Jonathan Villeneuve
Faire la vague
Jonathan Villeneuve is a patent artist born in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual and Media Arts from UQÀM (2004) and a Master's degree in Visual Arts from Concordia University (2009). His work has been presented in Québec, Europe and across Canada, including Galerie Sans Nom (Moncton, 2010), the Art Gallery of Université de Sherbrooke (2012), Grunt Gallery (Vancouver, 2012) and Eastern Edge (St-John, 2011). He created the work Organicus, perched on top of l’école de cirque de Québec (2011). He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Conseil des arts et de lettre du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts. Since 2005, Jonathan Villeneuve has been a member of the Perte de Signal collective (Montreal) and has been a member of the board of the Chambre Blanche (Québec) since 2011. He lives and works in Montréal.
—OPENING THURSDAY15 NOVEMBER 2012 AT 5:00 PM
Galerie B-312 presents the installation Faire la vague by Québec artist Jonathan Villeneuve in its main exhibition space. After appearing in various venues in Québec and Canada since 2009, the artist’s visit to the gallery marks his first appearance in Montréal.-The imposing structure of Faire la vague - about three meters high by ten meters long - supports several dozens of "two-by-fours" connected to a set of camshafts and motors. The shape and cadence of the gear gives the boards varying degrees of amplitude, registering a movement and a fluid albeit constrained wave rhythm. Squeaks and vibrations can be heard, caused by the friction between each plank of wood and the restraining compartment on the floor. This sound material marks the space and becomes suddenly an inseparable component of the work.-In several pieces of Jonathan Villeneuve, we find principles and mechanics typical of the industrial revolution, such as mass production and the use of the camshaft, key component of the piston engine. Paradoxically, the artist uses the materials in their raw state (plywood, 2 x 4, artificial grass). In these animated structures where the viewer can deconstruct a mechanics and a set of raw materials, can we perceive the desire to add a touch of fantasy to the more monotonous or insipid aspects of modernization? A certain poetry emerges from the whole. How does a squared or plywood trunk acquire this power to infuse poetry on a daily basis?
Jonathan Villeneuve is a patent artist born in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual and Media Arts from UQÀM (2004) and a Master's degree in Visual Arts from Concordia University (2009). His work has been presented in Québec, Europe and across Canada, including Galerie Sans Nom (Moncton, 2010), the Art Gallery of Université de Sherbrooke (2012), Grunt Gallery (Vancouver, 2012) and Eastern Edge (St-John, 2011). He created the work Organicus, perched on top of l’école de cirque de Québec (2011). He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Conseil des arts et de lettre du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts. Since 2005, Jonathan Villeneuve has been a member of the Perte de Signal collective (Montreal) and has been a member of the board of the Chambre Blanche (Québec) since 2011. He lives and works in Montréal.