Born in Maine, United States, Paryse Martin earned her BFA (1986) and her MFA in visual arts (1994) at Université Laval, à Québec. She then completed a doctorate in art studies and practice at Université du Québec à Montréal (2007). Since 2000, she has been a lecturer at Université Laval. Her work has been in solo and group exhibitions, among others, at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Tijdelijk Museum in the Netherlands, and the Manifestation internationale d’art de Québec. She has produced numerous works of public art, including one at the CHSLD Maskinongé in Louiseville, in 2008.
- 17 Artworks
- 2h
- Snowdon metro station
Parc François-Perrault
Artwork description
The artwork is integrated with the green roof of the Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges, inaugurated the same year.
Between the shrubs and flowers are three garden gnomes arranged individually on painted bases. The first gnome has in its wheelbarrow a fine stem that rises and has a small bud on the tip. On its head are antlers in which birds sit as a metaphor for an idea being formed. The second gnome stands on two flowerpots; in its wheelbarrow the stem continues to grow and a flower begins to blossom. The last gnome is hidden behind the foliage of the blossoming flower.
This playful narrative artwork evokes the idea of evolution of the cultivation of a plant through the imaginary of a fairy tale. The work also refers to environmental issues, as evidenced by the green roof of the cultural centre.