Salon #3

For this third artistic banquet and final event in the programming of the center's 40th anniversary, AXENÉO7 invites its communities, partners and friends to come together to exchange ideas on the theme Pour la vie ? [For life?].

Winking at the slogan bestowed upon the city by the Gatineau administration — Gatineau for life — AXENÉO7 questions what these words might mean for the artistic communities of its city and the Outaouais region.

In the development of contemporary art practices and cultural work, Gatineau can be more than just a starting point or a stopover. For life can then take on two meanings: it can be heard as a verdict to be weighed and escaped from, or as a call to artists and cultural workers who operate and settle there to defend the vitality of their region. It's up to each individual to decide.

During a dinner event, AXENÉO7 proposes to challenge, appropriate, and reinvent this slogan, not only as a statement but also as an invitation to action. This moment will shed light on the ideas and works of artists and cultural workers who have invested in the territory, whether permanently or temporarily, through initiatives and viewpoints as diverse as they are meaningful.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, AXENÉO7 is revisiting a key event from its thirtieth anniversary program (2013): the Salons. A veritable artistic banquet, the Salons bring guest artists together with the centre's community over dinner, for a participatory discussion on a specific subject, and to present research, performances and reflections, all in a convivial atmosphere.

The Salons series consists of three events presented during each season of the 40th programming year, between La Filature's backyard and the center's exhibition spaces, depending on the weather. These dinners are free and open to all.

Biographies

Colas Eko

Colas Eko, also known as the Indomitable Inhabitant, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University and a Certificate in Visual Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). As a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural worker, he transforms and reappropriates dominant discourse to create a diverse dialogue through the intersection of iconographic symbols.

Born in Canada to a Franco-Québécois mother and an Ewondo-Cameroonian father, his projects reflect the hybrid nature of North American society and challenge the identity-related challenges arising from ethnic and cultural ambiguity.

François Lemieux

My artistic activities combine practice, editing, and research in the form of installations, documents, performances, or situations aimed at fostering collective reflection on notions of value, representation, community, and relationship to norms. Since 2010, as a visual artist, I have been publishing Le Merle, an independent art edition. Based on exchange and collaboration, this project brings together works and texts that lie somewhere between art and politics. It's worth noting that without advertising or administrative structure, this project is not eligible for any government funding or subsidies.

Simone Provencher

Simone Provencher is a transfeminine musician originally from Quebec, now based in Hull. She is involved in several music groups ranging from experimental to more mainstream, including VICTIME, Album, and TDA. She also pursues exploratory music and improvisation, focusing mainly on electronics and sound manipulation. When she's not behind an oscilloscope or a homemade synthesizer, she tinkers with and prepares instruments, playing with bows, mallets, and screwdrivers to achieve ambiguous sounds.

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