How do we give meaning to our lives now when so many forces are pushing us, irredeemably, towards planetary disaster? Are we actually capable of honouring the equilibrium and habitability of the world? But what’s to be done, give up? How can we and should we face the signs of devastation?
These questions become more pressing with each passing day, and art can start to look like frivolous luxury. Yet we should do more than just our best, take a step back, despite the avalanche of urgent needs, and with all our strength begin looking for forms that can crystalize the meaning of and engagement with life. These questions have framed the work of Lyne Lapointe for over forty years. From her stunning site-specific installations in abandoned buildings, made in collaboration with Martha Fleming, to her most recent series of portraits suffused with many mythologies and cosmologies, Lapointe has constantly conjured the alienation experienced by subjectivities, paying particular attention to minoritized lives.
Created almost a decade ago yet hardly exhibited until today,1 the Extinctions series takes in these serious considerations, giving them form through twenty paintings-alcoves. They act as refuges and relay stations that can orient a sensory exploration, guided by titles that sound like those of tales: Le sabot de la Vierge [Pink Lady Slipper], Opale [Opal], Paysage [Landscape], Spectre des couleurs [Colour Spectrum], Ciel [Sky], Le coucou et la grenouille [The Cuckoo and the Frog], Antidote, Chute [Waterfall], La pomme, l’œuf et le ginseng [The Apple, Egg, and Ginseng], Lit d’argent [Silver Bed], Mirage, Langues en voie de disparition [Disappearing Languages], Sable [Sand], Feuilles d’or [Gold Leaf], Figue de barbarie [Prickly Pear], Migrants, Horizon, Bateau [Boat], La guérison de la Terre [The Healing of the Earth]. Nowadays, what might we expect from tales and fantastical elements?
Artist: Lyne Lapointe
