Dating and collaborating in an artistic endeavor at the same time may be a challenge for some, but Martin Flamand and Marie-Claude Marquis have managed to pull it off. Their exhibition Tandem opened today at the Visual Voice Art Gallery. Flamand and Marquis examine the daily life of an ordinary couple – watching a movie, making out, arguing, having a picnic. They set up a scene, much like in a play or a movie, and then both of them take a series of photos. Flamand turns the images into a photographic series, while Marquis transforms her shots into paintings. But each artist has a subtly different take on the same situation. Flamand’s photos capture a scene just before or after an event, creating a tension that pulls the viewer into the image. For example, in Rentrer en Douce we see a couple in the kitchen, her hair flying through the air, he looks agitated, waving his hands. What happens next? Or – what did just happen?  Marquis, on the other hand, is all action. Her interpretation of the same couple titled F-I-N-I-T makes it very clear what’s going on: her eyes are closed, she is screaming, and his face is distorted in a painful grimace. You can practically hear the smack echo out from the canvas. Outch!

If you happen to be in the Belgo tomorrow, drop by the Tandem vernissage – 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and check out this co-production for yourself.

Visual Voice Art Gallery
space 421
Martin Flamand & Marie-Claude Marquis
Tandem
exhibition period: August 20 – September 4, 2009
www.visualvoicegallery.com