Les Rassembleurs

Valérie Blass, Karen Kraven, Roy Meuwissen (Montreal), Dean Drever (Kingston, ON), Michael Dumontier (Winnipeg), Dave Dyment, John Marriott, Ken Nicol, Roula Partheniou, Margaux Williamson (Toronto), Radames “Juni” Figeroa (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Kristan Horton (Berlin/Toronto), Poonam Jain (Mumbai) and Sarah Peters (New York)

Les Rassembleurs gathers together the work of 14 artists (and a piece of 16th century ceramic) into a collection that flirts with intoxication and looks at the objects that form the hinge between ourselves and the substances we consume. These works are presented as a mix of coy, humourous, solemn, heartbreaking and the sometimes dangerous response to the motivations, benefits and the physical toll of wonderous indulgence.

The exhibition is curated by Montreal based artist, Dean Baldwin. His practice can generally be described as productions of large immersive scenarios that recreate moments of leisure after a great deal of hard work has been completed. There are often snacks and drinks involved; people usually have a good time. Recent projects include; “Helliwell’s” with No.9 Contemporary at the Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum in Toronto and “Chalet Charlottetown” at the Confederation Centre in PEI as a part of the MASS MoCA touring exhibit “Oh, Canada”. This summer he will participate in the Biennale de sculpture de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec and the Junction Arts Festival in Tasmania, Australia.