En Masse @ Art POP
One of the co-presentations of Art POP this year is a collaboration with En Masse, a pretty amazing troupe of over 40 artists that get together from time to time to do inspiring and fairly mind-blowing murals, collaboratively. For the entire month of October, they are going to be at the Red Bird Studio gallery for their latest project which combines 6 of their artists with a whole whackload of awesome artistic teenagers from various schools in the English Montreal School Board network. Together, they will create a mural the likes of which you’ve never seen, guaranteed.
The vernissage is this coming Sunday (the 4th) at 5pm, going until 9pm or even later, pretty crazy for a Sunday me thinks!! The gallery is at 135 rue Van Horne, and it’s going to be awesome. If you don’t get a chance to make it out, then swing by the studio every day from 12-6pm on weekdays to see what the gaggle of creative folks are doing there and watch their project develop.
One of the masterminds of the whole scenario and one of the Frozen Mammoth’s favourite people-of-this-fine-city, Jason Botkin, recently let us in on some of the deep dark secrets of his group. We can’t wait to see how this whole thing develops, and we’ll let you in on it all as it goes along….
1. Where did En Masse emerge? What was the impetus? If you could give a bit of background info on its initial coming together, that would be great.
En Masse was conceived one glorious evening in December of 2008, the ‘love-child’ of Tim Barnard and myself.
At the time, I was exhibiting a solo show at Galerie Pangee. As luck would have it, the gallery had an opening in their post-Christmas schedule, a little window that Tim and I eagerly imposed upon. Originally, our design was to ‘curate’ an enormous group show, packed mad salon style with everyone we knew and wanted to know. Seconds later, the idea was dashed upon the rocks, as we landed upon the En Masse concept, or specifically, the idea of gathering together those same cats to do a gigantic collaborative drawing of some sort. For both Tim and I, collaborative drawing/art making parties have been an important part of our practice, so the idea stuck!
En Masse was thus born in February of this year (2009), at the Galerie Pangee, with 28 artists engaged in 28 days of ecstatic mark making. We timed the ‘finissage’ to coincide with Montreal’s all-night Nuit Blanche festivities, thus inviting all to join us in celebration of one of the very biggest, most incredible drawing experiments most of us had ever seen in our tender young lives!
(Jason and Mural at Oshega Festival, Photo courtesy of Fred Caron’s awesome hands)
2. Has it changed much since you guys first began doing it? If so, how?
Tim, hot n’ heavy off on other projects, has been replaced by Rupert Bottenberg. Rupert brings an amazing skill set to the table, having established the Montreal Comix Jams, while juggling duties as the music editor at the Montreal Mirror newsweekly.
While the approach to the drawing itself is always the same at core—black and white, big, and involving as many artists as logistically possible (the more the merrier), our biggest step forward has been the creation of an ‘educational’ element to our project, through the introduction of a mentorship project involving local high school kids.
3. What is the creative process like in terms of choosing people to be involved? I know there are 28 members now, so are you guys officially a “team” or is the roster more fluid than that?
At this point, we’ve worked with nearly 40 artists on various projects, so in that sense, “Team EM” is better looked upon as a flexible and ever-changing ‘collective’ of emerging artists, whose work has been categorically defined as ‘underground’ and/or ‘lowbrow” art.
Refreshing and expanding the ranks is a key factor in breathing new and constant life into the project. Choosing the artists…that’s a tough question…SO MUCH amazing talent out there, so little time!
4. Many of the artists in En Masse work in somewhat alternative mediums (street art, grafitti). Was this a conscious decision, or organic? What does this type of background bring to the project?
This was a very conscious decision on our part. We wanted to include a wide range of artistic practices/pedigrees, especially exploring these cats whose voice has been largely excluded from the mainstream galleries and museums, institutions that seem to be somewhat unsure of the relationship between the fine and lowbrow arts.
We want a real grab-bag of styles, all flowing into one enormous web of ideas, thoughts, jokes, and general fun, one in which we can all freely participate in the chance to expand our potential as creators, while developing collective social and professional networks with each other.
5. How has doing this kind of massive collaborative work affected your own personal practice, if at all?
Collaborating with these incredible artists leaves me very inspired, and challenged to free up my own approach towards art making. Ego melts away during these events. So, my time in the studio, or at the sketchbook (when it comes), is now much more spontaneous, improvisational, playful. I like this.
6. Can you tell me a bit about why you guys have decided to do an educational thing? Is there a decisive angle to creating En Masse in a plethora of arenas, or does it happen more naturally than that?
The educational thing came as the natural ‘next’ step. I would have killed for a project like this as a kid, so now, with two wee ones of my own, and in working with Rupert who has produced many educationally directed events in the past, the mentoring program for kids came about very organically through personal interest.
This is a way for us to contribute socially, in a direction we feel good about. Artistic kids rarely get the chance to explore and express themselves within the school systems, as they exist, so if we can lend this hand to the schools, their teachers, and the teens, everybody gets happy. And perhaps the doors to heaven open a little wider.
7. What are some of the thrills and challenges with working with such a big group?
Cover your ears kids; this could get a little gory! I’ll spare the details, but suffice to say, it’s a bit of an administrative roller coaster at times…
With practice, the organizational drama gets a little more predictable, and easier to manage when it rears its ugly head. A steady diet of emails, ear often glued to phone, and a whole lotta labour of love keeps me going. Fortunately, I get more sleep in the weeks leading up to an event these days.
8. What most excites you about the project En Masse will be doing with ESBM, Redbird & art POP?
So many things excite me about this project! This particular avenue of the En Masse project has huge potential! I can’t wait to see what kind of work comes out of this thing, as we get this chance to collaborate directly with artists who are young in years and practice, but demonstrating real passion and huge talent in the crafting of their voice. What a mutual privilege and pleasure for us all!
For the kids, this is a great chance to gain practical tips about how to work in the mediums they are interested in, improve upon their own sense of self-worth as artists, and potentially form long-lasting creative partnerships they wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise.
9. What can you see in store for En Masse? If this goes really well, would you guys be into doing more educational/mentoring stuff?
Without question! We’re very excited with the educational stuff, and have received enormously positive response from everyone who has come into contact with the project. This event could be considered to be the pilot for many great things to come, especially as we gear into provincial, national, and international En Masse expansion in the coming year!
Filed under artists, festival, interviews, local, profiles | Tags: art pop, En Masse, jason botkin | Comment (0)
My new favourite.
Marayanna Hardy, who I think is one of the YPF folks, has a portrait (or several) up at Headquarters Galerie and Boutique that caught my eye. And caught it and held it online, as I have yet to get down to check out Jason Botkin’s curated show of a gazillion artists doing a gazillion interpretations on portraiture.
But there is something about her stuff that I am interested in enough that I thought I would post her blog here as well as the image from the Headquarters show. Go check it out if you’re in the mood. I am curious to see more, and I haven’t heard of her work before, so I am feeling slightly excitable. Not that I don’t feel excitable almost always, but even so…
Filed under artists, illustration | Tags: headquarters galerie and boutique, jason botkin, mayanna hardy, YPF | Comments (3)
