PATRICK BERNATCHEZ AND ADRIEN LUCCA TO PRODUCE PUBLIC ARTWORKS FOR THE BRUSSELS AND MONTRÉAL MÉTROS

Brussels and Montréal, October 9, 2015 – As part of their cultural exchange, Bruxelles Mobilité and Société de transport de Montréal (STM) today confirmed that new public artworks are currently being produced for the Brussels and Montréal métros. Montréal artist Patrick Bernatchez will adorn Brussels’ Trône station with his creation, while Franco-Belgian artist Adrien Lucca is to reciprocate with an artwork for Montréal’s Place-d’Armes station.

The Montréal métro will be 50 years old on October 14, 2016. In preparation for this important anniversary and in the wake of the cultural exchange with the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (RATP) completed in 2012, the STM took steps to enter into another such exchange with the Brussels métro, as it will mark its 40^th anniversary on September 20, 2016. Trône station in Brussels and Place-d’Armes station in Montréal were chosen for their strategic location in the city and because they did not yet have a work of art.

Patrick Bernatchez

An open competition launched in 2014 led to Patrick Bernatchez being selected to produce an artwork for Trône station in the Brussels métro. This self-taught artist lives and works in Montréal, where he was born in 1972. His work showcases his mastery of various media, including drawing, painting, photography, installation and video, and will be highlighted in an exhibition at Montréal’s Musée d’art contemporain from October 17, 2015 to January 10, 2016.

For Trône métro station, Patrick Bernatchez offers a composition that occupies the two portals dominating the train platforms. Closely integrated into the balustrade and handrail, his artwork features several materials including glass, bronze and wood. It draws its inspiration from actual stories in Belgian and Canadian history, which the artist interprets by relating the human experience in a poetic fashion.

Adrien Lucca

Originally granted to Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, the mission to create and produce an artwork for Place-d’Armes station in the Montréal métro was eventually entrusted by Bruxelles Mobilité to artist Adrien Lucca. For several years, this Franco-Belgian artist has been developing his artistic practice (drawings, installations, publications and conferences) around the scientific study of the use of light and colour.

For the mezzanine in Place-d’Armes station, Adrien Lucca offers Soleil de minuit (midnight sun), a work of art that consists of 14 stained glass panels backlit by LEDs. As its name suggests, the artwork refers to the moment during the summer solstice when the sun rises in Brussels as it is midnight in Montréal. To do this, the artist recorded the sunlight in Brussels at several times on June 21, 2015. Through his artwork, he intends to transpose this moment in the Montréal station and perpetuate the link between the two cities.

Both artworks will be installed and inaugurated in the fall of 2016, in time for the 40^th anniversary of the Brussels métro and the 50^th anniversary of the Montréal métro.

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