Gilles Mihalcean

Exhibition views Works Biography Videos Publication

Past exhibition

Gilles Mihalcean

Reversals and diversions

October 15th 2021 to January 16th 2022

"Mihalcean creates his sculptures primarily through the assemblage of heterogeneous elements, which, gathered up, form a new entity; the properties of the forms and materials used are diverted from their primary function and together produce a new object that is at once imaginary and metaphorical. The artist thereby opens his work to multiple interpretations that act through effects of surprise, unsettling the spectator."

Excerpt from Gilles Mihalcean and Our States of Being by Isabelle de Mévius

1700 La Poste is pleased to present an exhibition dedicated to Montreal sculptor Gilles Mihalcean.

Bringing together more than thirty works created between 1991 and 2021, the exhibition is articulated around the concepts of reversal and redirection. Mihalcean devises imaginary, playful constructions that meld various artistic styles. In works assembled from found and made objects, he modifies the primary function of the elements deployed, diverting their meaning. Confounding our perceptions, his works become visual metaphors, with as many possible narratives as there are viewpoints.

Recognized for his contribution to the revival of sculpture in the 1980s, Mihalcean takes a poetic and narrative approach to art. With strong roots in Quebec culture, he sets out to provoke critical thought about the nature of the self and its relation to society.

Exhibition views

Gilles Mihalcean exhibition at 1700 La Poste, photo: Guy L'Heureux

Works

Gilles Mihalcean, Septembre 2001, passage à tabac, 2021, Wood, metal, paint and flashlight, 163 x 60 x 86 cm, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Gilles Mihalcean, Le nouveau paysage, 1991 - 2021, Plaster, paint and sisal, 178 x 50,8 x 52 cm, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Gilles Mihalcean, Le nouveau paysage (detail), 1991 - 2021, Plaster, paint and sisal, 178 x 50,8 x 52 cm, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Gilles Mihalcean, Corps céleste, 2020, Wood, rubber and paint, 51 x 51 x 59 cm, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Gilles Mihalcean, Buste, 2020, Wood and paint, 119 x 56 x 59 cm, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Gilles Mihalcean, Crâne, 2021, Pulp epoxy, stainless steel and paint, 60.25 x 35 in. irregular diameter, Photography © Richard-Max Tremblay

Biography

Portrait of Gilles Mihalcean, photo: Beatrice Flynn

Photo credit: Beatrice Flynn

Born in Montreal in 1946, Gilles Mihalcean has been practicing sculpture for over fifty years. Armed with great know-how, he has achieved national and international acclaim. In 1969, he completes his first artwork (Cancer, 1969), which is acquired by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal the same year. His career as a professional artist is marked by numerous awards and grants. He is notably the laureate of the prix Victor-Martyn-Lynch-Staunton from the Canada Council for the Arts (1987), the Jean-Paul Riopelle career grant (2005-2007), the Paul-Émile Borduas Award (2011) and, recently, he is awarded a honoris causa doctorate from Concordia University (2019). Gilles Mihalcean is represented by the Laroche/Joncas Gallery. Gilles Mihalcean’s sculptures were shown in several solo and collective exhibitions in Quebec, Canada, the United States, France and Italy. Notably, his work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in 1995. Many of his public art projects adorn the Quebec landscape, including La peur (place D’Youville, 1993), Monument à la Pointe (Pointe-Saint-Charles, 2001), Printemps (Centre universitaire de santé McGill, 2014), Paquets de lumière (Quartier des spectacles, 2017) and recently Androïdes (Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, 2021).

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