Games of la
Francophonie
Fresh Artwork in the Village
October 2, 2009 In parallel with the permanent exhibition by participants in the photography, painting and sculpture competition at the Palais Unesco, artists are creating œuvres fraîches ("fresh artwork") right here in the Village.
Benjamin Rodger, Team Canada candidate in painting, was at work when we approached him for an interview about his work. "I'm really enjoying working on this painting in the beautiful setting of the Faculty of Fine Arts, even though I've had to adapt to the tools and the paint they provide us," he said. He takes his inspiration from the work of Canadian painter and sculptor Marcel Barbeau and makes historical references to Goya and the American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell. He says he is always looking for visual concepts that combine decorative forms with a figure that often surrounds the portrait.
The workshop next door is a little noisier, with sounds of sculptors working with machines to cut wood and metal. There we find our candidate, Sara Beck, who has chosen to create an ephemeral work: a Lebanese banknote made entirely of sand. "My art makes a political statement. The idea decides the medium: whether I work in photography, sculpture, or something else." She adds that there is a connection between the Dirty Loony sculpture that she is exhibiting at the Palais Unesco and her fresh art, which incorporates "historical Lebanese elements, such as the world's first writing."