[Fall 2026]
Normand Rajotte, The Illusory Stillness of the Forest
By AUTEUR
Espace DÈS_recherches photographiques, Montréal
18.02.2026 — 07.03.2026
[EXCERPT]
What does looking at nature mean today? It seems like a simple question, but it becomes less so in a world saturated with images. Is there still direct contact with the living world or just a mediatized notion of what it might be? Normand Rajotte’s photographic work falls precisely into this gap, where looking requires slowing down and relearning to see.
Looking at Rajotte’s latest exhibition, The Illusory Stillness of the Forest, presented in the new photography gallery DÈS_, questions arose: were we seeing reality or a staged scene? In the era of artificial intelligence and digital manipulation, there’s room for doubt. But nothing here was fabricated. Rajotte shows what is before him, with no special effects. He captures light, natural coincidences, and organic, almost imaginary arrangements without ever leaving reality.
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[ Complete issue, in print and digital version, available here: Ciel variable 133 – INTIMACIES ]
[ Complete article in digital version available here : Normand Rajotte,The Illusory Stillness of the Forest ]
With degrees in art and psychology, Marie-Josée Rousseau is a curator and self-taught photographer who has worked in publishing and communications. At La Castiglione (2014–22), a gallery specializing in Quebec contemporary photography that she founded and directed, she exhibited and represented thirty professional artists.