Warmblood

Opening Reception: Thursday, August 25, 7:00-9:00 pm

Durational Performances:
September 9th, 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
September 10th, 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm (periodic throughout day)

Warmblood provides a glimpse into the imaginary worlds constructed by Montreal based artist, Vicky Sabourin. The exhibition, grounded by two installations – The Iridescents and Warmblood – asks viewers to consider the implications of human-animal relationships while also inserting a feminist dialogue engaging with socially perpetuated representations of the feminine.  A life-sized felted horse grounds the exhibition. The highly emblematic motif of the horse, at once noble, fierce, and devoted, symbolizes the power dynamic humans maintain in the world. As Sabourin inserts her herself into this tableau vivant through durational performance, her body activates the feminist symbolism of the mare while at the same time highlighting the patriarchal implications of the folkloric nightmaere, a female evil spirit, typically riding a devil horse, who suffocates men in the night. This critique of the patriarchal demonization of the female form in folklore (spanning across geographic boundaries –the banshee, the asuang) is echoed in The Iridescents. Merging the gap between urban and wilderness, this installation explores a similar portrayal of the female form from a contemporary urban perspective, while also examining the changing symbolism of the pigeon. In the past, the pigeon was a symbol of a thriving urban centre. These non-indigenous species are now considered invasive, disease-ridden pests within the contemporary urban wilderness. Their iridescent colours that shine like gems and ornate plumage are not enough to charm us or change our opinion. Using elements of folklore and psychoanalysis, these new bodies of work viscerally explore inner animalism and ideas of control.

A publication featuring an essay by Daniella Sanader  accompanies this exhibition and can be downloaded HERE.

Vicky Sabourin is a Montreal based artist. She completed her MFA at Concordia University and received her BFA from Université Laval and l’École Supérieur des Beaux Arts de Marseille. Her work has been shown in galleries, artist run centers and museums in Canada, the United States, France, Italy and Portugal. In 2014 she exhibited at the Galerie Trois Points and at the Maison des Arts de Laval. During her solo show at the artist run center Circa (Montréal 2013) she presented a diorama in which she performed for 150 hours on a period of 25 days. In 2012, she exhibited her work at the Musée Régional de Rimouski. Vicky Sabourin has performed in festivals in Canada and in the United States including Contaminate 3 Live Art Festival in Boston, MA. She has received grants from the Canada Art Council (CAC) and Québec Art Council (CALQ). Recently, she was nominated for the Pierre Ayot award (2014).