Exhibition: January 10 to February 1, 2014
Vernissage: Thursday Januray 9 at 6 pm
The McClure Gallery is pleased to present the work of Reuel Dechene in the exhibition Chase. The exhibition features approximately eight wall-mounted sculptures, each supporting upwards of 1000 miniature lights. The large scale constructions intrigue and provoke. Using his well-stocked toolbox – soldering iron, voltage meter, wire stripper, etc. – Dechene transforms vintage Formica panels, hubcaps, miniature Christmas lights and retro technology into animated light works in a dazzling array of flashing patterns.
Dechene takes advantage of the darkened gallery space. Light emerges soley from his wall mounted luminous installations. In their rhythmic pulsing flashes of light, they appeal both to our imagination and our memory; they are easily reminiscent of childhoold amusement parks, or a kind of “mini Las Vegas / mid 20th century Montreal,” to use the artist’s words.
Dechene’s installations also react to the presence and movement of the viewer. Moreover, each piece spells out phrases or words that evoke multiple associations and meanings and, no less, a kind of campy, kitschy, and at times ironic humour, offensive to some, delightful to others. “Through sculpture, I am singing an ode to the visual language of advertising and consumerism. The detritus of abandoned everyday objects is transformed and resurrected to breath new life,” explains Dechene. His work offers thus a spectacle that can be appreciated as much through the senses as the intellect. The reactions the work elicits are both numerous and strong.