Daniel-Jean Primeau studied ethnology, linguistics and communications at the Université de Montréal. It was upon his return from Egypt, where he had served as expedition leader on several excavations, that he grew increasingly committed to sculptural work. He won a number of significant awards such as the Prix Confrontation 84, named for a sculpture exhibition held at Place Ville-Marie in Montreal (1984), and a grant from the Ministère de la Culture du Québec for a project entitled Mémoire vivante (1994). Throughout his practice, which consists in “slicing” everyday objects, he reflects upon overconsumption and the compartmentalization of daily activities. By cutting up source objects and vertically stacking them like geological layers, he enables viewers to see their exterior and interior in a single glance. His sculptures thus elevate worldly things above their primary function and imbue them with a certain abstract, sacred quality.
SEE:
« Un point de vue tranchant » by Mona Hakim, ESPACE #18, p. 50.
« Daniel-Jean Primeau » by Anne Morasse, ESPACE #51, p. 35.
« Sadness and Excitement in Gatineau » by Serge Fisette, ESPACE #85, p. 5.