The seventh biennial of Artists’ Books at Portage will take place from September 27 to 29 at 200, côte de la Mer in Notre-Dame-du-Portage. Under the theme of crossbreeding, some sixty works by European, American and Canadian artists will be presented. These unique pieces full of poetry and humor, bring together texts and images thanks to different binding techniques.
The entire population is invited to the opening on Friday at 5 p.m., where the awards will be announced by the jury chaired by Hélène Dorion. She is also the guest of honor of the biennial. A poet, novelist and essayist, she has published more than thirty works that have made her known on both sides of the Atlantic. She is the recipient of numerous national and international literary awards, including the Athanase-David Prize, the Mallarmé Prize and the Anne-Hébert Prize. Her work has been translated and published in more than fifteen languages. A Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, she received the Grand Prix de poésie de l’Académie française in 2024. She will entertain the public with her artist’s books on Saturday, September 26 at 10:30 a.m.
The next day, at the same time, Catherine Van Coppenolle will read a selection of poems from the books in the exhibition. A former language teacher, she expresses herself with equal ease in French, English, Spanish and German. Thanks to her love of poetry and her great sensitivity, she succeeds in reaching an audience of non-initiates and even people who are rather off-putting to poetry. This is how this recurring activity of the biennial welcomes an increasingly large audience.
This beautiful celebration of artist’s books will end on Sunday at 5 p.m. just after the presentation of the public’s favorite prize. To learn more: livresdartistesauportage.com
