Yechel Gagnon - Le cycle du présent

Permanent Public Art Installation 

Maison des aînés, 

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec

Yechel Gagnon is proud to announce the creation of a major work, Le cycle du présent, inaugurated at the Maison des aînés de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a particular model of senior housing that focuses on the quality of the living environment. This 140-foot bas-relief unfolds like a frieze along the building’s main hallway, which is the axis that connects the different units. Its imagery and colours are designed to reflect the region’s history and characteristic environment, while also conjuring up the changing of the seasons.

 

Version française : ici 

 

English Press Release : here

 

 

This vibrant work helps provide reassuring surroundings for the residents and their professional and informal caregivers, and leaves it up to each individual to connect with it and form a personal interpretation. Lying somewhere between abstraction and figuration, an imaginary landscape with multiple perspectives, it interweaves elements of nature to produce various transitions. The rhythms and implicit passages of time call to mind the cycle of seasons and days.

The frieze consists of panels of colourfully stained veneers and natural wood species, hand-carved with routers, chisel knives and sanders. It suggests “moments” and atmospheres enhanced by the richness of the material used. Working in symbiosis with the site, it affords comfort, calm, serenity and well-being through the warmth it exudes, and expresses that contact with nature which we all need.

On this subject, Gagnon observes: “The work is directly linked to the nature and history of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, as it transforms the long hallway in the Maison des aînés into the magnificent, truly unique path in the Chambly Canal park that runs alongside Old Saint-Jean. When we walk along this path, we are constantly surrounded by the river and the trees.”

Bathed in natural light, and emanating a quiet energy, this work devoid of all artifice engages in a dialogue with the outside environment and offers a reminder of the beneficial effect humans receive from the visual arts.

Biography:

For nearly 30 years, Canadian artist Yechel Gagnon has created a distinctive visual language using plywood as an artistic material to create bas-reliefs. Driven to push the limits of her practice, she creates her own plywood with natural and coloured wood species of her choice. To many people’s surprise, Gagnon does not use any paint in her work, obtaining a personal language of mark making that is both sculptural and painterly. Gagnon’s artistic practice also includes emboss prints, etchings, public art installations and large-scale ephemeral drawings. Engaging different media has allowed her to nurture a fluid, dialogical process capable of informing and renewing itself across disciplines. She collaborates with curators, architects, designers, art consultants and music composers to produce works that are distinct to each environment and each project.

 

Gagnon’s works have been exhibited in museums, galleries, artist-run centres, biennales and art fairs throughout Canada, the United States, France and China. Her works have also been commissioned for diverse institutions such as universities, cultural and medical centres, places of worship and corporate milieus. Gagnon is the recipient of numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts de Longueuil and Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, which awarded her the prestigious CALQ Creator of the Year award. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree (Studio Arts) from Concordia University in Montreal and an AOCAD with Honours in Drawing and Painting from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.

Yechel Gagnon is represented by Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art in Calgary, Cynthia-Reeves in New Hampshire, Hatch Gallery in Prince Edward County and Carol Rubenstein Associates in Philadelphia. 

Description of the Artwork:

Le cycle du présent, 2024

Carved custom-made plywood of tinted and natural veneers

42" x 1683" / 107 x 4275 cm 

Photo credit: 

Stéphane Brügger

Location and address: 

Maison des aînés, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre

519, rue Shannon, Saint‐Jean‐sur‐Richelieu, Quebec  J3A 1W6 

Public Art program: Art and Architecture Integration Policy, Ministry of Culture and communications of Quebec

Architects in consortium: 

DMG | Groupe A | GLCRM | Provencher_Roy_BBBL

Yechel Gagnon : Public Art

Yechel Gagnon

Tong, 2011
Cast aluminium, 247" x 107"
Théâtre la Licorne, Montréal
Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon's Public Art Project @ Théâtre La Licorne
4559, Avenue Papineau, Montréal, Québec

Architects : FABG

Yechel Gagnon, Tong, 2011
Cast aluminium, 247" x 107"
Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon created Tong, a large cast aluminium mural for the Licorne Theatre in Montreal. For the first time, she transposes her visual language within the realm of metal work. Gagnon created organic forms evoking movement and fluidity in dialogue with the dense and solid medium and city environment.

The title of the mural Tong, is a Chinese term meaning Together which alludes to the noted adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This is undoubtedly an apt concept to associate with the Art of theatre. Indeed, a theatre play requires a strong collective effort to produce and it is as a group that we experience it as spectators.

Yechel Gagnon, Tong (detail), 2011
Photo : Marc Cramer

Creating public art projects triggers many new avenues in Yechel Gagnon’s production. For the Licorne Theatre, Gagnon had to question materiality in an entirely new way in order to create a work that would sustain the harsh exterior conditions. After an extensive research period of experimenting with numerous materials, she found a technique to transfer her visual language, usually associated with plywood bas-reliefs, into cast aluminium, adding yet another layer of complexity to her practice.

To read a great review of this installation published on Yatzer click here.

Yechel Gagnon, Tong (detail), 2011
Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon, Tong (detail), 2011

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon, Tong (detail), 2011

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon, Tong (detail), 2011

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon : Public Art

Yechel Gagnon

Entre brume et nuage, 2010

Graphite and graphite powder on Mylar

Ink on Stonehenge paper mounted on aluminium

113.5" x 583.5" / 288 x 1482 cm

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon's Public Art Projet @ College Jean-de-Brébeuf

5625 rue Decelles, Montréal, Québec

Architects : Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux

Yechel Gagnon

Entre brume et nuage, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon presents Entre brume et nuage, Entre ciel et terre, two very distinct works in appearance which consist of a rich dialogue where the points of reference are subtle yet substantial.

The space offered at the college, through the long corridor and the grand foyer, is double and unique; double in its dimensions and functions, unique by its majestic architecture that embraces the exterior garden and its natural elements. Gagnon chose to use the two different techniques that we may see here, carved plywood and a frottage drawing.

The triptych Entre brume et nuage is created from the plywood bas-reliefs seen in the corridor, but we may look in vain searching which panel corresponds to a particular drawing since the rubbing is a process whereby an entire new work is created by displacement of the paper. Entre brume et nuage presents an imagery oscillating between abstraction and an imaginary landscape echoing a certain tradition of Chinese ink painting.

Yechel Gagnon

Entre brume et nuage, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon

Entre brume et nuage, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon

Entre brume et nuage, 2010

Photo : Alexandre Masino

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Carved poplar plywood

174" x 803.5" / 442 x 2041 cm

Photo : Marc Cramer

In the corridor, Entre ciel et terre also unveils a series of imaginary spaces. Each bas-relief has its own entity, but an attentive eye will discern a long flowing movement from one panel to the other similar to a large imperceptible tide.

Consisting of different formats, the bas-reliefs are integrated between the existing architectural vertical lines of the wall. They accentuate the rhythm in symbiosis with the architecture. Wood, an organic element par excellence, crosses the transparency of the window to rejoin the beauty of the exterior garden. This garden also visible from the foyer is no stranger to the inspiration that underlines the design of the frottage drawings.

One who stops to consider the profound convergence of all these elements will have the pleasure to find themselves in presence of a single work of art where architecture, garden, Entre brume et nuage, Entre ciel et terre are complicit in upholding a single dialogue.

Collaboration : Alexandre Masino, Yan Giguère, Christian Miron, Louis Lussier, Pierre Charrier, Gisèle Millet et Renée Joubert

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Photo : Pierre Charrier

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon

Entre ciel et terre, 2010

Photo : Marc Cramer

Yechel Gagnon; Spheris Gallery

Yechel Gagnon

Nomad, 2011

Carved custom-made plywood, 47" x 28"

Yechel Gagnon's solo show at the Spheris Gallery

April 30 to May 31, 2011

Vernissage April 30, from 6 to 7:30 PM

Press Release :

Spheris Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of works by Yechel Gagnon. Her signature plywood pieces and etchings will be on view April 30 – May 31. A reception will be held on Saturday, April 30, from 6 to 7:30 PM.

Gagnon finds inspiration in an unlikely material, plywood. Working her material of choice with power and hand tools Gagnon removes layers of wood and glue to reveal hidden patterns and create gestural and contemplative works.

Inspired by the unique nature of each plywood sheet, Gagnon is in constant “dialogue” with her material, at times allowing unique features to guide her creative process and at other times imposing her aesthetic vision upon the wood. Gagnon states “The wood stratification contains an intriguing vocabulary of knots, textures, hues and manufacturing defects that creates their character. In the beginning I have to take them into account but soon I am carried by these elements which stimulate my imagination.”

Gagnon’s plywood works are accompanied by a new series of etchings that continue her inquiry into layering and gestural mark making. The permanence of her mark on the plate mirrors the permanence of her cuts into the plywood. The subtle layers produced by aquatint add texture akin to that found in the wood veneer of the panel works. As Gagnon states “both techniques express a large spectrum of possibilities within a limited palette, bringing the attention to nuances and values, calling the viewer’s willingness to see and imagine in its own way what is mostly suggested."

Yechel Gagnon

Miyajima I, 2011

Sugar-lift, aquatint and spit-bite on Arches paper

14.5" x 26", Edition/9

Yechel Gagnon lives and works in Montreal and is the recipient of grants from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. Her work is held in many private and public collections including the Osler Hoskin & Harcourt Collection Toronto and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

The Spheris Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 5:00, and by appointment.

59 South Main Street, Hanover, NH

(603) 640-6155