Françoise Sullivan: Virtual exhibition: Françoise Sullivan. An Imaginary Line
about exhibition
This virtual exhibition focuses on the works executed by Françoise Sullivan during the 1970s, when she had discovered new art trends like conceptual art and arte povera.
Press Release
sullivan-animaginaryline.ca
Accessible in both French and English, the virtual exhibition take up the content of the Françoise Sullivan. The 1970s exhibition presented at Galerie de l’UQAM in the spring of 2021. This project concludes an extensive project of research and production attesting to the fruitful links between the artist and UQAM, which awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2000, and with Louise Déry, who has exhibited her work on numerous occasions in addition to dedicating several publications to her. Unveiled as a prelude to Françoise Sullivan’s 100th birthday, they constitute an offering both to this extraordinary artist, who has remained a relevant part of a present nourished by, sharing and complicit in her art, and to the artistic community that is deeply attached to her.
The two Françoise Sullivan. Une ligne imaginaire / An Imaginary Line projects are intended to widely share an unknown corpus of the Québec artist. Galerie de l’UQAM has also fostered her discovery under the international partnership AWARE X CANADA chaired by Louise Déry. According to the curator, these initiatives aim to reach the general public: “It is a question of reaching out to society as a whole, to every generation, so that they can further their discovery of the enormous significance of this artist in our history.” By sharing her works, archives and testimonies, the virtual exhibition and the publication contribute to confirming Sullivan’s place among the greatest women artists of her time.
The Virtual Exhibition
Françoise Sullivan’s long career is structured around a progression of stages that offer essential landmarks in navigating through her oeuvre: the early years, characterized by painting, dance and association with the Automatistes and signing the Refus global in the late 1940s; the development of choreography and the realization of various dance projects; the practice of sculpture, beginning in 1960; photography and film during the following decade; painting inspired by mythology, and then in the 1990s, abstract painting featuring the vibrant expressionism of colour.
This virtual exhibition focuses on the works executed by Françoise Sullivan during the 1970s, when she had discovered new art trends like conceptual art and arte povera. An “imaginary line” – to use the artist’s words – is drawn through her work in photography, film, text and performance.
Navigation and Educational Tools in the Virtual Exhibition
Covering the years from 1970 to 1980, the virtual exhibition can be navigated either chronologically or thematically. In other words, the works can be explored by following a timeline or through five themes developed by the exhibition curator:
− The relationship to the present and to protest movements that challenge society
− The connection between art, life and concepts involving family
− The relationship to the body, gesture and performative exploration
− The relationship to historical time and an interest in archeology and mythology
− Communication networks, freedom of expression and censorship
About the Artist
Françoise Sullivan is one of the outstanding figures in the art history of Québec and Canada. Active within the Automatistes group and signatory to the Refus global manifesto in 1948, she distinguished herself as a dancer, choreographer and visual artist. Her choreography, sculptures, paintings and conceptual works extend across a long career that has included numerous individual and collective exhibitions in Canada, Europe and the United States. She has been recognized with numerous honours, including the Paul-Émile Borduas Prize, the Governor General’s Award, and the Order of Canada as well as honorary doctorates from York University and the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is represented by Galerie Simon Blais in Montréal.
About the Curator
Louise Déry (PhD Art History) is director of Galerie de l’UQAM, having previously served as curator at the MNBAQ and the MMFA, as well as director of the Musée régional de Rimouski. She has curated close to a hundred exhibitions in Canada and abroad dedicated to Giuseppe Penone, Rober Racine, Nancy Spero, Dominique Blain, Françoise Sullivan, Michael Snow and Emmanuelle Léonard, to name just a few. Canadian Curator at the 52nd Venice Biennale with the David Altmejd exhibition, she won the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France and a Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec.