Jean-Michel Leclerc
Montreal
Through a sculpture and image-based practice, Jean-Michel Leclerc aims to develop spaces for the exploration and reading of history. Drawing on diverse fields of inquiry (historical sciences, LGBTQ+ studies, ethnobotany) and exploratory technical processes, he questions the enunciative and symbolic functions of utilitarian and household objects, in addition to taking an interest in traditional know-how and the notion of the double. His practice foregrounds current issues around the idea of care and intangible heritage.
His work has been shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art (Baltimore), Centre CLARK, Arprim, Adélard (Frelighsburg), MOCA Toronto and many private galleries. Various private and corporate collections in Canada and Europe have acquired his works. He holds a MFA from Concordia University (2018). He lives and works in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke, where he studies Laurentian flora in addition to devoting himself to his creative work.
Magali Baribeau-Marchand
Saguenay
Magali Baribeau-Marchand's visual arts practice takes shape in hybrid creations combining sculptural installation, animated images, printed images and drawing. She is interested in the ambiguities and enchantments born of relationships – to oneself, the other and nature, through a highlighting of landscapes that she has lived in and been touched by. In a relation to the world defined by a close attention to the creative gesture and the found object, her research often unfolds by way of collecting and inventorying. For the RELIER project residency, she worked on the printed object Étangs donnés, in which she focuses on the notion of the pond (étang) as a figure of biodiversity’s resistance and as a site of potential enchantments.
In recent years, Magali Baribeau-Marchand's practice has been marked by various creative residencies in Quebec, Belgium, Russia and France. Her work has been presented in exhibitions at the Vaste et Vague artist-run center in Carleton-sur-Mer, the Bang center in Saguenay and the BPS22 Museum in Charleroi, Belgium. Living in Saguenay, Magali Baribeau-Marchand recently completed a Master's degree in art at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi in 2023.
