Passage vers l’humanité II is the second iteration of a vast project by Stella Pace exploring the human condition. For more than 20 years, the Montreal based artist has been developing a formal research, both in sculpture and in printed art, where economy of means is used to push the medium to its limits and to serve the expressiveness of her figures. Her process, lead by accidents of matter, summons in an unpremeditated manner a whole series of images and stories in the mind of the spectator, transforming an accumulation of paper, ink, burlap and glue into a veritable epic.

The main piece of work, named after this exhibition, consists of a huge mural piece dedicated to the artist's grandparents. It is composed of 200 black and white sheets, each of them hosting compositions of cut-out papers. The latter are previous works made in collagraphy on mylar, which were cut into small geometric pieces, and then assembled spontaneously with impulsive inventiveness. The sequence of these rigid silhouettes forms a continuous flow. It is not clear whether it is a joyful parade, people on the run, or a slow transhumance. Their disposition plunges us into a universe both near and distant, somewhere between a medieval tapestry depicting forgotten myths and the fresco of a contemporary tragedy.

The cortege moves towards the back of the gallery, where Passage presents itself as a window on a landscape of crushed material, a material that has absorbed everything, even the matrix used to print the work. This meta-impression of exuberant materiality offers, through a play of texture and mirror effects, the image of a mysterious destination for this curious procession.

On the contrary, Creatures appeals to the imagination by their great simplicity. Human or animal figures, inert or living matter, here again it is up to the viewer to decide to let it go with its narrative.

The Etudes pour Home are a sort of confirmation of the meaning of the history we make of ourselves. These small ceramic houses were made according to the Raku, a famous Japanese firing technique that takes advantage of the imperfections of fired clay. By introducing grass and hay, the artist accentuates the organic side of these precarious habitats from which a brutal tenderness emerges.

With Passage vers l'humanité II, Stella Pace surrenders to the unpredictable virtues of the material in order to leave to each of us the possibility of associating our referents and our memories to it. "Matter is the only providence of the spirit" said the great poet Francis Ponge. Stella Pace takes up this motto by inviting us on a journey towards our interiority, so to speak towards our humanity.

Text by Gauthier Melin

Stella Pace is an artist who lives and works in Montreal. She holds a BFA from Concordia University (1997). Her work has been presented in Canada and abroad in artist-run centres, public and private galleries, museums and international fairs. She has had more than forty solo exhibitions, notably at the Miriam Shiell Fine Art Gallery (Toronto), the Musée du Bas St-Laurent (Quebec) and One Blue Sphere Gallery (Netherlands).

COVID-19 notification: Due to sanitary rules, we are not able to organize a vernissage. The exhibition will open its doors on Thursday, February 18th, at 3 pm, in the presence of the artist. The capacity of the gallery is for a maximum of 10 people. We ask visitors to wear a mask, to respect a physical distance of 2 m and to disinfect their hands when coming in.