Manon De Pauw lives and works in Montréal. She has had solo shows at Galerie Optica, La Chambre Blanche (in collaboration with Michel Laforest, 2006), Centre d’exposition Expression (2005), Galerie Sylviane Poirier art contemporain (2004), and DARE-DARE (2003). Her works have also been seen as part of numerous group exhibitions, events and festivals in Canada, Europe and Latin America, including at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2006), the Centro Nacional de las artes in Mexico City (2006), g39 in Cardiff, Wales (2005), and at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (2004). In addition to working as an artist, she teaches at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques at UQAM.
Artwork description
On the façade of the west check-in of the bay, a monumental form emerges from darkness, seeming to float in the air. Crafted using tracing paper, this light, gossamer cocoon is lit from within in vibrant, iridescent hues. The gently pulsating light, suggestive of breathing, invites calm and reflection. The black foreground blends with the dark floor that delineate the waiting area immediately in front, creating a harmonious, intimate and soothing space as well as a point of reference visible from a great distance.
This photographic work connects micro and macro via its scale and its intentionally enigmatic subject. At first glance, it might resemble a pebble, a heavenly body, a cell, or a womb. Indeed, its title, INCUBATEUR (Incubator), refers to the natural and artificial mechanisms that help sustain the gestation and growth of living organisms, but also to the concept of business incubators, the support structures that enable other kinds of births: those of innovative projects. Thus the work metaphorically alludes to the business incubators, creative spirit, vitality and attractiveness that are hallmarks of Montréal.