JOANNA CHELKOWSKA / EXHIBITION / CHAMBRE NOIRE

JOANNA CHELKOWSKA
03.06 — 03.07 / 2021

Opening reception : Thursday, March 26, 2020

5 pm

Chambre noire is a cartoon project presented as an installation. Three semi-transparent screens are arranged in the gallery in such a way as to form an “empty room” on which different sequences of the cartoon are projected. The title of the work Chambre noire is a metaphor, because the room in which visitors are invited to enter evokes an interior, psychological space. They thus become the silent witnesses of this tumultuous mind, usually inaccessible to others. Through this projection, thoughts take on various forms: a white shape moves on a negative space that vibrates, abstract shapes are superimposed, follow and move away. Some slow and contemplative sequences hypnotize while a stroboscopic, fast and jerky rhythm destabilizes the eye and can sometimes even stun, especially in the immersive context. The expressionist style of the drawing manages to provoke feelings of confinement, oppression, but also of contemplation and escape in a universe that is both familiar and foreign. The emotional charge is definitely amplified by the soundtrack produced by Eden Emmanuel from samples. With a total duration of 16 minutes, but played in a loop in a closed space reminiscent of the room, the video opens a universe of possibilities. It is an invitation to let oneself be transported and live an immersive experience of drawing in the making.

 

The artist would like to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the City of Sherbrooke for their financial support.