Rétrospective Pierre Ayot
La Croix du Mont Royal
Curators—Marthe Carrier and Nicolas Mavrikakis
- Public Art
TRIBUTE TO PIERRE AYOT
and to all those who support freedom of expression
To pay tribute to Pierre Ayot is primarily to salute his practice, which is still alive and well, but as well to recognize his ability to gather the artistic community and make art a fertile ground for the exchange of ideas, even the most singular! -The immense support we have received for the recreation of La croix du mont Royal strongly reaffirms the importance of freedom of the expression and creation. -For all this we express our gratitude.
La Croix du Mont-Royal is a scaled replica of the cross overlooking Mount Royal since 1924. This legendary work by Pierre Ayot (in collaboration with Denis Forcier) was originally conceived for Corridart, a public art exhibition spreading several kilometers over Sherbrooke Street as part of the 1976 Olympic Games. Remembering that the mayor of Montréal at the time, Jean Drapeau, destroyed the works of Corridart (curated by Melvin Charney) a few hours before the opening of the Games.—As Ayot wanted, the cross seemed to have rested a few moments at the foot of the mountain... In 1976, it was shown on McGill University grounds. In 2016, it lies near the Hôtel-Dieu buildings and Religeuses Hospitalières St-Joseph.—Ayot's approach was close to Pop Art, a movement that quoted images known to all to show them in a different context. Placed in front of buildings whose future is uncertain, after several hundred years of use, this work takes on an additional meaning. What should we do with our cultural and religious heritage? With this recreation of Ayot's work, we invite citizens to reflect on this important issue.
—Original text in French by MARTHE CARRIER ET NICOLAS MAVRIKAKIS
Galerie B-312 thanks all its members and donators, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Conseil des arts de Montréal, Canada Arts Council, Ville de Montréal and ministère de la Culture et des Communications, for their support. The gallery extends its gratitude particularly to those who made the recreation of Pierre Ayot’s La croix du mont Royal possible: over 200 donators, the Mount Royal Plateau borough, Ville de Montréal, Conseil des arts de Montréal, Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal, UQAM’s faculty for the arts, la Fabrique culturelle, Infravert, RCAAQ, RAAV and Succession Pierre Ayot. Nicolas Mavrikakis and Marthe Carrier would like to thank Madeleine Forcier, Yan Romanesky, Isabelle Guimond, Yuri Tremblay, Francyne Lord, Julie Boucher, Mayor Luc Ferrandez, France St- Jean, Christine Gosselin, Louise-Hélène Lefebvre, Lyne Olivier, Nathalie Saindon, Joanne Germain, Emmanuel Galland, Bastien Gilbert, Bernard Guérin, Olivier Lapierre, Laetitia Leclerc and Jean-François Belisle.
