Artist Claude Tousignant gets forged 12 times for articule's 'Les Faussaires' event

The open-access artist-run center articule will soon be celebrating an activity most art collectors would usually frown upon: the act of forgery. The gallery, known for housing the work of both emering and established artists, is about to toy with the dichotomies of real/fake and original/copy. Les Faussaires is an innovative event: part exhibition, part auction, and part fundraiser, it stems from the fact that renowned Quebec artist Claude Tousignant generously donated one of his pieces to articule. The gallery then invited twelve artists to each create a forgery of the original.

If you’ve ever stepped into the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, you’re familiar with Tousignant’s work: stark lines, electric colours that pop and undulate, and massive canvases. Some of his most famous pieces include Chromatic transformers, Chromatic accelerators, and Gongs. Of course, the title of the piece donated to articule will remain under wraps until the vernissage. At that point, the Tousignant piece will be displayed alongside the twelve forgeries. However, none of the works will be labeled, effectively erasing the distinction between original and copy, aura and anonymity. Some of the artists invited to participate in this show include Edwin Janzen, Graham Hall, karen elaine spencer, and Kristi Ropeleski (whom we profiled last year). The exhibit will culminate in a gala auction on November 26 hosted by the ineffable Jordan Arseneault. All funds raised during Les Faussaires will assist articule in its programming activities. Once all of the pieces have been auctioned off, only then will the authors’ identities be disclosed.

Les Faussaires
Exhibition | November 18 to 25
Auction registration begins on November 18
Opening Reception | Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m.
Gala event auction | Saturday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m.
articule | 262 Fairmount West