[Fall 2026]
Michael Snow, du lac Clair à La région centrale en passant par le langage
By Sylvain Campeau
Paris, Les impliqués Éditeur, 2025, 152 pages
[EXCERPT]
There is a veritable cornucopia of essays on, analyses of, and other writings about the work of Michael Snow. Few Canadian artists have been the object of so much critical attention. So, we might wonder what else can be said about him. Obviously, the guy had more than one trick up his sleeve, and his rich and multifaceted oeuvre is still available to be explored over and over. Jean Gagnon is among those who have taken up the challenge – but not without some reservations, as he admits at the end of his 150-page book.
Gagnon kicks things off with a surprisingly autobiographical preamble. He describes the circumstances of his professional life, including how his path came to cross Snow’s. It’s startling to see such candour – not because it’s out of place. He writes very well; it’s a pleasure to follow him through this introduction, and we are quickly convinced to trust him. There’s nothing superfluous. Everything is necessary, even though we don’t see why at this point in our reading.
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[ Complete issue, in print and digital version, available here: Ciel variable 133 – INTIMACIES ]
[ Complete article in digital version available here : Michael Snow, du lac Clair à La région centrale en passant par le langage ]
Sylvain Campeau contributes to many Canadian and European magazines. The author of seven poetry collections and several essays on the visual arts, he published Écrans motiles with Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal in 2022. As a curator, he has organized some forty exhibitions.