Joan Cullen
Biography
Artist's Statement
Philosophy and travel have been constants in my pictorial research but it was during a long sejour in rural France that I learned the exotic character of everyday life. Painting and drawing have become a means of attaining a quality of attention that seems to go underneath language and ground it.
One elects oneself to do this work and then it must be assumed. Certain works (“Bangkok”, “Entre Montréal et Québec”) name the places that are at once the landmarks of a permanent exile and the subject itself; others (“Champ aux marmottes”, “Hillsborough River”) wrestle with the desire to approach or even get inside the subject. Against formulas and like violence, I propose with Paul Klee an endless study of the nature of nature ...
Exhibitions
"Crossing the great waters, Traverser les grandes eaux", Gallery Arcturus Toronto, May 3 to June 24, 2014.
"Le temps soustrait la vérité aux atteintes de l'envie et de la discorde", Médiathèque de Gignac, France, February 14 to March 22, 2014.
FAVA, Caraquet, June 2013.
"Traverser les grandes eaux, Crossing the Great Waters", Confédération Centre Gallery, Charlottetown, PEI, June 12 to October 10, 2012.
Residency at the Théâtre de la Fonderie au Mans and exhibition at Galerie Municipale de la Mairie du Mans, "Quatre Vents", February to August, 2011.
Beijing International Art Biennale, National Museum of China, Beijing, China, September-October 2010.
Gallery 18, New London, Farmer's Bank Museum, Rustico, P.E.I.
"Berlin to Brackley Beach via Beijing and Crete", Howes Hall Gallery, Brackley Beach, August 2009.
"Wrestling with Daemons, Jeux du destin", Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada, November 2008 to January 2009.
"Attendant Spirits", Galerie F92, Berlin, Germany, August to October, 2008.
Beijing International Art Biennale, National Museum of China, Beijing, China, July to August, 2008.
"The Construction of Islandness", Kier Gallery, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July, 2007."Que défendirent-ils?" Galerie phot’eil, Fabrezan, visual projection for the Commemoration of the 1907 wine producer revolt. “Errance" Arcturus Gallery,,Toronto. April-June, 2005."Sauta Roc" Galerie municipale de St-Guilhem-le-Désert , France, June, 2005.
“World Enough, and Time.” Annex Art Centre, Toronto, December, 2004.
“Rideaux entre nécessité et futilité", Festival des Arts visuels de Caraquet. July, 2002.
“État des Lieux” Galerie d’Art de l’Université de Moncton, “Illuminations, Enluminures”, Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, January to February, 2002.
“Illuminations”, Lunenburg Gallery , September, 2001.
“Sud-Est, Est", Fondation Avicenne, Paris, November, 2000.
“Trees and Hedges: Land Art Project”, Gallery in the Guild ,Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. May 2000. Proposal to plant a twelve kilometer traditional hedge (three levels of vegetation with Acadian forest essences) along the Charlottetown By-Pass.
"Identités hasardeuses", Exhibition during Philosophy Conference "Le Monde Le Mans", Congress and Culture Centre, Le Mans, France, October to December, 1998.
"Points Cardinaux", (Cardinal Points), Institute of Fine Arts, Sfax; Museum of Mahdia, Tunisia, March-April, 1998. Municipal Gallery, La Chapelle-des-Marais and Pornichet Municipal Gallery, Pornichet, France, June to September,1998.
"Hazardous Identities" Gallery in the Guild, Charlottetown, Canada, September, 1997.
"Repères Quotidiens" Université du Maine, France 1996, Prieuré de Vivoin, France, 1995, Maison du Canada, Cité universitaire, Paris, 1995.
"A Hedge Where Once A Wall, Eine Hecke, Wo einst eine Maure War. Exhibition of land art; project to plant a traditional Celtic hedge where the Berlin Wall was… change a cement wall into a hedge of Oak, Beech, Ash, Blackthorn, Wild Cherry, Spruce, Poplar, Linden, Hornbeam, Boxtree , Hazelnut … on three levels. The Celts referred to these hedges as “the part of the gods”. Gallery am Weissensee, Berlin, June, 1994.
“Rencontres Canada Tunisie", Exhibition, Espace Sophonisbe, Carthage and participation at the Colloque: Art and the Spectator, University of Tunis, guest of the Canadian Embassy in Tunisia, Tunis, February 1994.
“Exotique rural", Le Mans, France, 1993.
“Champs animaliers", Angers, France and Interkuli, Cologne, Germany, 1992.
Solo and group exhibitions in Bogotá, Charlottetown, Hull, Montréal and Toronto, 1982-1985.
Education Masters in Philosophy, Aesthetics, La Sorbonne, Paris: “Mémoire: Discours critique et oeuvres d’art, Gilbert Lascault, J.-F. Lyotard. (Critical Discourse and Works of Art) Licence de Philosophie, La Sorbonne, Paris. Bachelor of Arts, Carleton University, Ottawa.
Documentary Films Poésie en peinture/Painted Poetry, directed by Monique Leblanc. This film explores the creative process through an exchange of works between Herménégilde Chiasson and Joan Cullen, 2000-2001. Participation in How do you enjoy life?, interview with Nicole Balderson, 2001 and Blood in the Snow, Norman Hall Janet Best, 1999.
Voyages Europe, Mexico, West Indies, South America, Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Yemen and several across Canada. Residencies in France, Colombia, Kenya, and Tunisia.
Works in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, PEI; The Musée de Tessé, Le Mans, France; The Chinese Artists Association, Beijing, China; Foundation for the Study of Objective Art: Gallery Arcturus, Toronto, and in numerous private and corporate collections in Canada, France, Colombia and Germany.
More on Joan Cullen in Painter's Progress:
http://sbmacinnis.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/the-5-to-watch-those-who-paint/
More on previous exhibits by Joan Cullen (with Dominique Cruchet):
Exhibition catalogue for "Traverser les grandes eaux, Crossing the Great Waters":
http://www.blurb.com/b/3502750 A book review is HERE
Previous installation of the exhibit:
http://www.confederationcentre.com/en/exhibitions-archive-read-more.php?exhibition=50
and http://thistownissmall.com/2012/06/15/you-are-cordially-invited/
"Le temps soustrait la vérité aux atteintes de l'envie et de la discorde", Médiathèque de Gignac, 2014: http://georgescruchet.wix.com/cullencruchet-gignac
http://www.blurb.ca/books/5395616-le-temps-soustrait-la-verite-aux-atteintes-de-l-en
Interview for "Quatre vents," a 2011 exhibit in Le Mans, France on local TV via YouTube
“Errance" at Gallery Arcturus, April to June, 2005:
http://arcturus.ca/display.php?g=1&s=2005-04-30-errance
“État des Lieux”, Art Gallery of the University of Moncton, New Brunswick, 2002:
http://139.103.17.11/Cruchet_Cullen/communique_etat_des_lieux.html
More information, images of Joan's work: