Outdoor installation at Remai Modern offers space for public to interact with art
For immediate release — May 18, 2021
SASKATOON, CANADA — This month, Remai Modern opens its first commissioned outdoor installation. Va-et-Vient (Coming and Going) by artist José Luis Torres will be situated on the western grounds of the museum, the future site of the Sculpture Garden.
“In a moment where gathering outside is our safest option, working with José Luis Torres, who is known for his playful and considerate engagement with outdoor environments, is a great fit for our summer season,” said Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh, Remai Modern’s Co-Executive Director & CEOs. “His brightly coloured, modular boardwalk will offer a place for exploration and relaxation.”
Using this site for experimentation, exchange and sharing, Torres presents a space where all encounters are possible. The work invites visitors to consider the possibilities of artwork situated in a public space, inviting participation and unexpected experiences.
Va-et-vient (Coming and Going) is made up of simple platforms that fold and unfold like pieces of a giant, multi-coloured origami. The artist aims to provide a welcome respite and a safe, socially distant art experience for all ages. This playful installation adapts to the public space, emerging from the landscape like an oasis of colours. The work invites visitors to slow down, enjoy a break and rethink the way we inhabit the world.
“I love how Torres uses familiar objects to transform spaces. The installation here isn’t about what you see, but how you see the space differently and how the installation encourages you to use the space in a new way,” said Sandra Fraser, Curator (Collections). “Va-et-vient (Coming and Going) is going to wake up a space that is normally very quiet.”
Va-et-Vient (Coming and Going) will be on view from May 22-October 11 and is free to visit.
About José Luis Torres
José Luis Torres (b. 1968, Argentina) has a Bachelor’s Degree in visual arts, a Master’s Degree in sculpture and training in architecture and integrating art with architecture. He has lived and worked in Québec since 2003. He has exhibited widely throughout Canada, including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Quebec, the Koffler Gallery in Toronto, the Oxygen Art Centre in Nelson, BC and Latitude 53 Contemporary Visual Culture in Edmonton.
About Remai Modern
Remai Modern is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Traditional Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to First Nations and Métis ancestors and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Remai Modern is a new museum of modern and contemporary art in Saskatoon.
The museum is committed to affirming the powerful role that art and artists play in questioning, interpreting and defining the modern era. Open since October 2017, Remai Modern is the largest contemporary art museum in western Canada and houses a collection of more than 8,000 works, including the world’s foremost collection of Picasso linocut prints. Remai Modern would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Frank & Ellen Remai Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, SaskCulture through the Sask Lotteries Fund, SaskArts and the City of Saskatoon.
For additional information contact:
Stephanie McKay, Communications Manager
306.975.2242
smckay@remaimodern.org