Mario Duchesneau

OBJECTICUS DOMESTICUM
02.14–03.03.1996

It would be easy to assume that after a stay in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, where a well-known tradition reigns, one is influenced by a certain choice of materials. But let us recall Duchesneau’s last exhibition in this same gallery in 1992: an immense wooden sculpture made up of “birdhouses” assembled into a human-scale dwelling. This sculpture heralded a “reconstruction” both in the artist’s trajectory and in the work itself. In this pursuit, a transition has occurred, or at least a link has been formed today with the presentation of Objecticus domesticum. Under this rather scholarly title (is there a subtle reference?), we are presented with six large-scale sculptures where we find the influence of the place, as in his earlier installations, as well as the presence of action in the assembly of these everyday objects. We are not engaged in the creation or fabrication of matter, for it already exists fully formed in the form of an object—the piece of furniture—and its everyday surroundings. Through these works, one will find pleasure in appreciating attractive details that highlight the quality of objects left in their raw state, and whose forms are revealed through the artist’s interventions, without altering their appearance. Objecticus domesticum represents an interesting synthesis of the achievements of contemporary sculpture, but above all, it offers a promising future for the art form.