JEAN MICHEL RENÉ

PAR-DELÀ LES ASTRES

2025 | Aluminium

Like a visual and poetic tale, Jean Michel René has brought several figures together and invites us to imagine their story. Each character—all self-portraits—can embark on a different path. Like a light-refracting prism, the main thread contains countless possibilities. The bathtub can be a simple, fixed object or it can become a raft. Does the bird remind you of freedom or of falling? Scattered across a façade, these elements form a constellation whose joined points reveal the shape of a person lying down. While the artist is specifically interested in life’s decline, here he asks: what lies beyond the stars?

The artist would like to acknowledge the support of Premiere Ovation and the Ville de Québec.
The artist and Manif d’art would like to thank the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec for welcoming them to Place des Canotiers.

Jean Michel René

Jean Michel René’s work is often presented in the form of autobiographical fiction. Through mises-en-scène or collaged images evoking scenes from a film, he creates a sense of expectation while emphasizing the duality of absence-presence. His work has been presented in solo exhibitions at Vaste et Vague (Gaspésie), Language Plus (Alma), AdMare (Iles-de-la-Madeleine), and Le Lieu (Quebec City). Another solo exhibition of his work is forthcoming.

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