Julie Lassonde, A.M. Matte, 2023, artists performing Passages, mixed
media
A white gallery wall with a framed photo, large black exhibition text
that reads, “Passages” and appears in Anishinaabemowin, English, and
French. The image on the left is vertical and is made up of three
smaller photos and text laid out in a two by three grid. The images are
all from the same event, two people with light skin tone possibly
performing or rehearsing in a gallery space. Starting in our upper left
corner the person on our left, A.M. Matte, is seated holding papers
while Julie Lassonde, on our right, is bent forward, arm outstretched
pointing towards our left. Next to that image on our right, a block of
text reads, “Je frappe mon malaise et mon isolement sur mon Le
creuset. Le fracas métallique m’emplit l’ouie, mais c’est du toucher
qu’il me faut.” In the next row down, on our left side, a block of text
reads, “La ville est fantôme…c’est sinister d’arriver à l’avance où
personne ne nous attend.” Next to that on our right is another image,
Matte is still seated head cocked while she watches Lassonde who is
kneeling, arms curled up in front of them in mid swoop. In the final row
on our left, Matte remains seated holding papers and looking at Lassonde
who is in mid jump legs askew, their arm, on our left, is wrapped around
their head, their arm, on our right, is wrapped around their stomach.
Next to that on our right, the final text block reads, “On met des
pansements Quand on a mal Mais des fois on a mal Sans savoir où.”Installation Details
Passages presents an interdisciplinary and improvisational performance
piece that delves into A.M. Matte’s magnetic poetry and Julie Lassonde’s
repetitive movements. Combined, these art forms both flow and pass
through issues of grief, resilience, and renewal experienced throughout
the pandemic.
Interdisciplinary performance artist Julie Lassonde (she/they) and
award-winning author and playwright A.M. Matte (she/her) are Francophone
queer artists whose previous works have been supported by both the
Ontario and Canada Arts Councils. Passages is their first artistic
collaboration.
About the Artist
Two portrait’s side by side of A.M Matte and Julie Lassonde. On the
left, A.M., a white woman with light skin, is pictured in three-quarter
view, wearing an ivory jacket and purple glasses. A.M. has shoulder
length, curly, brown hair and smiles with closed lips. On the right,
Julie, a light skinned person, is smiling at us with an asymmetrical
dark blonde haircut and a brown silk shirt.