Review by Maya Stewart Pathak
Images courtesy of hotel emerald
Remember when you expected to take a sip of milk, but found it was limoncello? That’s the kind of play encapsulated in “Passe-Temps,” a group show curated by Jobair Jaber at Hotel Emerald in Montreal. Tantalizingly visible in quarantine, through floor to ceiling windows on Avenue du Parc, Hotel Emerald is populated with enamel and plush sculpture and paintings fluctuating from jewel-toned to muted pop. These are the works of the twelve artists Jaber invited to produce freely around the concept of play. Several artworks pose in a sand-box, roughly centre, and child-like vitality runs throughout the show.
The oft-quoted Walter Benjamin described kitsch as more utilitarian than art, as it provides immediate emotional gratification. In “Passe-Temps,” a semblance of kitsch elevates the artworks’ sensuousness. Two organically manipulated white porcelain bunnies confront one another. Another enamel, flower-headed figure wraps its arms around its chest and arcs its spine. Bernice Galarneau’s Roller Derby foufou, depicts a comic-book image of a puppy, replete with heart eyes and a heart nose, but barely discernible, quilted in soft peach satin. Dan Climan’s satisfying paint-by-numbers simplicity counterpoints a scene of a man slumped on the ground in daylight. David Cyrenne pairs Rothko-like planes with dreamy geometry. A staircase of re-purposed frosted window tiles is illuminated with copper wire that twists into shapes like veins. And Beatrice Coté’s miniature enamel balconies display a kind of earthy familiarity. Unlike with Benjamin’s kitsch, the familiarity in these artworks is either not immediately identifiable or takes on a surprising form—your suspended gratification twists into spirited curiosity. “Passe-Temps” can be viewed safely from the street, 5293 Avenue du Parc, until April 25th.
Jobair Jaber’s Passe-Temps
Review by Maya Stewart Pathak
Images courtesy of hotel emerald
Remember when you expected to take a sip of milk, but found it was limoncello? That’s the kind of play encapsulated in “Passe-Temps,” a group show curated by Jobair Jaber at Hotel Emerald in Montreal. Tantalizingly visible in quarantine, through floor to ceiling windows on Avenue du Parc, Hotel Emerald is populated with enamel and plush sculpture and paintings fluctuating from jewel-toned to muted pop. These are the works of the twelve artists Jaber invited to produce freely around the concept of play. Several artworks pose in a sand-box, roughly centre, and child-like vitality runs throughout the show.
The oft-quoted Walter Benjamin described kitsch as more utilitarian than art, as it provides immediate emotional gratification. In “Passe-Temps,” a semblance of kitsch elevates the artworks’ sensuousness. Two organically manipulated white porcelain bunnies confront one another. Another enamel, flower-headed figure wraps its arms around its chest and arcs its spine. Bernice Galarneau’s Roller Derby foufou, depicts a comic-book image of a puppy, replete with heart eyes and a heart nose, but barely discernible, quilted in soft peach satin. Dan Climan’s satisfying paint-by-numbers simplicity counterpoints a scene of a man slumped on the ground in daylight. David Cyrenne pairs Rothko-like planes with dreamy geometry. A staircase of re-purposed frosted window tiles is illuminated with copper wire that twists into shapes like veins. And Beatrice Coté’s miniature enamel balconies display a kind of earthy familiarity. Unlike with Benjamin’s kitsch, the familiarity in these artworks is either not immediately identifiable or takes on a surprising form—your suspended gratification twists into spirited curiosity. “Passe-Temps” can be viewed safely from the street, 5293 Avenue du Parc, until April 25th.
Alex Guay
Alex Guay
install view
Baltimore Loth
Casie Lee
Baltimore Loth
Arthur Loth
David Cyrenne
Beatrice Coté
Beatrice Coté
Alex Guay
Baltimore Loth