September 6 to October 13, 2019
To kick off the season, Materia is proud to present Quand les arcs-en-ciel pleurent des bonbons (When rainbows cry candies) by Magali Thibault Gobeil.
Quand les arcs-en-ciel pleurent des bonbons is a foray into Magali Thibault Gobeil’s enchanted universe. In her solo exhibit, the artist is presenting flagship pieces from her fine jewellery practice in a joyous wild spirit. She is offering sinuous smooth jewels, in which synthetic resins and plastic material are elevated at the level of precious materials. Magali Thibault Gobeil is presenting oversized pieces and punctuating her path with suspended sculptures and colored squirts.
Quand les arcs-en-ciel pleurent des bonbons is part of a series of projects initiated at La Guilde (Montréal) in 2018 with Et si les nuages étaient de la barbe à papa. The evocative, surprising titles call for expansive imagination and foray into the world of dreams, childhood, and sweet memories. Beyond the presentation of unique pieces stemming from technical know-how, the artist has designed spatial layouts in which the environment of the gallery is exploited to its full potential. Like candies, the pieces attract curious glances and well-assured sensuality.
By investing the gallery, Magali is looking to wrap you up in happiness. Like green spots at the heart of cities, the exhibit is an island of joy amidst the daily frenzy. For a moment, the artist invites you to try on her pink glasses and immerge yourself in a dose of fantasy…
Artist statement
Excess, joy, freedom could sum up Magali Thibault Gobeil’s artist statement. A tireless creator, she offers exuberant-looking round and sinuous pieces in vivid colors. Her works call for touching and well-assured materiality. Shiny, smooth or hard, they arise instinctively but may evoke candies or splashes.
In her “ready-to-feast”, material research is never left to chance. Her studio is a playground, a constant test bed where colors spill and mingle. Made of synthetic and pigmented materials, Magali Thibault Gobeil’s jewels are shaped in a spontaneous, vigorous gesture. Smoothness and shine dominate the textures, resulting in a nearly psychedelic effect.
To the artist, works must be self-sufficient and instill a resolutely playful spirit. Magali fully assumes her good-natured spirit and likes to believe that her pieces can bring a little joy to those who wear or admire them. Her creation happiness unavoidably carries on to the exhibition room, where her spatial layout becomes a staging of excess and sweet madness. It is not only about presenting jewels, but about celebrating them!
Biography
A graduate from the École de joaillerie de Montréal in 2013, Magali Thibault Gobeil leads a career in which formal research and exuberance are at the heart of practice. As soon as she finished school, her work was noticed and rewarded in Canada and abroad. She was a finalist at the Niche Student Awards (USA) in 2013 and at the Arts and Craft Awards (Croatia) in 2014. More recently, she received the prestigious Prix François-Houdé (2017) awarded by the Ville de Montréal in collaboration with the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec.
A tireless researcher, Magali keeps training, taking workshops and master’s classes. She also teaches at the École de joaillerie de Montréal and other venues in her city, sharing her expertise on the use of resins and Plexiglas. Her work in fine jewellery has been showcased nationally as well as internationally. In recent years, Magali has taken part in numerous exhibitions including SOFA Chicago (USA), Parcours Bijoux (France), The Canadian Craft Biennial (Canada), Joya (Spain), Autor (Romania), Art + Jewelry: Intersecting Spaces (Benaki museum, Greece) and La Guilde (Montreal). Her work is now represented by the L.A. Pai Gallery (Ottawa) as well as the Noel Guyomarc’h gallery (Montreal).