FEIGN EDEN, FOR A TIME, AMID THE CHAOS
Martin Bureau
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
FEIGN EDEN, FOR A TIME, AMID THE CHAOS
A large circular table in the centre of a room recalls board meetings or diplomatic summits. But the charred chairs around it bear the scars of a disaster. A large circular table in the centre of a room recalls board meetings or diplomatic summits. But the charred chairs around it bear the scars of a disaster. A screen on the facing wall shows a sequence shot of the same table, with eight people defiantly staring each other down with pinched smiles and impassive expressions. Little by little, tempers flare to the point of ignition. Outside, all is war and chaos. Yet everyone acts as if nothing has happened: no fire, no flame. The camera rises to reveal this highly usual location, a bunker of people in suits whose heads are literally on fire.
Sounds emitted from the table in the room match the video feed. Flags of fictitious nations are erected around the table and line the façade outside, transforming EXMURO’s Aire publique into a false embassy and imposing their dubious ideology under the guise of virtuous ceremony. Their compositions combine references to the mining and military industries, banking and religious institutions, and the geopolitical conflicts that define our current times.
Year created: 2023-2025
Sounds emitted from the table in the room match the video feed. Flags of fictitious nations are erected around the table and line the façade outside, transforming EXMURO’s Aire publique into a false embassy and imposing their dubious ideology under the guise of virtuous ceremony. Their compositions combine references to the mining and military industries, banking and religious institutions, and the geopolitical conflicts that define our current times.
Year created: 2023-2025
Technical specifications
Materials: Chairs, table, audio and vibration system, screen, microphones, 8 flags, film
Number of items: 1
Notes: Indoor sculptural, video, and sound installation, which can also be expanded outdoors with the flags
Number of items: 1
Notes: Indoor sculptural, video, and sound installation, which can also be expanded outdoors with the flags
ARTISTE
MARTIN BUREAU, QUEBEC
With a background in painting, documentary film, and video installation, Martin Bureau’s multidisciplinary practice is informed by sociological reflections on geopolitics and the environment. His recent work proposes a “poetics of disaster” in response to the Anthropocene as a catastrophe foretold.
Martin Bureau lives and works in Québec, where he is represented by Chiguer Art Contemporain. He has exhibited in prestigious venues such as the MACVAL Contemporary Art Museum in Paris and Quinta Normal in Santiago. His paintings are notably included in the collections of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Desjardins, and Loto-Québec.
Martin Bureau lives and works in Québec, where he is represented by Chiguer Art Contemporain. He has exhibited in prestigious venues such as the MACVAL Contemporary Art Museum in Paris and Quinta Normal in Santiago. His paintings are notably included in the collections of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Desjardins, and Loto-Québec.
