December 16, 2024 – 05:00
Collective exhibition Sensitive Cords at MBAMSH until January 12
Touch the floating universe of Jolanta Sprawka
By: Olivier Dénommée
Until January 12, it is possible to discover at the Museum of Fine Arts of Mont-Saint-Hilaire (MBAMSH) Heartstringsan exhibition presenting the unique art of three distinguished artists, Martine Bertrand, Johanne Bilodeau and Jolanta Sprawka. The latter is also a resident of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu.
If the artists did not know each other before submitting their application to the MBAMSH, the management noted complementary ideas in their practice and invited them to the collective exhibition Heartstringsfocusing on their relationship with different fibrous materials, whether textile or industrial.
Jolanta Sprawka, a Dionysian from Poland, favors in her practice the weaving of materials such as cellophane or Mylar, giving light sculptures with mysterious shapes. “My main medium is really cellophane paper. I was attracted by the lightness of the material and I wanted to create through my works an anti-gravity world and I therefore invented a process to give mass and volume to cellophane, to give the impression that it floats. It’s also interesting to see how this material captures the light. »
She also has a weakness for the movement of the spiral, incorporated in most of her works, almost all of which are suspended. “With the ventilation of the room, this means that the sculptures are in slight movement. This can give the impression that we are in space or in the depths of the seas, but I leave that to the visitors’ imagination! Children in particular are very interested in my art because I encourage them to touch the works! It’s a sensory experience, as much through sight as through touch: the direct experience with art is important to me,” she adds. Several creations are also enhanced with self-locking ties (or “tie wraps”) or wire. ” THE tie wraps often serve as an expansion of the sculpture. They are part of the weaving process and I like to show my process to the public; nothing is hidden! » According to the Dionysian, the words “magical” and “dreamlike” often come up to describe her art, which deliberately leaves a lot of room for visitor interpretation.
Making connections
Asked to comment on the links with the works of her colleagues Martine Bertrand and Johanne Bilodeau, Jolanta Sprawka notes the fact that they advocate, like her, meticulous work by hand. “With those of Martine, I also see a certain fragility and femininity in the works. » “What stood out to us in their respective files was the use of materials such as rope or string. Jolanta diverts a material to transform it, while Johanne works with precision and meticulousness by making fine lines with a brush. Martine uses wool with thin threads and string in her works. Even if their three universes are completely different, their art presents several points of convergence,” adds the general director of the MBAMSH, Geneviève Létourneau.
The exhibition Heartstrings is presented in the Museum’s temporary exhibition room until January 12. Info: mbamsh.com.
