[Fall 1997]
by Franck Michel
Since its inception, CVphoto has favoured new currents in its choice of both artists and writers. In fact, we feel that a magazine dedicated to contemporary photography should provide some recognition to young artists and writers.
And so, this year, our participation in LE MOIS DE LA PHOTO À MONTRÉAL takes the form of an issue entirely devoted to new work.
The nine emerging artists whose work we feature here are featured in the exhibition Aspects de la relève photographique québécoise et canadienne. This exhibition, co-ordinated by Pierre Blache and organized by Vox Populi, takes place in September, at the Maisons de la culture Plateau Mont-Royal and Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, within the context of LE MOIS DE LA PHOTO À MONTRÉAL. The artists were selected by a five-member jury from among almost 200 portfolios submitted from all over Canada.
Having sat on the selection committee myself, I can vouch for the high quality and stunning professionalism of most portfolios submitted. And, despite the great diversity in presentation modes and techniques used, the recurrence of certain themes was obvious. As Jennifer Couëlle writes in Point of View, memory, history, family, daily life, and the body (often self-represented) provide vast fields for infinite exploration. Although these themes might seem to be exhausted and often over-exploited, these young artists manage to revive them. In works ranging from gentle to rough, from contemplative to critical, there is always something to communicate, something we should know. After analyzing all of the portfolios, I was reassured to note how promising the future of Canadian photography looks. Whether out of naïveté, stubbornness, or courage, it is to these artists’ great credit that they continue to create in a country that pays too little attention to art, and to culture in general. For this, they deserve even more kudos.
To round out this issue and provide another view of new photography, we have asked Jennifer Couëlle, an art critic and regular contributor to CVphoto, to write on the subject for the Point of View column. The portfolios themselves are accompanied by a text by Pierre Blache providing essential information on these artists’ approaches.
Finally, I would like to announce that the winner of our spring contest is Martin Villeneuve, a young Montreal artist. He won an original photograph by Bertrand Carrière from the Voyage à domicile series. I should also mention that Une photo dans la rue has been postponed to the end of September. So, don’t worry if you’ve been looking for something new on the walls of the city and didn’t see anything – it’s coming soon!