Veamos Juntos | Let's Look Together
May 5th - June 4th, 2023
Jeanie Riddle
Curatorial Text by Philippe Bourdeau
Inspired by her stay in the "Roma Sur" neighbourhood of Mexico City, the exhibition "Veamos Juntos", which means "Let's Look Together", showcases the work of artist Jeanie Riddle.
Taking the title from a poem by Susana Thénon (1935-1991), the exhibition conceptualizes the closed nighttime covered street markets, the graphic elements of graffiti and handwritten signs, broken sidewalks overrun by tree roots, and everything the artist visualizes and projects in her works through these elements.
The artist's works, displayed on various presentation elements like a street kiosk, offer a range of Riddle's work, revealing the different forms of her practice.
This exhibition is the result of research and exploration of the materials that surround us. True to her modus operandi and heavily influenced by her "upcycling" practice, the content of the exhibited works leads us to meditate on our consumption habits.
Blurring the boundary between painting and sculpture, the inherent characteristics of the works oscillate between utilitarian and art objects. The idea here is to create utilitarian and architectural subterfuges that evolve the works in the gallery by reconfiguring the space. Playing on deployment, Riddle generates a space for encounters and exchanges, allowing her works to open up to the world rather than remaining confined to their specific dimensions.
By saturating the white cube, the epicentre of her creative universe, with colours, Riddle reinforces the impact of her use on our senses and the ensuing imprint. The works thus operate in a dual sense, the paintings offering us the opportunity to discover their hidden truth, as well as to discern those they cannot fully express.
The aesthetics of the works instill in us to keep in mind that the artist's work always has an underlying dimension that goes beyond their appearances. For Riddle, despite the aesthetic aspect of her paintings, they always have political content. They act in the same way as the euphemistic and intangible aspect of the artist's work, translated here in pictorial form, referring us to its invisible and immaterial side.
About the artist:
Jeanie Riddle holds an MFA from Concordia University (Montréal, 2005). She has attended residencies at El Sur, Mexico City MX; Casa Lü, Mexico City MX; Bemis Center, Omaha US; Cite des Arts Internationale, Paris FR; Triangle Arts, Brooklyn US; and the Vermont Studio Center US. Riddle’s work has been shown across Canada, as well as internationally, in Mexico City MX, Brussels BE, Berlin DE, and Paris FR. Her projects have been repeatedly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec. A professional cultural worker, Riddle was the founding director of Parisian Laundry, where she helped propel numerous artists’ careers. Riddle has worked as a consultant, juror, educator and writer. Jeanie currently lives and works between Montréal and Mexico City.
