Glades an exhibition by Jean-Pierre Larocque – continues until November 19, 2023

Jean-Pierre Larocque | Glades

The exhibition Glades presents the work of Montreal artist Jean-Pierre Larocque. Taking us into a dreamlike world of ceramics, charcoal, and drawings, the artist’s work is nothing short of a spectacle of shadows. His process is informed by a curiosity for the possibilities of the chosen material: “Working in the studio is a true adventure”. A piece takes shape without preconceived ideas by exploring a theme and develops through a series of transformations. The resulting works are both witnesses to and the residue of the experience of these metamorphoses. For Jean-Pierre Larocque, the process, the movement of ideas, playing with and thwarting the material, is the adventure culminating in a completed work.

From large charcoals—genuine x-rays haunted by moving apparitions—to anonymous heads, horses carrying their mysterious baggage, and large abstract “vessels”, Jean-Pierre Larocque creates a whole world of pictorial invention. Concerned with temporality, blending eras, costumes, and masks, his characters evade explanation. Their identities are multiple, difficult to define and elusive. They ask questions without offering answers. The exhibition is an opportunity to follow them, to look at them at length. Allow them to tell their astounding odyssey in a language of clay and charcoal.

Born in Montreal, Jean-Pierre Larocque holds a Master of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (New York, USA). He then taught at several universities in the United States, Canada and Italy. He has been living in Montreal since 2000. Between 2009 and 2017, he served as Head of the Ceramics Department at Concordia University (Montreal, QC). Through the years, he has exhibited in numerous group shows. In 2006, he had a major exhibition at the Gardiner Museum (Toronto, ON) and a retrospective at 1700 La Poste (Montreal, QC) in 2019. Recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ministère de la Culture du Québec, his work can be found in many public and private collections.

La Guilde – Founded in 1906, La Guilde is a non-profit organization that aims to preserve, promote and increase awareness for Inuit art, First Nations art, Métis art, and Fine Crafts from Canada. In addition to its permanent exhibition—that showcases objects from its collection—La Guilde has a dynamic programming of temporary exhibitions and cultural and educational activities. La Guilde is also an art gallery with works by established and emerging artists, available for acquisition.

For more information, including opening hours, visit: www.laguilde.com