Valérie Cain Bourget · Mériol Lehmann · Karine Locatelli · Nady Larchet

Compte-goutte

Description of the exhibition

Compte-goutte is an exhibition of works by Nady Larchet, Karine Locatelli, Mériol Lehmann, and Valérie Cain Bourget, who reflect on the gradual effects of climate change, which, much like the government’s actions meant to combat it, occur incrementally, like a compte-gouttes, or eye dropper. Presented at Espace )( Parenthèses and at Espace culturel du Quartier Saint-Nicolas, the exhibition features works that might seem pleasant or amusing at first glance, but that in fact seriously address how climate disrupts all forms of life.

At Espace )( Parenthèses, Cain Bourget shows us how entropy causes the metamorphosis of urban and natural elements and Lehmann uses photography to document the disappearance of northern ice floes and the invisible consequences for Indigenous communities. In Saint-Nicolas, Larchet transforms air pollution into a chaotic symphony and Locatelli explores the calm before the storm, between the beauty and the disquiet of the landscape.

Compte-goutte reveals the slowness of the climate crisis as a tense space in which responsibility, adaptation, and memories of the land are inextricably linked.

Laurence Duchesne would like to thank Quebec City's Première Ovation Program.

Two venues, two complementary time frames.

At Espace )( Parenthèses, the exhibition is presented from February 19 to March 12, in a more concentrated format, inviting visitors to immerse themselves intimately and closely with the works.

At the Espace culturel du Quartier Saint-Nicolas, it runs from February 28 to May 24, offering a longer presence and extended accessibility to the public.

Artists' biographies

Valérie Cain-Bourget

Valérie Cain Bourget was born in Gaspésie and divides her time between Québec City and Cap-d’Espoir. In her sculpture- and video-based practice, she uses second-hand objects and found materials from the forest to explore survival mechanisms and improvised resources. She has received several awards and distinctions, including the Prix Louise-Viger, PRÉSENCES, and the New Horizons Prize from the Grantham Foundation, and has recently exhibited her work at 13/2, l’Œil de Poisson, and Gare de Matapédia.

Mériol Lehmann

Mériol Lehmann was born in Switzerland and has lived in Québec for over forty years. As an artist-researcher, he works primarily with photography, sound, and media arts. He holds a master’s degree in fine arts from Laval University, and has dedicated his practice to a systemic approach to the land and portrayals of contemporary rurality. He is currently interested in alternative modernities that rethink our relationship with living beings in the face of environmental crises.

Karine Locatelli

Born in Lévis and now residing in the Charlevoix region, Karine Locatelli explores the landscape through drawing, continuing the plein-air tradition that her region is known for. Imbued with a delicate and textured visual poetry, her works transform fragments of the boreal forest into sensitive experiences of the land. Locatelli has presented her work in dozens of exhibitions in Canada and abroad, including a solo exhibition at the Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul in 2024.

Nady Larchet

Multidisciplinary artist Nady Larchet, from the Chaudière-Appalaches region, uses sound, digital technologies, and electronic art in her practice. Her work is featured in events throughout Québec and around the world, and she frequently collaborates with others on her projects. Larchet has shared her technical expertise by teaching workshops on sound and electronic art for many years. She is also the co-founder of EXEcentrer, a nomadic organization dedicated to media art.