Rencontres is welcoming Montreal photographer Benoit Aquin on the occasion of an artist residency in the Gaspé from July 20 to August 3. In addition, pictures taken during his residency will be added to his exhibit Quebec’s agriculture, an anticipation photo-novel, presented in Bonaventure until the end of September.
“In the Québec context, addressing the issue of agriculture means taking an interest in a reality that seems to be a matter of less and less concern to citizens, even though their survival will depend on economic choices we make right now regarding the management of our agricultural regions,” explains the photographer. “At a time when the free-trade model is bringing about the closure of two farms a day in Québec and when the intensification of single-crop farming threatens simultaneously the fertility of our richest land and the diversity of ecosystems on which the survival of our countryside depends, I’m convinced that the strength of photography makes this medium a powerful tool for raising awareness of these issues.”
Having a particular fondness for subjects connected with social or economic issues, with questions that represent real challenges for humanity, Benoit Aquin endeavors, through his photography, to take a fresh look, or at least an honest one, at the relationship of humanity and its environment. Climate-related disasters catch his attention, as shown in his series Tsunami (2004), carried out in Indonesia, and Haiti (2010-2011). Ecological changes also feature in his concerns: climate warming in Québec’s Far North (2005) or the 2007 food crisis in Egypt. Benoit Aquin won the Prix Pictet in 2008 for pictures from his series The Chinese Dust Bowl (2006-2007).
See the artist’s profile for more details.