BOUCHARD, Carl & DUFRASNE, Martin

Simultaneously sarcastic, tender and insolent, the work of Bouchard and Dufrasne always demonstrates the implication of the Other, either through direct use of selected participants to contribute to the unfolding of the action, or by a demanding request to viewers who, generally perceived as passive, are then made aware of their unavoidable participation in the completion of the work. Successively imposing on the viewer the roles of voyeur, accomplice, judge and witness, Bouchard and Dufrasne provoke a reflection on the notions of receptivity and responsibility. Joining specificities of performance (authenticity, risk taking and presence) to those of theatre (poetical and meaningful drifts), their work is infused with the idea of surpassing oneself and getting into action while testing social and political preconceptions.

Since 1998, Carl Bouchard and Martin Dufrasne have shared a common interdisciplinary practice parallel to their individual ones. Their photographs, installations, videos and performances have been presented in 30 exhibitions and events in Canada (Québec, Ontario, New Brunswick) and also France, Colombia, Wales and Cuba. As a duo they have presented over 100 works dealing with identity, otherness, duality and power games, as well as notions of collective living and engagement.

Christine Korte’s eyewitness account
Sylvie Ferré compte témoin