In the hectic bustle of “la rentrée,” Galerie Trois Points feels like a calm oasis. Delicate shadows of Sakura trees cast intricate patterns across half a dozen large-format photographs by Russian artist Olga Chagaoutdinova. Actually, it took me a moment to realize that I was indeed looking at shadows, the tight shots of softly blurred branches reminded me of a Sally Mann print until I spotted a few sharply focused leaves hugging the edge of the frame. This is a wonderful series of prints, but their strength lies not just in their aesthetics, but in the artist’s deeply personal narrative: they tell a story of family and loss, and illustrate the ephemeral nature of our existence.

At the back of the gallery, behind a partition wall, hangs a solitary photograph, showing a white piece of fabric with a few awkward scribbles on them. These are the last words of Chagaoutdinova’s grandmother, written moments before her death. This simple bed sheet forms the backdrop of the Sakura tree shadow photographs. Chagaoutdinova chose the Sakura tree (a type to cherry tree), because it symbolizes the grandmother’s ethnic heritage; the tree grows in the grandmother’s homeland, the far Eastern regions of Russia, near the border of China. The tree’s stunning pink blossoms only last for one week, expressing the transience of life and beauty. Just as the blossoms fall and the shadow of the Sakura tree glides across the picture frame, the people closest to us also flower and fade.

In the Time of Sakura is a poetic, cathartic work; an expression of Chagaoutdinova’s personal grief which finds an echo in us all.

Galerie Trois Points, space 520
Olga Chagaoutdinova
In the Time of Sakura
August 25 – October 1, 2011
www.galerietroispoints.qc.ca