Blue line extension — Five major Quebec artists selected to decorate the new stations

Press release

Ludovic Boney, Jocelyne Alloucherie, Alain Paiement, Marc Séguin and Nadia Myre are the five artists chosen to provide public artworks for the blue line extension.

Montréal, January 26, 2023 – The Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec (MCC) and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) are pleased to announce that, after a rigorous selection process conducted by the MCC and the Public Art Bureau of Montréal, five talented Quebec artists have been chosen to create unique artworks for each of the new stations of the extension. The artists are Ludovic Boney (Pie-IX station), Jocelyne Alloucherie (Viau station), Alain Paiement (Lacordaire station), Marc Séguin (Langelier station) and Nadia Myre (Anjou station). They will work with the design architects of the stations to align their artwork with the creative vision of the architects and the architecture of the site. This collaborative approach follows the principles of the network’s original design, which helped make the Montreal métro a unique, internationally admired underground network.

“The STM’s vision is to design the Blue line extension in a way that reflects the diversity of its customers and the rich identity of the neighbourhoods it will serve,” says Éric Alan Caldwell, Chairman of the STM Board of Directors. “It’s essential that each new station be integrated into the environment and urban fabric of Montréal’s east end. Adding artwork will allow each station to blend seamlessly into the neighbourhoods and Quebec culture.”

Marie-Claude Léonard, Chief Executive Officer of the STM, adds: “The Montreal métro is known for its rich architectural and artistic heritage, making it a true underground museum. We’re very proud to carry on this tradition with the Blue line extension, as having artwork in our stations enriches the travel experience of our customers.”

“The arts are particularly vibrant in Quebec, and the MCC’s Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics supports the creation and promotion of artwork by Quebec artists. The MCC is passionate about supporting its partners in implementing this policy, which will make it possible to discover new artworks by talented local artists as part of the Blue line extension. We’ve had the pleasure of working with the STM at every step of this process, and I would like to congratulate all the artists who participated in the project,” said Mathieu Lacombe, Minister of Culture and Communications, Minister Responsible for Youth, and Minister Responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region and the Outaouais Region.

Artists

Pie-IX station: Ludovic Boney
Born in 1981 in the Huron-Wendat community of Wendake, near Quebec City, Ludovic Boney was raised and went to school in the province’s capital. The artist has long been drawn to public art, namely “art that is accessible to the users of our parks, streets and cities.” Since 2015, he has been based in Lévis, where he works on large-scale public art projects and regularly exhibits his work in galleries and artist-run centres.

Viau station: Jocelyne Alloucherie
Jocelyne Alloucherie lives and works in Montréal.  Through complex configurations, her work explores conceptual and poetic notions of images, objects and places. Her work can be found in many art centres and galleries in New York and Montréal, but also across Canada, France, Italy and Spain, to name a few. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2008.

Lacordaire station: Alain Paiement
Alain Paiement was born in Montréal in 1960, where he currently lives and works, having spent over a decade in Europe. He is an adjunct professor at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques of the Université du Québec à Montréal. His practice has spanned painting, installation, photography and video, with an ongoing interest in geography and mapping processes.

Langelier station: Marc Séguin
Marc Séguin was born in Ottawa in 1970. He received his BFA from Concordia University, where he studied under Guido Molinari. He currently lives and works in Montréal. In 1996, his first solo exhibition featured large-scale paintings with astonishing plastic features. He is also the author of several novels.

Anjou station: Nadia Myre
Born in 1974 in Montréal, Nadia Myre is an Indigenous visual artist from Quebec. Her practice explores the themes of identity, resilience and politics of belonging. She has received many awards and public recognition. Her work can be found in museum collections across the country and internationally. Myre is an assistant professor of Studio Art at Concordia University and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts Practice.

A careful selection

To be considered, artists had to be registered in the MCC’s artist database. A committee created by the MCC first narrowed down the list of more than 600 applicants to 20 names. These artists were then asked to submit a proposal outlining their artistic vision for the new stations, remaining anonymous in the process. For each station, the jury, which included the station’s design architect, selected one artist. The STM would like to thank the MCC and the other jury members for their contributions throughout the process.

In the coming months, artists and design architects will work together to enrich the design of the future stations with their vision, expertise, talent and ideas. The collaboration between the two disciplines, which characterizes the Montréal métro, is at the heart of a new architectural policy currently being developed by the STM.

PHOTOS

Jocelyne Alloucherie

Ludovic Boney

Nadia Myre

Alain Paiement

Marc Séguin

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Source : medias@stm.info