Trace – Dominique Blain

Trace

A trace is an imprint or mark that attests to the former existence of creatures, whether human or animal, and things. Because traces are survivals from another time, they sometimes need to be reinterpreted in order to be correctly understood. The vestiges of the past serve as reference points in the construction of individual and group memory. Whether in the social sciences or the arts, issues related to the concept of the trace speak to the process through which the past is (re)presented and decoded. By exploring the realm of memory, artists inquire into our relationship with the past and the ways in which we gain access to it by using what remains of it. In the process, we catch a glimpse of the extent to which it continues to act upon our own time.
A trace is an imprint or mark that attests to the former existence of creatures, whether human or animal, and things. Because traces are survivals from another time, they sometimes need to be reinterpreted in order to be correctly understood. The vestiges of the past serve as reference points in the construction of individual and group memory. Whether in the social sciences or the arts, issues related to the concept of the trace speak to the process through which the past is (re)presented and decoded. By exploring the realm of memory, artists inquire into our relationship with the past and the ways in which we gain access to it by using what remains of it. In the process, we catch a glimpse of the extent to which it continues to act upon our own time.

© Galerie de l'UQAM 2007. All rights reserved

Monuments

Sculpture: wood, rope, metal

428 x 704 x 81 cm

Photographs: emulsion on matte film mounted on canvas

varied dimensions

Aritst: Dominique Blain, Photos: Galerie de l’UQAM and Patrick Altman (MNBAQ)
Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec [97.219], anonymous gift.

© SODART 2007

Description

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Read More
With Monuments, Dominique Blain enclosed a series of 12 photographs and a massive crate made from old planks bound with rope. The crate, a replica of the one used to transport Titian’s Assumption from the galleries of the Venice Academy to successive safe houses during World War I (1914-1918), suggested the presence of the celebrated painting. For their part, the photographs attested to the efforts made to save this and other pieces of Italian heritage (they were taken from a book devoted to the fate of Italian monuments during wartime). By incorporating these first-hand images into her work, Blain gave them new meaning and allowed viewers to see how art contains a symbolic power bound up with identity. The scale of the piece was designed to raise questions about the fate of art subjected to the same perils as human life. The installation

illustrated how we try to protect objects that we take to be national treasures.


© Galerie de l'UQAM 2007. All rights reserved

Titian's Assumption at the Doors of the Academy

Titian's Assumption at the Doors of the Academy

Aritst: Dominique Blain, Photos: Galerie de l’UQAM and Patrick Altman (MNBAQ)
Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec [97.219], anonymous gift.

emulsion on matte film mounted on canvas
© SODART 2007

The Convoy of the Assumption at the Boat Bridge at Ostiglia

The Convoy of the Assumption at the Boat Bridge at Ostiglia

Aritst: Dominique Blain, Photos: Galerie de l’UQAM and Patrick Altman (MNBAQ)
Collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec [97.219], anonymous gift.
1997 - 1998
emulsion on matte film mounted on canvas
© SODART 2007

Biography – Dominique Blain

Dominique Blain lives and works in Montréal. She works in that particular branch of art that is often described as political, exploring and reflecting on the social relationships and political institutions and ideologies that have marked the 20th century and still shape our world today. She has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

selected exhibitions
2004 Dominique Blain : Monuments, Galerie de l’UQAM, Montréal (Québec) [Louise Déry, curator] Dominique Blain, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montréal (Québec) [Réal Lussier, curator] 2000 Dominique Blain: Inscape, University Art Gallery, San Diego (United States) 1998 Chorus, during Artranspennine 98, The Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester (England) 1997 Dominique Blain : Médiation, Ansel Adams Center for Photography, San Francisco (United States) organized by Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec [Louise Déry, curator]
Dominique Blain lives and works in Montréal. She works in that particular branch of art that is often described as political, exploring and reflecting on the social relationships and political institutions and ideologies that have marked the 20th century and still shape our world today. She has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

selected exhibitions
  • 2004 Dominique Blain : Monuments, Galerie de l’UQAM, Montréal (Québec) [Louise Déry, curator]
  • Dominique Blain, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montréal (Québec) [Réal Lussier, curator]
  • 2000 Dominique Blain: Inscape, University Art Gallery, San Diego (United States)
  • 1998 Chorus, during Artranspennine 98, The Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester (England)
  • 1997 Dominique Blain : Médiation, Ansel Adams Center for Photography, San Francisco (United States) organized by Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec [Louise Déry, curator]

© Galerie de l'UQAM 2007. All rights reserved

Learning Objectives

The learner will:
  • demonstrate an understanding of how science and art can be linked;
  • try to explain the state of mind of the artist when she made this art piece.
Teachers' Centre Home Page | Find Learning Resources & Lesson Plans | Share Lessons and Create Projects | Interact in Your Online Classroom