About —
The exhibition En marge et en vie (On the margins and alive) contains a proposition from each of the 39 participants in the Impatients workshops at the Musée d’art de Joliette. Inspired by margins and their many changing delineations, the exhibition presents an ode to the marginalized, to the misunderstood, to the bold, and to colourful spirits. The margin is presented as the place where people confront the limits, defy the norms, discover new pathways. Those who immerse themselves in it may navigate troubled waters, but the journey is not in vain. Their productions and creative development open new doors, break through limits, and redefine normality. Their affirmative presence helps society discover the beauty that can come from differences and enables future generations to look forward to living with less prejudice, in an open, inclusive, and caring world.
Marginal people are our warriors, our explorers, our creators, our bright colours.
First established at the Musée d’art de Joliette in 2015, Les Impatients is an organization that helps people struggling with mental health issues through creative art workshops. These workshops are made possible thanks to the support of the Fondation pour la Santé du Nord de Lanaudière and the Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSS) of Lanaudière. With their talent and their sensitivity, the participants make a significant impact and add a singular touch of colour to life at the MAJ.
I like to see things inside out, as they are in that other reality, stripped of its facade, the reverse of appearances, the dark face of the obvious.
I get lost in the woods, I leave the path to better find myself. I turn the spyglass around to find a universe, macro and micro, the infinite beauty of things.
I play with problems as with a Rubik’s Cube, I solve by reversing.
I welcome the unpredictable, I buddy up with chance, I travel on the back of the wind.
Conventional people bore me, the drab depresses me, standardization terrifies me.
Mother Authority always singles me out from the sheepish lot, throws me to the jackals.
The jackals recognize me and we dance together for the survival of bright colours.
— Claire, artist (Les Impatients)
This exhibition project is made possible thanks to the donation made in memory of Mrs. Juanita Toupin.
Read wall labels
The artists
Alain, Aline, Bob L’étrange, Capri, Chantal, Claire, Émilie, François Brunet, François St-Gelais “Corso”, Ghyslain Giroux, Ginette, Isidore Gravel, Jano, Josée Brûlé, L.S., Linda Dussault, Mado, Manon, Manon Prud’homme, Marie-Judith, Marleen Rasset, Martin Gagnon, MDP, Nath, Nancy, Norm, Philippe Gagnon Marchand, Pierre Fournier, Richère Poissant, Roland Mainville, S.T.P., SCéGé, Stef, Tamara, Vivaldo, Yanka and Zlad le tike.
Images in the banner:
Views from the Fall opening at the Musée d’art de Joliette, 2022. Photo: Romain Guilbault
François St-Gelais « Corso », Envers…en vers, graphite on paper.