Montreal, October 20, 2020 – From October 29 through December 23, 2020, the Espace VERRE Gallery presents Ça devait arriver, an exhibition featuring the works of the 29th Class of Graduates of the Fine Craft – glass option programme offered in collaboration with the Cégep du Vieux Montréal. It was bound to happen: after having their final semester come to a halt this past spring, our seven warriors made a beautiful comeback, resilient and stronger than even if the face of the many challenges before them. This major accomplishment will mark the professional launch of Simon Brochu, Florentin Chaumet, Jennifer Gaumer, Samuel Lamontagne, Charlie Larouche-Potvin, Florian Le Texier, and Jean-Michel McDuff’s artistic careers.

First captivated by glassblowing, Simon Brochu discovered a true passion for lost wax and pâte de verre during the course of his studies. His majestic installation is ultimately the representation of an identity quest, demonstrating that many paths that can lead to self-discovery. The coloured spirals and meanders of his pâte de verre sculptures give a supernatural look to his spatiotemporal portals, ready to transport the viewer to other dimensions.

Florentin Chaumet also pursues a very personal path. Fuelled by his fascination for hot glass and deep respect for those who tame it, he challenged himself to reinstate the decorum of the handmade object. Inspired by the celebrated glass master Pino Signoretto description of the artistic process as “from heart to hand”, he chose to depict this idea with an ambitious triptych of cast glass sculptures encapsulated in blown glass bubbles. This idea has also seeped into his limited series, celebrating the uniqueness of his mouth-blown bottles, each hand-engraved and enamelled with distinctive patterns.

By using the observation and analysis required for illustration, Jennifer Gaumer seeks to decrypt the complexity of the world that surrounds her. Her chosen material allows her to reinterpret and amplify her experience with nature and the cultures inhabiting it. In her final piece Altiplano, she brings to light rediscovered keepsakes from a trip to Peru and Bolivia, memories that have been transformed by her recollection and permeated by her artistic signature.

For Samuel Lamontagne, the externalisation of feelings and intimate emotions is a powerful artistic motivator. For his magnificent end-of-studies project, he was greatly inspired by French rapper Nekfeu’s latest album Les étoiles vagabondes. He profoundly identified with the artist’s lyrics, which draw parallels between our contemporary society and the concepts that govern the stars and the universe. In the hot glass studio, this notion translated to elegant blown forms, subtly adorned with dichroic patterns that are reminiscent of the cosmos.

The delicate execution typical of Murano techniques are truly essential to Charlie Larouche-Potvin‘s work. Following in the wake of the illustrious maestri of our times, he tirelessly searches for perfection and aspires to, one day, stand among the great ones. A great fan of manga and the card game Magic: The Gathering, he brings a touch of fantasy borrowed from these universes to the traditional esthetic of Venetian goblets.

For his final academic project, Florian Le Texier imagined a vessel with mixed styles and influences. First of all inspired by Egyptian ships, his boat and its majestic sail are decorated with symbols and motifs from the four corners of the world, notably referring to the Brazilian and Japanese cultures. Cohabiting in harmony, this joyful mix of influences is the reflection of his family’s origins, as well as that of those that are close to him.

Gifted in flameworking, but always ready to further his glass explorations, Jean-Michel McDuff created an elixir vase that pairs the pâte de verre and glassblowing techniques. Faithful to his bohemian lifestyle and its respective aesthetic, his colourful implosion pendants continue to evolve in their intricacy and technical complexity, to the delight of glass jewelry fans.

 

Espace VERRE is a glass art school and creativity centre located at 1200 Mill Street in Montreal, Quebec. The gallery is open for visits upon reservation Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm, as well as the last Sunday of every month, from noon to 5 pm. Admission is free of charge.

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Above: Simon Brochu, La croisée des mondes
Photo: Thomas Martin-Creuzot

Source:
Valérie Paquin, Communications Manager
communication@espaceverre.qc.ca
514 933-6849