Conversations: Language and Propaganda | Exhibition + Book Launch
The artworks will be on view and the books will be on sale Saturday, Oct. 17 (12pm to 8pm) and Sunday, Oct. 18 (12pm to 6pm), in the presence of the artists and curators.
The Publishing Eye, Jérôme Baco and Michèle Smolkin, curators, are proud to announce the publication of Conversations: Language and Propaganda (Conversations, Langue et Propagande), a bilingual, 84-page, numbered, limited-edition book.
The book brings together the artworks and texts generated by conversations between eight artists — four visual artists (Sonny Assu, Jérôme Baco, Marie-Pier Malouin and Annie Briard) respectively paired to four authors (Colin Browne, Laurent Sagalovitsch, Sara Snow and Michèle Smolkin) — between January and May, 2020.
Because of social media, anonymity and easy access to a large audience, language and propaganda have taken a leading place in our society. Each segment of the population accuses another of manipulation, misuse of language, wearing rose-tinted glasses or scaremongering … Everyone has to make a great effort to sift through the overwhelming amount of information they receive daily to decide what is propaganda what is not, what is behind the language used, what word is loaded of implied meaning…
In September 2019, Jérôme Baco and Michèle Smolkin had the idea to start this conversation with other artists. It seemed more appropriate than ever that authors and visual artists reflect on the topic. Artists have the essential role of portraying and questioning society. Their art offers a necessary distance to the public, helping them to question their beliefs, and a catalyst for critical thinking. Little did they know that the COVID-19 and the social justice movement would put the topic of language and propaganda even more at the centre of public debate. Although the majority of the art pieces and texts were created before the crisis, it seems particularly relevant to publish them in the present context. When statues are removed, place is made for a new discourse.
RSVP via Eventbrite, by clicking on "Select A Date."
Because of Covid-19, masks will be mandatory while being in the gallery with a maximum of 5 guests at a time. Visit limited to 30 min.