S’Affranchir! ART POSTAL AU XXIe siècle /
Stamping, In or Out? MAIL ART IN THE XXIst Century

Group show, travelling and participatory exhibition in Ontario
April 2015 to December 2016

BRAVO-Sud and BRAVO present a group show, travelling and participatory exhibition entitled Stamping, In or Out? MAIL ART IN THE XXIst Century.

On Display from April 10th – 24th 2015.

Stamping, In or Out? MAIL ART IN THE XXIst Century invites spectators to reflect, participate and give a personal opinion about the digital era not only in the arts but also how it affects you in your everyday life.  During the opening you will be invited to participate in a “mashing” of art works and to communicate with the social network about those works.  BRAVO-Sud hopes that through this experience visitors will become engage enough to voice an opinion about the digital era and how it affects them.

Through their work, artists mirror society. They ask, “Who are we, and where are we going?” BRAVO-Sud supported by BRAVO and the ministry of Education – French-Language Education Policy and Programs Branch (FLEPPB) offers some answers through this travelling group exhibit. Thirty BRAVO artists from Ontario’s Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern regions, invite you to reflect on some recent, current and emerging concerns.
Please note that this event is made possible through collaboration between BRAVO-Sud, BRAVO-Nord and the Timmins Museum: NEC. Everyone is welcome!  Admission is free.

History of project

The show investigates primarily how we communicate with one another in the digital era. The theme addresses issues such as: Should we be embracing or denouncing the radical change the digital era has brought about? What is the digital era’s impact in a minority setting? and for artists, Has the digital era changed how art is created?  The artists have worked within their personal modes of expression and special constraints such as shipping costs. A maximum of $20 can be spent if delivered by expedited mail.  All work is ready to hang on a wall or be presented on pedestal when it arrives at the gallery. All Mail Art works are mailed from gallery to gallery and must not be taken out of the envelope or box protecting it. They are to be mailed as they are meant to be shown in the gallery.

Video clips will accompany each piece of Mail Art. All individual artists have documented their creative process to be shown on small television screens.

As the mailed artworks will be travelling throughout the province, markings of this great “voyage” will accumulate on the Mail Art. And so, through the passage of time, the territories crossed and the handling of many, this exhibition project has acquired a memory, creating reference points and will foster a sense of belonging.

A short talk on The Digital Age: Impact on the practice of art will be offered in French during the opening, questions in English will be answered in English. In addition, this group show, travelling exhibit contains a training component on techniques presented in the show. These will be presented in the form of workshops to students and their teachers during the month of April.  A bilingual activity on mosaics will be offered to the public at large to celebrate the 400th anniversary of francophone presence in Ontario on Saturday 11th and Sunday April 12th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

This activity is made possible through a partnership with the Timmins Museum: NEC, BRAVO-Sud and the municipality of Timmins. Welcome to all, Francophones, Francophiles and Anglophones alike!

Artists from different chapters

• BRAVO-North – Denis Taman Bradette (mixed media), Laurent Vaillancourt (assemblage).
• BRAVO-Centre – Sylvia Antinozzi (assemblage), Alix Voz (mixed media), Artina Voz (mixed media), Soro Zana (mixed media).
• BRAVO-East – Marion M. Bordier (digital photomontage), Gilles Davidson (computer drawing), Nathalie Frenière (painting), Luce Marquis (painting), and Paradigm Lost (mixed media).
• BRAVO-South – Zoraida Anaya (collage), Luc Bihan (sculpture), Paule Madeleine Charland (painting), Shirin Divanbeigi (maquette), Susan Gold / Smith (mixed media), Lise Goulet (assemblage), Chantal Leblanc (fine arts and crafts, mosaic), Denis Leclerc (computer drawing), Joseph Muscat (painting), André Pilon (digital photomontage), Linda Renaud Fisher (mixed media) and Paul Walty (drawing).