In the 1990s, Jocelyn Philibert was known for his sculptures and installations. However, since the early 2000s, his practice has been focused primarily on photography. Indeed, he now creates sophisticated large-scale photomontages made from hundreds of flash photos—photos taken at night and assembled during the day, the light of the sun now replacing its artificial counterpart.
Certain “obsessions” are ubiquitous throughout Philibert’s career, both as a sculptor and photographer: the ideas of truth and falsehood; and the fictional nature of representation. Despite the flat nature of the photographer’s medium—whether paper, canvas or vinyl—Philibert continues to question the materiality and three-dimensionality of the photographed object, notably with his characteristic landscapes usually featuring a large, majestic tree. These images arouse strong feelings in the viewer, reminding us that the term “landscape” evokes both outside space and its pictorial depiction. Invited as we are to contemplate these large-scale photographs, the viewer may wonder exactly what they are looking at: the landscape, or it’s flattened representation? In this striking fascination for landscape and its double meaning, we find a concentrate of Philibert’s singular practice as a sculptor turned photographer, and his skilful exploration of a recurring idea throughout the history of art: the complex overlapping of the second and third dimensions in the human mind.
Jocelyn Philibert – Dimension lumière
EXPRESSION, Centre d’exposition de Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
Du 9 novembre au 26 janvier 2020
