normand fortin | sans recul

residence 9 to 12 march 2010
opening reception friday 12 march at 5pm
exhibition 12 march to 17 april

hours of operation tuesday to saturday noon to 5pm
174 elgin street, sudbury

Upon entering the gallery, you find yourself in the middle of a floating forest. Metal tubes topped with pails create vertical alignments in the space. Crumpled sheets of aluminum become foliage above these structures. Steel wires anchored to the wall ensure the trees’ equilibrium. When you approach a tree, it lights up and reveals the image that roots it to the ground. You need to explore the whole forest to allow every tree to manifest itself.

Though the artist is inspired by the forests of Northern Ontario, his installation is also a reference to all of the world’s forests. Each tree representing one corner of the world occupies its space harmoniously in the artist’s utopian universe.

However, there is also tension. The steel wires that stretch horizontally between the trees and the gallery walls recall the severe environmental problems humankind has created.

In a video projection, utility poles, trees and lampposts fly past at high speeds between Kapuskasing and Sudbury. These vertical objects in motion might dispel the sense of discomfort by providing a temporary exit.

Normand Fortin lives in Kapuskasing. He has been active in the arts scene for over 30 years. His works have been presented in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Over the course of his career, the artist has produced at least ten public sculptures. Fortin is a member of the Perspective 8 collective, whose installations, performances and interventions have been presented across Ontario and Quebec.

This exhitibion is sponsored by Le Loup 98,9 la voix du nord. Our season sponsors are, CBON, la Première Chaîne, Espace musique and Radio-Canada Television | Internet.