Halifax exhibit creates art from items of days past

Jean Bergeron's new exhibit is on display at the Cuts and Paste Gallery. (Source: Jean Bergeron)

Where some people might see dollar bills, discarded notes, and newspaper clippings, Jean Bergeron sees an art piece just waiting to be assembled. Since 2014, the Quebec-based artist has made daily pieces out of everyday items, capturing the unexpected in the mundane and ordinary.

“The goal of this project was to make a daily artwork in using (collected) items such as bills, notes, messages, or all others pertinent elements and presented as a kind of visual diary,” Bergeron said. “My art is intuitive. I like bright colors, collage for sure.

“Each piece express the mood of my day and a beautiful esthetic is not my priority at all. Life is often sad and ugly. I try to stay true to what I feel.”

A selection of Bergeron’s work is currently on display at the Cuts and Paste Gallery in Halifax, showcasing pieces from November 2022 and offering a glimpse into the items and words that were front of mind a year ago.

“I hope people will realize that art is accessible to everyone,” Bergeron said. “It is not necessary to do big things or to have a mastery of drawing; everything can be done from our own daily life. Art allows you to define yourself, to exist and to say what you feel.”

The showcase, titled “This Time Last Year,” is the first gallery presentation for Bergeron’s ongoing project, which he calls the Vie pub_like experiment.

“Honestly, it is always a pleasure to create an artwork everyday and as long as I have fun doing it, I will continue,” Bergeron said. “I do it by necessity because I clearly know that a break can be fatal. I did one a long time ago and I stopped to make art for a very long period, I mean around 15 years. This daily process keeps me on the lookout.

“I feel truly honoured and privileged to be able to present my work in this place.”

“This Time Last Year” will be on display at Cuts and Paste Gallery on Nora Bernard Street until Dec. 5.

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