos, banal interactions become rich, emotionally charged narratives set against a backdrop of everyday places and objects.

OPENING SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 09 2007 AT 3:30 PM |
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY FROM 1PM TO 7PM, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FROM 1 PM TO 6 PM, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 1 PM TO 5 PM

ADDED TO THE PROGRAM:
ARTIST TALK SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2007 AT 2PM