A mentorship residency on the Toronto Islands has found its way back to Prince Albert through a new two-person exhibition at the Mann Art Gallery.
Gibraltar Point features work by Prince Albert artist Michel Boutin and northern Saskatchewan artist Tristen Durocher. The exhibition, curated by Jesse Campbell, grew out of a national artist residency that brought artists together at Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands.
Boutin, an independent artist living and working in Prince Albert, said the exhibition came from work he and Durocher developed through a mentorship residency.
“The Gibraltar Point exhibition is a kind of a unique exhibition,” Boutin said. “It’s a two-person exhibition, and it’s based around work that Tristen and I created while we were doing a mentorship residency.”
Boutin said the project began as a 10-month mentorship, mostly carried out through online discussion, before ending with a two-week residency on Toronto Island. He said the artists worked independently, each developing their own practice and ideas at their own pace.
For Boutin, the location itself became one of the strongest parts of the experience.
“It was interesting to be on that island, being somewhere caught between a rural and urban environment,” he said.
He said one side of the island offered a view of the city skyline and nearby industrial space, while the other side opened up to the beach and Lake Ontario.
“Most of us tended to spend most of our time on that side,” Boutin said.
Submitted photo/All My Relations Photography
Tristen Durocher performs fiddle during the opening reception for Gibraltar Point at the Mann Art Gallery.
That sense of place helped shape the work he brought back to Prince Albert. Boutin said he focused on performance and installation work during the residency, and brought that attention to place and experience into the exhibition at the Mann.
Durocher, who described himself as a photographer, musician and writer, said the residency brought together artists from across Canada and beyond. He said Boutin, as the mentor, chose him to accompany him to the residency.
“The island was very beautiful,” Durocher said. “The people were incredible.”
Durocher said his work in the exhibition reflects the gathering itself. He photographed some of the people involved in the residency, along with scenes from the island. He also included images from northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba.
“I photographed some of the people there and some of the scenes on the island,” he said.
While both artists responded to the same place, they did so in different ways. Boutin said his work came from an interaction with place and space, while Durocher’s photographs focused more on people, exchange and the shared experience of being there.
Durocher said Boutin’s work included charcoal drawings and visual art, while his own contribution included photographs and writing. He also brought his fiddle to the residency, although he said music was not the main focus of his work for the exhibition.
“I took my instrument there, but that wasn’t my primary focus, because I was there to photograph,” Durocher said.
Both artists also performed during the opening reception. Boutin said some of the sculptural pieces in the exhibition are objects connected to performance work, either from the current exhibition period or from past performances.
“For me, performance is about time and place and action,” he said.
Boutin said bringing the exhibition to Prince Albert was important because both artists have strong connections to the region.
“To us Prince Albert is kind of the hub city for both of our lived experiences,” he said.
He said residencies are meant to inspire artists to create new work, then carry those experiences back into their practice and communities.
“This is a way for us to try to encourage younger artists to see the possibilities in residencies and working in cohort with other artists,” Boutin said.
Gibraltar Point is on display at the Mann Art Gallery until Sept. 4.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
