On the theme “Resistance,” the 11th Rencontres internationales de la photographie en en Gaspésie will take place from July 15 to September 30, 2020, in 12 of the peninsula’s municipalities, towns and national parks. Presented mostly outdoors, its 15 exhibitions and installations will show the work of 11 Québec artists and five international artists.
In La Côte-de-Gaspé, Petite-Vallée will be presenting the work of artist Marco Del Pra’ (Italy/Germany), while Forillon National Park will be hosting that of Judith Bellavance (Québec). The city of Gaspé, meanwhile, will present two exhibits: one by Dmitry Markov (Russia) and the other by Raymond Jacobs (United States, 1923-1993), thanks to a collaboration with the Musée de la Gaspésie, the Raymond Jacobs estate and the J. Blatt Agency.
In the Rocher-Percé RCM, the work of Lara Gasparotto (Belgium) will be on display at Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park, and that of Emmanuelle Léonard (Québec) in Chandler.
As for the Bonaventure RCM, Paspébiac will host two exhibitions: one by Joannie Lafrenière (Québec) and the other by Natacha Clitandre (Québec), the latter made up of photographs taken during the artist’s stay in the Gaspé in the spring of 2019. Jacynthe Carrier (Québec) will present in Bonaventure images from the performance undertaken with citizens last year at McGraw Beach. And the work of Bieke Depoorter (Belgium) will be exhibited in New Richmond.
Lastly, in the Avignon RCM, Maria will play host to the exhibit by Amélie Chassary (France) courtesy of a collaboration with Diaphane, pôle photographique en Hauts-de-France. Carleton-sur-Mer will welcome the exhibition by Magdalen Islands artist Yoanis Menge, as well as the film work of Nelly-Eve Rajotte (Québec). Serge-Olivier Rondeau and Stéfanie Vermeersch (Québec), for their part, will be exhibiting work at Miguasha National Park, while the photos of Érika Nimis (Québec) will be the subject of an exhibit at Matapedia.
Artists in residence and results
Last May, artist Aislinn Leggett was selected by Rencontres, in collaboration with L’Imagier Art Centre, to carry out a photo assignment in the Outaouais region in 2021 thanks to a partnership with Loto-Québec. A native of the small community of Namur, in the Outaouais, the artist will be called on to document one or more aspects of the contemporary landscape in the area where she grew up. The results of her research will then be presented at L’Imagier Art Centre, in Gatineau, in 2021, and later at Rencontres internationales de la photographie en Gaspésie in 2022. Also, the results of the photo assignment in the Laurentians undertaken in 2019 by Chloé Beaulac will be on display in September 2020 at Centre d’exposition de Val-David and at Rencontres in 2021.
Rencontres on the Web
Exceptionally this year, Rencontres on Tour will be replaced by Rencontres on the Web, which will offer discussions, viewings and other activities online from August 21 to 23, 2020. The program will be announced in July.
International partnerships
On the French side Du côté de la France, the partnership of Rencontres and Diaphane, pôle photographique en Hauts-de-France continues, as does the one with the city of Nantes and the organization Les PUI – Pratiques et Usages de l’Image that provides for public events in Montreal and in Nantes. Additionally, Rencontres is carrying on with its collaboration with independent publishing house NoRoutine Books (Lithuania) as well as with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal, while a first collaboration is about to be realized with the Italian contemporary photography festival Cortona on the Move.
TOP PHOTO: Exhibition view : A taste for enduring by photographer Judith Bellavance, Forillon National Park, 2020 edition