To mark their 20th anniversary, Galerie B-312 invited five artists to create a series of artworks based on the gallery’s twelve comment books.
These unassuming, black-cover hardback books are the silent witnesses of two decades of art exhibitions, vernissages, and workshops. They may contain anything from a simple signature to a verbose critique, a sketch inspired by the exhibition, or a personal message to the artist. Now Mathieu Beauséjour, Clément de Gaulejac, Aude Moreau, David K. Ross, and Karen Elaine Spencer have taken these tomes and used them as a source of reflection and inspiration.

For example, Karen Elaine Spencer lifted quotes from the comment books and copied them with black paint onto large pieces of brown cardboard, much like a protester’s sign. These out-of-context remarks were then addressed by the artist to provincial politicians, subtly subverting the meaning of the original comment. “Hey! Jean la prochaine fois tu m’enverras une invitation” (Hey, Jean, next time you’ll send me an invitation) in this new context signifies a sense of disappointment on a larger scale than initially intended.

On the quiet side of the spectrum are the elegant and understated works by David K. Ross. The artist was inspired by the intermittent empty pages in the comment books, which nevertheless contain markings: the traces left behind by the pressure of the writing on the previous page of the book. Titled Gravures, this series of inkjet prints reveals the delicate impressions, in more ways than one, of the visitors to the gallery.

Revus is an apt, creative way to reflect on twenty years of B-312’s efforts of enabling a dialogue between the artists and their public.

Galerie B-312, space 403
Mathieu Beauséjour, Clément de Gaulejac, Aude Moreau, David K. Ross, Karen Elaine Spencer
Revus
March 23 – April 28, 2012
www.galerieb-312.qc.ca