karen elaine spencer, on instagram
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movin’ the charter, with l’araignée collective, 2017/2018/2019.
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sittin’ with cabot square at centre clark, 2017.
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headlines at ellephant, 2017.
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the sitter, the interdisciplinary writers’ unit, and the darling.
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letters home/lettres à ma mère, galerie b-312, 2015.
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pourrait être fait, 2015, baie-saint-paul, québec.
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blogeurs en captivité, 2014, montréal, québec.
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L’exposition « Des (in)visibles : une autoethnographie des pratiques » présente le travail de dix artistes membres d’AdMare. Elle se tiendra du 15 novembre 2022 au 6 février 2023 dans l’espace Colis suspect de l’aéroport des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Organisée par la commissaire Christelle Proulx, cette exposition sera divisée en cinq parties, jumelant chaque fois deux artistes autour de thématiques caractérisant un aspect singulier de leur approche.
https://www.facebook.com/Walkin-with-robinson-at-admare-109582864841997
To view more of the project click on facebook page link above.
“walkin’ with robinson” at AdMare Art Actuel
The Magdalen Islands – far flung from the festering pavement of Montreal’s streets. I have yet to travel to this Island, but even in advance of my departure a sensation of return haunts me. As a young child I lived in a small, accessible only by boat, mining town located on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Memories from this time stir in me. The sharp bite of the salt air, the cold hunger of the wind, and the hovering ghost of my inconsequential child body, perched on a rock, thin arms wrapped around bony knees, eyes facing the waves as they break upon the shore over and over and over again.
We all have our islands. Those places we hold in our memories seen through mist and semi-darkness, never quite becoming real. And what do they tell us? And what can we give them? Does the wind carry a song?
Imagine, there is a walking figure. A solitary walking figure holding a song. The song is fragmented, broken, taken from the shared pen of the poet Leonard Cohen and the songwriter Sharon Robinson. The song’s lyrics lament our loss of innocence and bemoan the condition of a world already and forever closed against us. The words of the lyrics are inked over an old brown cardboard sign and the solitary walking figure wears the sign, like a shield, like a protective garment, like a talisman invoking if not magic then at least a lover’s curse. The walking figure is not a child, the walking figure is no longer a child.
I would like to thank Colette Chose, Laurene Janowsky, Yoanis Menge, Galadriel Avon and everyone at Admare Art Actuel who made this residency such a transformative experience. My thanks also go to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for their precious support. And Josianne Poirier you were not only a wonderful housemate, you also infiltrated this project with the generosity of the sea… gentle and forever present for my rambling thoughts and musings. And lastly I have to thank my family and friends who ushered this reluctant traveler out the door. And J.J. Lokshtanov, you remain my salt. I thank you all.”
A significant selection of the work “sittin’ with cabot square” comprising paintings, digital image files, ambient sound, spoken word recordings, and newspapers has been acquired by the Musée d’art de Joliette (MAJ.)
This work traveled through many iterations and has been graced with the support of many institutions and people before touching down at the MAJ. I give my thanks to everyone who perceived a value in what it was the work was doing, (the thousand and one people whose support is the day to day functioning of a place often performed behind the scenes, but who make everything possible, and the thousand and one people whose small and almost imperceptible gestures keep a project going, from the people who sat with me to those that turned to smile, or those who gave themselves to be seen as passer-by’s or fellow square users, please know your support literally held me and the project afloat. In particular (as my memory serves me) thanks are given to:
– The artist Paul Couillard from 7a*11d who, in 2010, invited me (carte blanche) to perform. I chose to sit. The location was Union Station in Toronto and it is here that “sittin” really began.
– Nathalie S. Loveless wrote a wonderful text as the festival blogger.
– Daniel Baird also a festival blogger penned an insightful piece.
– Karen Correia Da Silva authored a text for Steel Bananas.
– From Toronto the work traveled to Moncton (2011) as part of the “jè-st’: festival d’art performatif et d’intervention.”
– A beautiful publication was produced bearing the name of the festival with texts by: Jennifer Bélanger, Amanda Dawn Christie, and Nisk Imbeault.
– In 2012 I received a grant from the Canada Council and “sittin with cabot square” began. The sittin’ work spanned two years and the project blog became the site of presentation.
travel to a location and occupy a place. sit. occupy a place with your body in a deliberate, consistent and repetitive manner. sit. the same place occupied daily. a daily traveling to a location to occupy a place. sit.
your body assumes a place. you have no choice in the matter.
you stay with.
what you do not do speaks as much as what you do do. you do not sing a song of protest, you do not hold your hand out, you do not lie down.
you eat an orange. put the peel in a brown paper bag. note the date, the temperature, the wind-chill factor, the angle of the sun, the possibility of precipitation. you pick up a newspaper. the orange peel, the newspaper, these accumulate over time.
what you do not do speaks as much as what you do do. you do not advance, there is no advancement here. things split, snag on, accumulate at your base.
to view the project blog: sittin with
– The sittin’ part of “sittin’ with cabot square” was fulfilled and now began the period of ruminating and questioning and …floundering. I joined an experimental group (2014 – 2016) through “Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal – The Interdisciplinary Writers’ Unit” led by Fatma Sarah Elkashef.
– The spoken word piece, “the sitter” (2016) was presented and recorded at Bain Mathieu in Montréal as part of the “Playwrights’ Interdisciplinary Writers’ Unit” program.
– At Montréal’s “La Fonderie Darling,” (2016) I was able to experiment with a performative gesture, “and she starts to comb no name’s hair,” an action lifted from the spoken word text “the sitter” performed by Danielle Berthiaume and John Thomas as part of Filiations – série de performances. Again a carte-blanche invitation by an artist, this time Michelle Lacombe.
– I received the Canada Council grant to proceed with the ink on cardboard paintings, which allowed me to finally feel as if the project’s hold on me could be released.
– In 2017 I occupied the upstairs loft and the sound post at Centre Clark with the “sittin’ with cabot square” project. For the artist presentation I performed the second spoken word text, “wayne… not rain” developed during the Playwrights workshop. This performance was also recorded.
– In 2019 I was blessed to have a studio visit with Émile Grandmont-Bérubé of the Musée d’art de Joliette – one of those rare visits where it feels as if all time is there for you – and the long and detailed work of acquisition was begun. Nathalie Galego took up the thread and in 2021 the acquisition was completed.
– Finally a heartfelt thank you to Jack Joseph Lokshtanov. A thousand kisses deep.
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always the same
inkjet print on moab 300 natural paper
18,66 x 28 cm.
limited edition of 20
100$
click here : espace art actuel
Fundraiser for the bilingual art journal “espace”
The Charter Poets; Blossom Thom, Ken McLaughlin and J.J. Lokshtanov, take their plywood panel, featuring Section 3 of the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, to the street. In the video the Poets perform their “Charter Rag” for the first time.
Section 3 of the Charter reads: Every person is the possessor of the fundamental freedoms, including freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association. On the panel Section 3 was translated into Tagalog, Greek, Eastern James Bay Cree, English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Haitian Creole.
The film was shot and edited by Rosalie Bordeleau with music by Moss. “moving the charter” is a project by karen elaine spencer.
Logée dans la structure SIGHTINGS et déployée sur les quatre faces du cube, une grande bannière contient un énoncé de mise en garde en caractères typographiques abstraits. Le projet right here right now utilise l’affichage public et des procédés d’interpellation directe pour susciter des lectures contradictoires qui compliquent l’acte d’identification et le désir d’affiliation.
Ce projet s’inscrit dans le programme d’expositions satellites SIGHTINGS pour l’année 2019-2020 sur le thème de la défamiliarisation.
SIGHTINGS est situé au rez-de-chaussée du Pavillon Hall : 1455, boul. De Maisonneuve Ouest, et est accessible tous les jours de 7 h à 23 h.
Housed within the SIGHTINGS display structure and fragmented over the cube’s four faces, a large-scale banner bears a cautionary phrase abstracted by a handcrafted font. The project right here right now uses public inscription of text and strategies of direct address to provoke conflicting readings that complicate identification and desire for affiliation.
This project is part of the 2019-2020 satellite exhibition program SIGHTINGS on the theme of estrangement.
SIGHTINGS is located on the ground floor of the Hall Building: 1455, blvd. De Maisonneuve West and is accessible weekdays and weekends from 7 am to 11 pm.
Née à Nelson, en Colombie-Britannique, karen elaine spencer vit et travaille à Montréal. Elle détient une maîtrise en arts visuels et médiatiques de l’Université du Québec à Montréal et un baccalauréat en beaux-arts du Nova Scotia College of Art and Design à Halifax. Oscillant entre le travail dans la rue, les expositions en galerie et les projets web, spencer questionne les hiérarchies et investigue comment nous, en tant qu’êtres transitoires, occupons le monde dans lequel nous vivons. Ses récents accomplissements incluent la production de l’œuvre inédite « nous sommes tous » d’après une commande d’une école de Saint-Jean-de-Matha (Intégration des arts à l’architecture, 2020), la réalisation d’un textile inspiré de Margaret Atwood pour le Consulat général du Canada à New York (2019), et le design du tapis de la salle Québec pour la Maison du Canada à Londres (2015 avec Nadia Myre).
Les expositions récentes et à venir de son travail incluent : « to hold in the hand » chez Admare, aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine (2020), « movin’ the charter » chez Dare-Dare, à Montréal (2018-2019) et « enveloping self i smell memory » à la Galerie Sans Nom, à Moncton (2018). Le travail de spencer se trouve dans plusieurs collections, dont celles du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, la Banque d’œuvres d’art du Conseil des arts du Canada, la Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, le Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, ainsi que des collections corporatives et privées en France, au Canada et aux Etats-Unis. En 2012, spencer a reçu le Prix Powerhouse de La Centrale. Elle était finaliste pour le prix en art actuel du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (prix en art actuel) en 2016, ainsi que pour le prix Louis Comtois en 2019.
Born in Nelson, British Columbia, karen elaine spencer lives and works in Montréal. She holds an MFA from l’Université du Québec à Montréal and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. Oscillating between work in the street, exhibitions in galleries, and projects via the web, spencer questions hierarchies and investigates how we, as transient beings, occupy the world we live in. Recent accomplishments include commissions for new work: “nous sommes tous” for the école Saint-Jean-de-Matha in Montréal, Québec (Intégration des arts à l’architecture, 2020,) the Margaret Atwood inspired textile for the Consulate General of Canada in New York, New York (2019,) and the Quebec Room carpet design for Canada House in London, England (2015 with Nadia Myre.)
Recent and upcoming exhibitions comprise: “to hold in the hand” at Admare aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine (2020,) “movin’ the charter” at Dare-Dare, Montréal (2018-2019,) “enveloping self i smell memory” at Galerie Sans Nom, Moncton (2018.) spencer’s work is held in multiple collections including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Bibliotheque nationale du Québec, the Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, as well as corporate and private collections in France, Canada and the United States. In 2012 spencer was awarded the La Centrale Powerhouse Prize. She was a finalist for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec’s prix en art actuel in 2016, and for the Prix Louis Comtois in 2019.
opening, retrieving, unfolding, to hold in the hand. a 50 + limited signed first edition mail-art project sent to family, friends, and people who i thought might like the work and to artist’s and other’s whose work inspires me.
the project comes from a residency at galerie sans nom in moncton, new brunswick in 2018. here i met with three people : larry leblanc, paul-edouard bourque and marge leblanc. each meeting was at the galerie with a loaf of white sliced past-expiry-date bread. as we sat together stories around family, history, life and bread were told. i took some photos and wrote down what i remembered of their stories and with their permission i shared the stories and the images.
video by: paul litherland
movin’ the charter –femmes/hommes (traversant St. Jacques, coin Atwater), 28 x 42 inches, 2019.
photograph by Will Mackenzie, Team of Jeremie Tessier, Callaghan Marley-Boshouwers, Jaime Rodriguez and Nathan Spencer-Cross.
movin’ the charter
karen elaine spencer
Sending a sign to the Régie du logement:
“Dans movin‘ the charter, karen elaine spencer propose de disséminer dans l’espace public des extraits de la Charte des droits et libertés du Québec, qu’elle a retranscrits sur de grands panneaux de bois. En invitant des groupes de participant.e.s choisis à sélectionner des passages de la Charte qui résonnent particulièrement pour eux/elles, l’artiste s’approprie ensuite ces extraits afin de réaliser des écriteaux aux formats imposants, dont elle fera ensuite don à l’équipe de participant.e.s. Il y aura dans cette transaction un transfert de propriété, ainsi que des responsabilités qui y sont assignées.” - excerpt from introductory text by collectif L’Araignée
As the fourth gesture of Movin’ the Charter, Sarah Chouinard-Poirier, Sheena Hoszko, Michelle Lacombe, and jake moore will be delivering a panel bearing item number 7, from CHAPTER I of the Quebec Charter; FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS, to the Régie du logement. It has been translated into Kanienʼkéha preceding the two colonial languages of French and English.
7. Sanònhskon nón:we senònhste.
7. La demeure est inviolable.
7. A person’s home is inviolable.
The order of the languages is indicative of time of arrival on this land, and each is preceded by the number that indicates its priority within the Charter. While we are completing our gesture by depositing the panel at the Régie on what is known to be ‘national moving day’ in Québec, we have been actively engaging the text and the physical object for several months in a practice of movement, labour, and dialogue. These actions take place between ourselves, partners and those that share our homes, neighbours, and multiple publics as we negotiate this weight between one another and throughout the city space. The panel and its text are cumbersome, they interfere with swift movements, cause delays and demand attention. This slowness and the difficulty of these collective efforts actualize the responsibility of care for rights and freedoms currently under direct attack by our government.
Upon delivery of the panel from karen elaine spencer, we have moved the object between each of our own homes. Going in one door and out the other, we were affectively stitching the homes together as we labour our way across the city. We are deeply aware of the complexity of the idea of home and our own implication in both the occupation of built structures understood as home in increasingly gentrified neighbourhoods, but also of our own implication in violation as settlers on this land, specifically as white cisgendered women. We have been reversing the cartography of the European occupation of Montreal/Tiohtià:ke/ Moonyang, from Rosemont to Petite Italie, to Ville Marie to Hochelaga and then drawing/walking the final line, or stitch, to the office of the Régie du logement at the “Olympic Village”. The building was originally constructed as housing for athletes in the 1976 Olympic Games under Mayor Drapeau, and has since also served as temporary housing for refugee claimants crossing the border of the land now called Canada. Thus its architectures, meaning both built and social, suggest a through line of impulses as themselves fraught and cruel. These architectures are symbolic of access to housing based on idealized bodies validated though ableism, class, gender, nationality, white supremacy, and racism.
The artists would like to acknowledge the kind participation of Hilda Nicholas for providing the translation of this fundamental freedom and right into Kanienʼkéha, Paul Litherland for his sensitive documentation to come, and exceptional skill, collectif L’Araignée for their productive generosity, dare-dare for their ongoing support and presentation of critical spatial practices and performative gestures, and of course, karen elaine spencer for putting the motion forward.
n.b. all photos in this communique have been taken by the collective members: Sarah Chouinard-Poirier, Sheena Hoszko, Michelle Lacombe, and jake moore. Paul Litherland will document the final delivery at the Régie du logement with a 4×5 camera. The colour negative he produces will be gifted to karen elaine spencer.
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title: movin’ the charter
year: 2017, 2018, 2019 (work in progress)
location: montréal, québec
duration: variable
supported by : le collectif l’araignée, dare-dare, calq
performed by : claudine hubert, charlotte panaccio-letendre, pascal desjardins et jean-michel ross; the janesdoes; sarah chouinard-poirier, sheena hoszko, michelle lacombe, and jake moore; ken mclaughlin, blossom thom and j.j. lokshtanov; jeremie tessier, callaghan marley-boshouwers, jaime rodriguez and nathan spencer-cross; patricia martin, nuria carton de grammont, linamar campos flores and chema.
acrylic on oak plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2019. photo: paul litherland
translation to english : PERSONS BELONGING TO ETHNIC MINORITIES HAVE A RIGHT TO MAINTAIN AND DEVELOP THEIR OWN CULTURAL INTERESTS WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR GROUP.
“La sixième activation de ‘movin’ the charter’ de l’artiste Karen Elaine Spencer a eu lieu aujourd’hui, dimanche 20 octobre 2019 au parc Jarry! L’équipe, formée des travailleurs et travailleuses culturelles Claudine Hubert, Charlotte Panaccio-Letendre, Pascal Desjardins et Jean-Michel Ross, a amorcé l’action devant le commissariat de police pour ensuite se déplacer à travers le parc Jarry, portant le sixième panneau produit par l’artiste pour enfin arriver au parc St-Roch à Parc Ex. Voici l’extrait de la charte choisie par l’équipe pour cette intervention : CHAPITRE IV – DROITS ÉCONOMIQUES ET SOCIAUX – ARTICLE 43 Les personnes appartenant à des minorités ethniques ont le droit de maintenir et de faire progresser leur propre vie culturelle avec les autres membres de leur groupe.” – text de la collectif l’araignée.
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acrylic on oak plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2019. photo: paul litherland
translation to english : EVERY PERSON HAS A RIGHT TO RESPECT FOR HER PRIVATE LIFE
Villeray, Montréal, Québec, September 30, 2019, the janedoes move clause 5 of the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Photo: Cathyane Dufort.
Lundi le 30 septembre dans le quartier Villeray,
L’équipe “janedoes” utilisera la géolocalisation pour publier son itinéraire sur Instagram et Twitter, sur @janedoes_mtc. Les membres de janedoes seront en ligne et en direct sur les caméras de la ville à :http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/circulation/
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acrylic on fir plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2019. photo: paul litherland
Section 7 of the charter has translated into Kanienʼkéha preceding the two colonial languages of French and English.
7. Sanònhskon nón:we senònhste.
7. La demeure est inviolable.
7. A person’s home is inviolable.
photo courtesy the collective
As the fourth gesture of Movin’ the Charter, Sarah Chouinard-Poirier, Sheena Hoszko, Michelle Lacombe, and jake moore will be delivering a panel bearing item number 7, from CHAPTER I of the Quebec Charter; FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS, to the Régie du logement. It has been translated into Kanienʼkéha preceding the two colonial languages of French and English.
7. Sanònhskon nón:we senònhste.
7. La demeure est inviolable.
7. A person’s home is inviolable.
The order of the languages is indicative of time of arrival on this land, and each is preceded by the number that indicates its priority within the Charter. While we are completing our gesture by depositing the panel at the Régie on what is known to be ‘national moving day’ in Québec, we have been actively engaging the text and the physical object for several months in a practice of movement, labour, and dialogue. These actions take place between ourselves, partners and those that share our homes, neighbours, and multiple publics as we negotiate this weight between one another and throughout the city space. The panel and its text are cumbersome, they interfere with swift movements, cause delays and demand attention. This slowness and the difficulty of these collective efforts actualize the responsibility of care for rights and freedoms currently under direct attack by our government.
for full texts in french and english click on link : movin fr movin en
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acrylic on maple plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2019. photo: paul litherland
translation to english : EVERY PERSON IS THE POSSESSOR OF THE FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS INCLUDING FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE FREEDOM OF RELIGION FREEDOM OF OPINION FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY AND FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION.
In front of Léché Desserts, Saint-Henri, Montréal, Québec, May 21, 2019. Ken McLaughlin, Blossom Thom and J.J. Lokshtanov – THE CHARTER POETS. Photo courtesy the artist.
11 AM, Tuesday, May 21,
The Charter Poets(Ken McLaughlin, Blossom Thom, and J.J. Lokshtanov) will carry artist karen elaine spencer’s section 3 of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms through the streets of Montreal. The event will start at the artist’s studio 1001 rue Lenoir at approximately 10:45 AM and move to Léché Desserts, a popular donut shop, 640 Courcelle St.
The panel comprises 10 different languages : Tagalog, Greek, Eastern James Bay Cree, English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Haitian Creole. En francais: le tagalog, le grec, le cri de l’est de la Baie James, l’anglais, le français, l’arabe, l’espagnol, l’italien, le chinois et le créole haïtien.
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acrylic on oak plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2019. photo: paul litherland
translation to english : THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS SET FORTH IN THIS CHARTER ARE GUARANTEED EQUALLY TO WOMEN AND MEN 2008 C 15 A2.
Lachine Canal, Montreal Québec. April 23, 2019. Team of Jeremie Tessier, Callaghan Marley-Boshouwers, Jaime Rodriguez and Nathan Spencer-Cross. Photo: Will Mackenzie.
Dans movin‘ the charter, karen elaine spencer propose de disséminer dans l’espace public des extraits de la Charte des droits et libertés du Québec, qu’elle a retranscrits sur de grands panneaux de bois. En invitant des groupes de participant.e.s choisis à sélectionner des passages de la Charte qui résonnent particulièrement pour eux/elles, l’artiste s’approprie ensuite ces extraits afin de réaliser des écriteaux aux formats imposants, dont elle fera ensuite don à l’équipe de participant.e.s. Il y aura dans cette transaction un transfert de propriété, ainsi que des responsabilités qui y sont assignées.
Aujourd’hui, ce sont 4 jeunes hommes qui font circuler la charte. L’extrait qu’ils ont choisi concerne l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes, un segment ajouté par madame la députée Christine Saint-Pierre en 2008. Jeremie Tessier, Callaghan Marley-Boshouwers, Jaime Rodriguez and Nathan Spencer-Cross, (Will Mackenzie – camera) font bouger la charte dès midi aujourd’hui en partant de Saint-Henri, au 1001 rue Lenoir. Ils chemineront spontanément pour se rendre au centre-ville de Montréal.
(text dare-dare)
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acrylic on pine plywood, 4 x 8 ‘, 2018.
translation to french : TOUTE PERSONNE QUI TRAVAILLE A DROIT CONFORMÉMENT À LA LOI À DES CONDITIONS DE TRAVAIL JUSTES ET RAISONNABLES ET QUI RESPECTENT SA SANTÉ SA SÉCURITÉ ET SON INTÉGRITÉ PHYSIQUE.
translation to english : EVERY PERSON WHO WORKS HAS A RIGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW TO FAIR AND REASONABLE CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT WHICH HAVE PROPER REGARD FOR HIS HEALTH SAFETY AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING.
Jean-Talon Market, Montreal Québec. November 24, 2018. Team of Patricia Martin, Nuria Carton de Grammont and Linamar Campos Flores, as well as “Chema”, the absent and invisible agricultural worker. Photo: Helena Marco Franco.
Dans movin‘ the charter, karen elaine spencer propose de disséminer dans l’espace public des extraits de la Charte des droits et libertés du Québec, qu’elle a retranscrit sur de grands panneaux de bois.
En invitant des groupes de participant.e.s choisis à sélectionner des passages de la Charte qui résonnent particulièrement pour eux/elles, l’artiste s’approprie ensuite ces extraits afin de réaliser des écriteaux aux formats imposants, dont elle fera ensuite don à l’équipe de participant.e.s. Il y aura dans cette transaction un transfert de propriété, ainsi que des responsabilités qui y sont assignées.
En contrepartie les membres de l’équipe s’engagent à révéler au grand public le fragment de texte préparé par l’artiste lors d’une intervention urbaine concertée, puis elles pourront en disposer comme bon leur semblera, devant à la fois assumer le poids et la responsabilité de cet objet créé par l’artiste, au caractère fort porteur mais également encombrant par sa taille et sa matérialité.
À travers ces inscriptions qu’elle insère dans l’espace public, l’artiste fait non seulement la promotion de la Charte des droits et liberté en déplaçant des extraits du texte magnifié jusque dans la rue, ce qui lui donne une visibilité accrue, mais elle donne également la tribune à certains groupes moins bien représentés de la société, par le truchement de ses panneaux délicatement composés. Movin’ the charter devient un lieu de rencontres et d’échanges autour des articles de la Charte et de ce que celle-ci peut représenter pour différentes communautés.
Une série d’actions est prévue dans le cadre de ce projet, qui se déroulera entre les mois de novembre 2018 et d’avril 2019. La première action aura lieu au Marché Jean-Talon de Montréal le 24 novembre 2018, avec le groupe composé de Patricia Martin, Nuria Carton de Grammont et Linamar Campos Flores, ainsi que « Chema», le travailleur agricole absent et invisible.
(texte de l’araingée collective)
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2018 – “movin’ the charter” again works with l’araignée collective, this time with the support of Dare-Dare.
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karen elaine spencer in collaboration with l’araignée collective
june 22nd, 2017
noemi mccomber, helena martin franco, jack locke and i carried, from my studio in st. henri to the open door in westmount (the open door is a homeless shelter housed in st. stephen’s anglican church that is being forced to move due to the sale of the church,) a 5 x 4 foot plywood panel.
painted on the panel is a portion of chapter 1, fundamental freedoms and rights of the québec charter of rights and freedoms:
Toute personne a droit à la sauvegarde de sa dignité, de son honneur et de sa réputation.
noemi and helena lifted the panel (holding onto the handles that had been screwed into the backside of the plywood) and carried it out of the studio, down the stairs to lacasse street to then head east on st. antoine. jack was filming and i was taking photographs.
i wasn’t sure how people would respond (as in would anyone even try to decipher the text?) so i was happy to overhear a woman reading the sign out loud while walking down the sidewalk with two young children.
we stopped for lunch at fang chi restaurant and left the panel outside facing the sidewalk. before heading into the restaurant we conversed with four young men about the sign, the quebec charter, with one of the men saying he would have liked to help us carry the panel but he had to go back to work.
knowing the panel was heavy and awkward to carry, we had decided to all take turns, with each one of us engaging in the physical labour of holding up and moving the weight of the charter. in this way the charter was held up and moved by all of us.
we made our way along st. antoine to turn up atwater street till we reached the open door. here we placed the panel against the tree on the front lawn while i went inside to gain permission from the director to leave the sign on their premises. speaking with three men from the open door, each one taking a turn to comment on how yes, the words of the charter made perfect sense and it would seem like a good thing to remind people of, we decided to leave the panel propped up against the wall of the church.
later that night, while walking by the church, i noticed the panel was still in place.
this work of “movin’ the charter,” is part of an ongoing project of rendering our rights and freedoms, as inscribed in the charter, visible in the public domain.
karen elaine spencer
Documentation du 22 juin
to view images: http://laboratoire.laraignee.ca/karen-elaine-spencer/#more-111
The World Is Full of Everything It Needs
Can you imagine letting your words go out into the world so a stranger can take possession of them? Can you imagine what the world might become if all your scores could one day be realized? Can you imagine the world differently?
installation view of “enveloping self i smell memory” at galerie sans nom, moncton, new brunswick, 2018.
to read the text by paul bossé click on link below:
pour voir la texte de paul bossé cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous :
Ce soir, lundi le 10 décembre, à 18!!
La 25e émission d’atelier à CIBL 101,5 👂Segment création: karen elaine spencer, “onion peeler”, 2018. 👉 Une performance proposée par Michelle Lacombe.
Crédits image: karen elaine spencer, sittin, 2010 à aujourd’hui. 🍊
#radioatelier #atelier #cibl #art #artactuel #contemporaryart #montreal #performance #radioart #michellelacombe @ CIBL 101,5
image is acrylic on plywood, 4 x 8 feet. text is a spanish translation of a section of the quebec charter of human rights and freedoms.
paul edouard bourque, bread and thread, galerie sans nom, moncton nouveau-brunswick, 2018.
continuing the work using past-due-date white sliced bread (starting with larry leblanc, 18 november and marge leblanc, 22 novembre) paul and i explored the body, bread and memory.
from paul i learned the story of evangeline, the acadian girl who was separated from her lover gabriel during the forced removal of acadians from new brunswick. in paul’s contemporary retelling of the story evangeline becomes lost and confused during her long search for gabriel as she travels down to louisiana. along the way she picks up brightly coloured plastic debris thinking the debris are berries and fruits. like the whales and birds who inadvertently swallow plastic garbage, evangeline dies.
to see some images of paul’s work click on the link below:
https://www8.umoncton.ca/artotheque/oeuvres-works-eng.php?artiste=5
marge has a crow friend of 7 years. the crow knocks on her door every morning. marge, who bakes her own bread, gives the crow her store-bought bread. these bread-balls and the bread we wrapped around marge’s hand will now be gifted to marge’s crow.
marge leblanc
22 novembre 2018
14h – 15h
galerie sans nom, moncton nouveau-brunswick
at age 94 marge’s mother was hospitalized. one day when visiting her mother marge asked, as she did every time she saw her mother, “how was your day?” her mother replied, “not good.” one of the attendants had been rough. marge immediately wanted to know who the attendant was so she could make sure that person was fired. her mother told marge, “no. i am going to speak with the attendant myself.”
the next day when the attendant arrived marge’s mother told the person to sit down on the stool next to her bed. she then spoke to the attendant saying, “i could tell you were angry yesterday. i don’t now why. maybe you had a fight with your girlfriend, maybe your kids woke you at 3 am in the morning, maybe your neighbours dog got into your garbage, but it doesn’t matter. what matters is i am in the hospital and you are here to care for me.”
marge told me the attendant wept. and apologized. her mother told marge she was certain the attendant would not be rough again. with anyone.
marge leblanc
22 novembre 2018
14h – 15h
galerie sans nom, moncton nouveau-brunswick
my hand inside larry leblanc’s bread hand-cast. the day after we met. the bread is hard and crumbly. i want to remember something larry told me so i am writing it here: when the bread his mother made came out of the oven it was so good that rather than putting butter on the bread, they would put molasses.
my hand holding 3 balls of squished-up bread the day after they were made. the bread balls are completely hard – a trace of an action with larry leblanc at galerie sans nom.
bread was wrapped around larry’s right hand. the bread slices did not cover his long fingers. his exposed fingers were cold to the touch. i placed my hands on-top and underneath the bread cast. i hoped the heat from my hands would flow through the bread to warm his hand.
larry told me of his mother baking bread, not just one loaf, but a whole batch, and how good the fresh bread would smell when he and his brothers returned home from school. the boy’s school lunch sandwiches would be made with big thick slices of bread because the bread was fresh and could not be cut into thin slices–unlike the store-bought machine-sliced bread the boy up the street had.
larry leblanc
18 novembre 2018
14h – 16h
galerie sans nom, moncton nouveau-brunswick
Ce sont des souliers de pain de karen. elle a marché de son studio au parc avec. c’était une marche inconfortable. le pain s’est rompu et est tombé sur le trottoir. au parc, elle a enlevé les souliers de pain et les a placés sous un arbre. elle pensait que les oiseaux les mangeraient. ils n’ont pas. elle a attendu et regardé longtemps, puis elle décida de ramasser ses souliers de pain et de les emmener au studio.
Une boucle vidéo regroupant trois œuvres : karen’s bread shoes, neck hold, et swim’s walk, explore la performance avec une caméra (par opposition à la performance pour la caméra) pour insister sur une valeur inhérente à la maladresse – performer et se filmer. Les trois œuvres, créées en 2002, refusent une valeur de production élevée, s’alignant plutôt avec une sorte de cinéma vérité.
Dans les représentations, le pain et le corps se confondent et l’artiste compare la croissance de la population âgée au Canada avec le traitement et la valeur des produits de consommation expirés.
Karen Elaine Spencer maintient une pratique en studio, en performance, en commissariat et en écriture. Oscillant entre un travail de rue, des expositions dans des galeries et des projets via le web, spencer interroge les hiérarchies et explore la manière dont nous, comme êtres passagers, occupons le monde dans lequel nous vivons. Depuis l’obtention de sa maîtrise en arts plastiques de l’Université du Québec à Montréal en 2001, elle a été invitée à plusieurs programmes de résidences internationales. Son travail a été présenté dans diverses galeries et centres d’artistes, dont le Centre Clark (2017), Little Berlin à Philadelphie (2015) et la Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal (2013), et ses œuvres font partie de collections publiques et privés. Elle a reçu le prix La Centrale Powerhouse (2012) et a été finaliste du prix en art actuel du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (2016).
http://esse.ca/en/karilee-fuglem-pierre-francois-ouellette-art-contemporain-montreal
published writing
karilee fuglem résidence, dans esse arts + opinions, dossier travail labour, automne – fall. 2018, n°94, p. 93.
NYT January 25, 2013, Cities Urge Public, 2013Encre sur papier
28,5 x 38 cm
Oeuvre unique
Mise de base – 1 700 $
NYT January 25, 2013, Cities Urge Public relie la manchette du New York Times à l’indice composé de la Bourse de New York. Cette œuvre textuelle met côte à côte une réponse à la tuerie de masse de 20 enfants et de six adultes à l’école élémentaire Sandy Hook, qui a eu lieu le 14 décembre 2012, et un repère nancier. Celle-ci fait partie du projet Hey! Mike Hey! publié dans la revue spécialisée CV Variable (2013), présentée dans l’exposition de groupe coming to terms (2015) commissariée par Maddie Hewitt à Philadelphie et comprise dans l’exposition de groupe New York Stories – Twenty years of ISCP (2014). L’acquéreur recevra une version papier du journal ainsi qu’une lettre de l’artiste le remerciant de jouer le rôle de « détenteur » de ce moment de l’histoire.
karen elaine spencer a obtenu en 2001 une maîtrise de l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Son travail fait partie de diverses collections, dont celles de la Banque d’art du Conseil des arts du Canada, de la Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec, du Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul et du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. En 2016, spencer a été naliste pour le prix en art actuel du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. spencer a présenté une oeuvre sonore au Poste audio du Centre CLARK en 2017.
*Un contrat de revente et de reproduction est associé à l’oeuvre.
EXPOSITION /
19 AU 26 AVRIL 2018
5@7 DES COLLECTIONNEURS /
JEUDI 26 AVRIL, 17H
ENCAN 29 /
JEUDI 26 AVRIL, 19H
15$ PRÉVENTE / 20$ PORTE
ACHAT PRÉVENTE* /
www.eventbrite.ca/e/encan-29-tickets-43487051943
MISE EN ABSENCE /
Jusqu’à 17 h le jour de l’encan, vous pouvez nous contacter pour faire une mise en absence sur un ou plusieurs de nos lots.
/ par courriel : projets@clarkplaza.org
/ par téléphone : 514-288-4972
/ ou en remplissant un formulaire sur place
Un membre de l’équipe de CLARK misera en votre nom. Notre engagement demeure confidentiel jusqu’à la fin de l’encan
LES ARTISTES /
Frances Adair McKenzie
Raúl Aguilar Canela
David Arseneau
Daniel Barrow
Patrick Bérubé
Catherine Bolduc
Benoît Bourdeau
Marjolaine Bourdua
Guy Boutin
Michelle Bui
Jacynthe Carrier
Naomi Cook
Gennaro De Pasquale
Nicolas Fleming
Pierre-Yves Girard
Nicolas Grenier
Nicolas Lachance
Mathieu Latulippe
Jean-Michel Leclerc
Corine Lemieux
Caroline Monnet
Aude Moreau
Lauren Pelc-McArthur
Dominique Pétrin
John Player
Yann Pocreau
Sunita Prasad
Carolyne Scenna
karen elaine spencer
Patryk Stasieczek
– Mise en espace par Aseman Sabet et Yann Pocreau –
Téléphone : 514-874-9423
Courriel : info@galerieb312.ca
Horaire : mardi au samedi 12h-17h
vérifiez que 1, on se situe bien avant l’utilisation de l’écriture dans ton travail, mais,
déjà, les références littéraires sont importantes.
to bid on the artwork click on the link : https://www.artsy.net/artwork/karen-elaine-spencer-nyt-december-7-2012-a-king-like
to see the new york times article the headline is based on click on the link : https://heymikehey.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/nyse-composite-8280-93/
La presse écrite revisitée par karen elaine spencer
La production artistique de karen elaine spencer se définit essentiellement par un engagement social et politique. Son travail, profondément orienté vers la démocratie, la justice et la solidarité sociale, remet en question les structures hiérarchiques de notre société et élabore une réflexion sur les relations de pouvoir, sur la marginalisation, sur l’exclusion et sur les inégalités sociales. Écrire son nom sans lettres majuscules est d’ailleurs une manière subtile pour l’artiste de contester les traditions hiérarchiques et de prioriser l’énoncé sur l’énonciateur.
pour lire tout : http://esse.ca/fr/laureate-2017-esse-91
its all good
photo : Manoushka Larouche
SURVIVRA, un événement d’art action visant à récolter des fonds essentiels pour la tenue du festival à venir.
it happened.
but you can still click on the link to make a donation: http://vivamontreal.org/
title: sittin’ with cabot square
year: 2017
location: centre clark (audio poste and upstairs loft) montréal, québec
photo: paul litherland
…………………………………………………………………………….
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the sitter sat. on a bench in the park called cabot square. spanned four months over the summer of 2012, three months over the summer of 2013.
the sitter sat with the park and took care to not “out” the people who lived their lives in public. rather, the sitter recorded the weather conditions, the temperature, the date, and chose a headline from the local newspaper to transcribe with ink on paper. pinning down time. the sitter also wrote one sentence each day inspired by the park. locating human ness.
fast forward to 2014. the park is “refurbished” or as one headline claimed, “had a facelift.” a facelift to the tune of 6.3 million.
grass? nah, lets rip it out. hedges? nope. people can hide shit in there. picnic tables? ha ha… you’re joking right? they gotta go. oh, and of course the benches gotta change. where are those “no sleeping” bars? oh, and the pathway through the park? lets make it concrete and build risers to keep people on the straight and narrow, and don’t forget the skate-stoppers to keep those property damaging skateboarders away. garbage containers? better not have those in the park, they attract canners.
the sitter’s anger at this blatant theft of place from those who had occupied the park led to words spoken. using the one-sentence-a-day from the park as a score, the sitter spoke the words, using the score like riffs. improvised.
…………………………………………………………………………….
l’assise était assise. sur un banc dans le parc nommé square cabot. sur une durée de quatre mois pendant l’été 2012, et de trois mois pendant celui de 2013.
assise avec le parc, soucieuse de ne pas compromettre les personnes y vivant leurs vies en public. l’assise prenait plutôt des notes sur les conditions météorologiques, la température, la date, et choisissait une manchette dans un journal local pour la transcrire à l’encre sur papier. fixant le temps. l’assise écrivait aussi une phrase par jour inspirée par le parc. localiser l’humain-ité.
en accéléré : 2014. le parc est “réaménagé” ou, comme le prétend une manchette, s’offre un lifting. pour la fine somme de 6.3 millions.
du gazon? pas question, on arrache ça. des haies? bin non. le monde peuvent cacher de quoi là-dedans. des tables de pique-nique? haha … tu veux rigoler ? faut que ça parte. oh pis évidemment qu’y faut changer les bancs. ça nous prend des barreaux pour empêcher le monde de dormir dessus. le sentier qui traverse le parc? on le refait en béton avec des bordures de chaque côté pour faire circuler les passants en bon ordre. oh pis faut pas oublier les structures pour empêcher les skateboarders de venir endommager les lieux. des poubelles? on ferait mieux de s’en passer, ça fait juste attirer les ramasseux de canettes.
la colère de l’assise devant ce vol d’espace éhonté commis envers celles et ceux qui avaient occupé le parc la mena à des paroles. en utilisant comme partition l’ensemble d’une-phrase-par-jour rédigée dans le parc, l’assise énonça les mots, la partition devenant source de riffs, de refrains. improvisés.
photo: paul litherland
artist talk as spoken word intervention, may 20th, 2017, centre clark, montreal quebec. gentrification, municipal bylaws, love.
title: everybody knows -canada council grant application
year: 2016
material: words and a very tired worn-out dash of faith
dimensions: variable
image credit: the artist
Everybody Knows
…the deal is… Cohen has been to the dark side. he has experienced mental illness, been hospitalized. he knows where we have been. take it to the streets. cuz shit…
The project “Everybody Knows” marks with “full artistic freedom” Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation. I am imagining a brand new chapter in her/his story.
A chapter which begins by juxtaposing people with drastically different public power while playing with established economic values to find the cracks. All this complemented with a fuddle-duddle to marketing strategies and assumptions.
“Everybody Knows” exploits four beautiful givens and mines their subversive potential:
1) “A Crack In Everything” is the title the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal has given the Leonard Cohen exhibition to take place from October to December 2017.
2) “A Crack in Everything” is presented in collaboration with the Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary.
3) “Everybody Knows,” the Leonard Cohen song, is regarded as a social commentary on our times.
4) The Canada Council launches a new grant called New Chapter that employs language and sentiments taken from a marketing lexicon.
“Everybody Knows”, the project, complicates this already delicious dialogue through mashing up symbols of poverty (cardboard signs) and power (politicians, union leaders, chief of police, etc.) –i.e. the homeless produce the signs, the politicians hold the signs.
The sign makers: Members from the Saint James Drop-In Centre are commissioned to produce fourteen signs using found cardboard.
The sign holders: Fourteen political figures are invited to hold one of the signs while standing in a row in front of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal during the opening of “A Crack in Everything.”
The sign: The phrase, taken from Cohen’s song “Everybody Knows” displayed over the 14 cardboard signs is:
1) everybody
2) knows
3) that
4) the boat
5) is leaking
6) everybody
7) knows
8) that
9) the captain
10) lied
11) that’s how
12) it goes
13) everybody
14) knows
As a slow drum-roll lead-up to the fourteen political figures public performance at the opening of the “A crack in Everything” exhibit, the artist will hold one sign per day at the exact location where the public figures will stand in front of the Musée d’art Contemporain. “Everybody Knows” postcards will be handed out to the public with a link to the project blog (domain already secured as everybodyknows2017@wordpress.com.)
Our fourteen invited political figures are chosen for their relation to the “Everybody Knows” phrase via their public persona. The gesture of the invitation is part of the “Everybody Knows” project and is considered to be material for dissemination. The invited will include: Couillard (current Premier of Quebec), Pierre Karl Péladeau (Canadian businessman and former Leader of the Opposition in the Quebec National Assembly from his election as leader of the Parti Québécois), Manon Massé (MNA of Ville-Marie where the MACM is located), Coderre (Mayor of Montréal and of l’arrondissement), Hélène Laverdiére (MP for the riding – ousted Gilles Duceppe), Justice France Charbonneau (Presided over the Charbonneau Commission, officially the Commission of Inquiry on the Awarding and Management of Public Contracts in the Construction Industry), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (student activist best known for his role during the 2012 Quebec student protests as co-spokesperson of the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudieante (Classe), to name a few (see images for full list.)
In addition to being invited to perform the fourteen political figures will also be offered “first refusal” regarding the acquisition of the art (the cardboard sign) for the same remuneration offered to the performers for performing. In short, the remuneration of $714. offered to the performers equals the sale price of the cardboard sign the performer will hold. All proceeds from the sales of the art (the cardboard signs) will go to the members of the Saint James Drop-In Centre.
Given that it would be unlikely for all fourteen invited to perform – an alternative list of performers will be contacted from a women’s shelter located in Montréal (currently to remain unnamed for privacy reasons, but with whom I have previously worked.)
The performances (the artist’s and the political figures) are captured via photography and video. The video is to be screened outdoors in the Quartier des Spectacles during the Leonard Cohen exhibition as facilitated by ELLEPHANT, a gallery presenting works at the confluence of media art, performance and current issues. The photographs and the video are also used as content for the “Everybody Knows” blog, postcard, poster and newsprint tabloid.
*From I’m Your Man (released 1988) “Everybody Knows” is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and collaborator Sharon Robinson. The full stanza is:
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded/Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed/Everybody knows that the war is over/Everybody knows the good guys lost/Everybody knows the fight was fixed/The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/That’s how it goes/Everybody knows/Everybody knows that the boat is leaking\Everybody knows that the captain lied/Everybody got this broken feeling/Like their father or their dog just died/Everybody talking to their pockets /Everybody wants a box of chocolates/And a long stem rose/Everybody knows
to read how the project underscored the use of language within the very form of the grant application itself click on the links below for the full application.
HEADLINES (LES MANCHETTES)
Une exposition solo de karen elaine spencer
14 janvier – 18 février, 2017
Vernissage samedi le 14 janvier, 14:00 – 18:00
lecture d’œuvres par karen elaine spencer à 15h et 17h
ELLEPHANT
1201 St-Dominique
Montreal (Québec) H2X 2W3
Quartier des spectacles
514-875-0777
Image: le devoir, 8 janvier 2015, ils étaient charlie, acrylique sur toile de lin, 30cm x 30cm
«La pratique artistique de karen est singulière, exigeante, sensible; elle se caractérise par sa grande complexité et par un engagement socio-politique profond.… Touchant à l’art conceptuel, à l’art action, à l’écriture et au dessin, karen elaine spencer a développé un éventail de stratégies artistiques qui se renouvèlent continuellement.» – Catherine Bodmer, membre du jury Prix de la Centrale Powerhouse 2012
ELLEPHANT est fière de présenter Headlines, une série d’œuvres entremêlant la peinture et le texte, de l’artiste montréalaise karen elaine spencer.
La pratique de spencer est simultanément poétique et engagée d’un point de vue sociopolitique. Oscillant entre le travail dans la rue, les expositions en galerie et la diffusion via le web, ses œuvres se nourrissent des contextes ciblés dans lesquels elles existent.
Dans Headlines, spencer explore la rhétorique médiatique et la production quotidienne de nouvelles à travers un langage visuel transposé en grille, un résultat qui peut être à première vue perçu simplement comme de l’abstraction.
Alors que le rythme frénétique des nouvelles s’adapte à celui d’un monde en perpétuel mouvement, spencer capte cette cadence rapide en utilisant une technique qui requière du temps et de la patience. De même, pour être déchiffrées, ces peintures exigent une attention soutenue du regardeur.
Les grands titres choisis par l’artiste sont basés sur des journaux locaux et situent le Québec dans une perspective mondiale. À travers sa pratique, spencer questionne les hiérarchies et propose une réflexion sur la manière dont nous, en tant qu’êtres transitoires, occupons le monde dans lequel nous vivons. L’acte de documenter l’actualité reflète où nous avons été. Son art saisit ce moment présent et reflète le flux médiatique effréné, la prolifération des nouvelles mensongères et le caractère mouvant et complexe du paysage médiatique, comme en témoigne la victoire de Trump.
karen elaine spencer
Après avoir obtenu une maîtrise en arts visuels en 2001 (UQAM), karen elaine spencer a participé à de nombreuses résidences internationales, incluant celle du Symposium international d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul (2015), du International Studio and Curatorial programme (iscp) à Brooklyn (2012), celle à la Cité Internationale des arts de Paris (2005), et celle au John Snow House à Calgary (2011). En 2016, spencer fut finaliste pour le Prix en Art Actuel du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec et en 2012, elle fut lauréate du Prix de La Centrale Powerhouse. Son travail fait partie de plusieurs collections privées et publiques, dont celle de la collection Prêt d’œuvres d’art du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
Information: Christine Redfern, 514.778.7068, redfern@ellephant.org
solo exhibition by karen elaine spencer
January 14 – February 18, 2017
ELLEPHANT
1201 St-Dominique
Montreal (Québec) H2X 2W3
Opening Saturday January 14, 14:00 – 18:00
Two live readings of the artworks by the artist at 15:00 and 17:00
Image: le devoir, 8 janvier 2015, ils étaient charlie, acrylic on linen, 30cm x 30cm
karen’s artistic practice is singular, exacting and sensitive; her work is known for its intricacy and its deep socio-political concern (…). Touching on conceptual art, performance, writing and drawing, karen elaine spencer incorporates a range of artistic strategies that are always refreshing. – Catherine Bodmer, jury member for La Centrale’s Powerhouse Prize 2012
ELLEPHANT is pleased to present the exhibition Headlines, featuring a series of text-based paintings by Montreal artist karen elaine spencer.
spencer’s practice is simultaneously poetic and socio-politically committed. Oscillating between work in the streets, exhibitions in galleries, and dissemination via the web, her works are often nourished by the targeted context in which they exist.
In Headlines, spencer explores the media rhetoric and the production of daily news through a visual language transcribed into a grid system, which at first can be read as abstraction. As the news’ frenetic rhythms adjust to the world’s perpetual movement, spencer captures these beats using a technique that requires time and patience. To be deciphered, these paintings reciprocally require a commitment of sustained attention from the viewer.
The headlines chosen by the artist are based on local newspapers and situate Quebec within a world perspective. Through her practice, spencer questions hierarchies and how we, as transient beings, occupy the world we live in. Chronicling the news acts as a reflection of where we have been, her art captures specific moments right now, revealing a media in flux, as evident in the Trump win, the proliferation of fake news, and the changing and challenging media landscape.
karen elaine spencer
Since obtaining her MFA in 2001 (UQAM) karen elaine spencer has been awarded numerous international residency programs, including the Symposium international d’art contemporain in Baie-Saint-Paul (2015), the International Studio and Curatorial program in Brooklyn (2012), the Cité Internationale des arts de Paris (2005), and the John Snow House in Calgary (2011). In 2016 spencer was a finalist for the Prix en Art Actuel du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and in 2012 she was awarded La Centrale’s Powerhouse Prize. Her work is in both public and private collections including la collection Prêt d’œuvres d’art du Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
Information: Christine Redfern, 514.778.7068, redfern@ellephant.org
in:
More Caught in the Act: An Anthology of Performance Art by Canadian Women
Cette peinture transcrit la traduction par Anne Carson d’un fragment de poème écrit par Sappho – un fragment où il est question de la lune, des étoiles et, de manière peut-être plus évocatrice, de la position des étoiles qui acceptent de « dissimuler leur forme lumineuse ». La peinture, qui se présente comme un texte blanc sur fond noir et recourt à dessein à l’humilité du carton, rejoue la performance du fragment, la « dissimulation ». La peinture nous demande de prendre le temps de déchiffrer le texte, de lever nos yeux et de remarquer non seulement la brillance de la lune pleine, mais aussi la luminosité des étoiles.
This painting transcribes an Anne Carson translation of a fragment from a poem written by Sappho – a fragment which speaks of the moon and the stars, but perhaps most evocatively, the position the stars assume of “hiding back their luminous form” while in the presence of the full moon. Presented as white text on a black ground, deliberately employing the humble status of cardboard, the painting repeats the performance of the fragment, the “hiding back.” The painting asks us to take the time to decipher the text, to lift up our eyes and notice not only the brightness of the full moon, but also the quiet luminosity of the stars.
Gesso et encre de chine sur carton
2015
33,5 x 36 cm
Valeur estimée : 2 100 $
bio
karen elaine spencer (b. 1960) maintains a studio practice, performs, curates and writes. Oscillating between work in the street, exhibitions in galleries, and projects via the web, spencer questions hierarchies and investigates how we, as transient beings, occupy the world we live in. Since obtaining her MFA from the Université du Québec à Montréal in 2001 spencer has been awarded numerous international residency programs, including the Symposium international d’art contemporain in Baie-Saint-Paul (2015), the International Studio and Curatorial program in Brooklyn (2012), the Cité Internationale des arts de Paris (2005), and the John Snow House artist in residence in Calgary (2011).
Recent exhibitions include One Day at ELLEPHANT in Toronto (2016), letters home/lettres à ma mère, at Galerie B-312 and ELLEPHANT in Montréal and Toronto (2015), Coming to Terms at Little Berlin in Philadelphia (2015), New York Stories: Twenty Years of ISCP in Brooklyn (2014), and La moitié du monde est une femme at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montréal (2013).
spencer’s work is held in the collections of Air Canada, the Richmond Art Gallery, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Bibliotheque nationale du Québec, the Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, la Collection Prêt d’œuvres d’art Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre Association, the Art Gallery of Mount Saint Vincent University, as well as corporate and private collections in Canada and the United States. In 2012 spencer was awarded the La Centrale Powerhouse Prize and in 2016 spencer was a finalist for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec’s prix en art actuel.
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