Thibault, Jocelyne: Un artiste!

Un artiste! Qu’est-ce que ça mange en hiver? L’intégrale du 23 février 2017 (2018)

Collaborators: Gabrielle Brais Harvey, Aurélie Dubois, Martin Lachapelle-Babineau, Catherine Melançon, Geneviève Turcotte

This artist’s book was created following a “showcase dinner” bringing together six artists and cultural workers (Gabrielle Brais Harvey, Aurélie Dubois, Martin Lachapelle-Babineau, Catherine Melançon, Geneviève Turcotte and Jocelyne Thibault). The event was held in the front window of L’imprimerie, centre d’artistes (artists run center). Their conversation was broadcast simultaneously outside the center, on Sainte-Catherine Street (Montreal) with the aim of popularizing their practices to a strolling public. The book presents the entirety of their exchanges, in a cross-pollination of ideas and reflections. A different typography is assigned to each person, which allows the rhythm of the conversation to be visually captured. A simple dot interrupts here and there the flow of the conversation, and sometimes the idea of the person speaking follows a few lines further. This gathering was a performative act where the artist Jocelyne Thibault explored the process of getting to know each other by adopting the position of the host who receives distinguished guests. The artist prepared and served the meal in an atmosphere that was intended to be friendly and relaxed. She thus questions the value of the same domestic act, whether it comes from a daily task amongst family duties or is part of an artistic posture. The title Un artiste! Qu’est-ce que ça mange en hiver? is a French expression intended to question the meaning of things.

Silkscreen printing on Mohawk Via Vellum paper, Moriki Kincha (japanese paper), Strathmore (cover) and kraft papers, linen and polyester tread 8 7/8 in x 7 3/8 in x 7/16 in 36 pages.