Jérôme Fortin: ici et là / here and there

Joliette native Jérôme Fortin's meticulous wall assemblages of recycled materials (such as plastic bottles, telephone wire, matchboxes, clothes pins and bottle caps) surprise the viewer with the unexpected beauty of the familiar. In an elegant fusion of ecological and aesthetic consciousness, Fortin collects the mass-produced jetsam of consumer society and patiently transforms it into minutely crafted compositions - rosettes, diamonds and circular forms - that owe a debt to the Quebec plasticiens, as well as to Dadaism, Arte Povera, and even to museology (Fortin's table assemblages act like small cabinets of curiosity). Curated by France Gascon, this exhibition and tour is organized by the Musée d'art de Joliette, with financial support from The Canada Council for the Arts and Heritage Canada.