One of Canadian Art Junkie’s all-time reader favourites.
The work of Québécois artist Jannick Deslauriers emphasizes art’s most fragile elements, through a mass of translucent fabric. Her delicate fibre art spins out thread sculptures that send strong messages, covering the ghosts of cities, people and of war. (Above: Piano, 2010-11, crinoline, rigid mesh, organza and thread)
From the Battlefield series: Poppies. 2008- 2009. textile installation. various dimensions (h: 10 feet) Ghosts of artifacts — tanks, pianos, fields of poppies — half-float in her sculptural installations, hollow and wavering.
“Elements from Jannick Deslauriers’ work create a discourse between fear and dreams, between civility and death, between harmony and conflict, between fantasy and horror,” Christiane Gauthier writes in the pamphlet for the Battlefield exhibition. “Her work expresses a dream which enables us to comprehend fully the contrasts inherent in our human condition and which allows us to understand our true nature.”
These two are from the series Ghosts of Montreal.
-The ghosts of the Queen’s Hotel, 2006-07, embroidery on tulle and organza, 144″x48″x24″
-The ghost of the Van Horne House, 2006-07, embroidery on tulle and organza, 60″x48″x24″
She has also created an extraordinary fabric tank for an exhibition.
“The massive work is both fragile and imposing as the shape of a tank is formed from translucent fabric held together by black thread. Deslaurier’s three-dimensional drawing treats a severe subject with delicacy and beauty as the hollow formation of the tank is understood in conjunction with the textile-artifact’s sheer size. It is as if the artist constructs the reality of war as something of a ghost in every person’s life.” – Design Boom review
Jannick Deslauriers was born in 1983 in Joliette, Québec. She lives and works in Montreal and teaches visual arts at Marie-Victorin College.
Her website is here.
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I really like the poppys. Very creative and beautiful
I agree. I would love to walk through the installation, the way the patron is shown in the Battlefield Poppies photo, above. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for visiting my space today…I will spend some time wandering about your home base for awhile! Love the fabric sculptures! Whimsical…and also incorporating materials so well!
This work has been a hands down favorite on the Canadian junkie blog for some time now. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of her sculptures. Thank you for visiting.
Unique.
Fine and delicate artwork.
Nice ot know thread/ fabric can be ‘sculptured’.
By the way, thanks for the like on my post, ” On the Keyboard”.
😉
Yes, it was a new concept to me that thread could be sculpted, as you say. I find her pieces breathtaking. Thanks for the comment.
Love these sculptures –ethereally suggestive yet solid!
I love that phrase: ethereally suggestive.
Haunting, beautiful, amazing. My husband and I had our honeymoon in Quebec, and I wish we could go back right this minute to see this work in person!
Just realized I had neglected to reply to your comment. Sorry. Yes they really are haunting, and I think going back to Quebec to see her work would be a great idea!
These sculptures are absolutely wonderful. They are just so stunning to see. Thanks for posting these
So glad you enjoyed them, and by the way, love your matchstick sculpture post.
That is amazing.
I know, isn’t it? Especially the tank. Thanks for visiting.
Absolutely stunning and amazing. The Battlefield Poppies will stay with me, but all of this work was amazing.
I’m so glad you stopped by, and that these works affected you this way. I agree she’s phenomenal. Thank you.
[…] recently learned of this artist through Canadian Art Junkie, an excellent site that does a fantastic job covering Canadian art/artists. These fragile fabric […]
Totally amazing! The essence of fragility yet the strength to hold form.
It’s great to hear from a fabric artist on this topic. Thank you. Good point about strength.
Again, thank you for the excellent commentary. It would be mesmerizing to walk through her poppy fields. Artistic endeavors are so incredibly varied. You are broadening our experiences by exposing us to the arts!
I wholeheartedly agree with the mesmerizing. I’d like to do that, too. And thank you so much for your kind comment, and your support. It’s very much appreciated.
Mouth dropping – in awe – brilliant. Yes I’d have to agree—the tank – the delicate fabric – is truly a contrast. The tank’s destructiveness and the fragility of life and how war destroys.
Exactly. The artistry of the tank makes you meld your traditional image of the powerful machinery of war with the wispy, fragments that represent the life it snuffs out.
That must take an unimaginable amount of patience. Wow!
Absolutely, but that’s what I’ve always imagined artistic drive results in. I can’t imagine how she conceived of all this in the first place, it’s so incredibly beautiful and creative.
I imagine that she thought of the idea for one piece and then all the other possibilites of other combinations came to her and it snowballed. I bet she’s got lots more ideas of things to do in the same way. Fantastic.
Hi,
Wow, I would of never believed someone could do this with fabric, very unique, and very well done. I especially like the poppy’s and the piano, just gorgeous.
The piano is my favorite. I imagine she has infinite patience, along with her vision.
These are gorgeous! I love the contrast of the soft translucent fabric vs. some of the subject matter like the tank.
Yes, absolutely with you on the contrast with the tank. If you click on the Design Boom review of the tank (http://bit.ly/x0xQ6X) there are more photos from that exhibit, showing the sheer fragility of the tank parts. Truly amazing. Thanks for commenting.
Fabric is such a wonder…the touch, color and texture of it…great stuff!
Yes, the more I learn about fibre and fabric art, the more fascinating I find it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
These are incredible! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the comment, wouldn’t you love to see them up close? I’m now watching for an exhibition near me.