“What if a garden held another garden?” That’s the question Dominique Valade seems to pose with Les Cariatides. This installation resides in Parc René-Lévesque. It offers a unique blend of nature and art.
Les Cariatides was created in 1988. It was part of the Un Lieu sculpture symposium in Lachine. Later, the Centre des arts contemporains du Québec à Montréal gifted it to the Ville de Lachine.
The installation features a defined space on the ground. Wooden beams frame a large rectangle of white gravel. At one end, a grey granite column rises. Behind it stands an openwork cubic structure. This structure is made of metal sheets. Figures reminiscent of caryatids are cut out of the metal. The cube’s top is covered with granite plates. These plates hang over two sides.
At the opposite end, a large steel sheet supports a stone lintel. The sheet’s center is cut out. This reveals a negative silhouette of a figure. The figure’s arms are raised toward the sky.
Valade’s Les Cariatides plays with space and form. It creates an intimate and cultural space. A caryatid is traditionally a female figure. It supports a cornice on her head. In Les Cariatides, the figures are negative spaces. They are cut from steel. They bear an invisible load.
Dominique Valade is a respected artist. She has a master’s degree in visual arts. She also holds a doctorate in art studies and practices. She earned both from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Valade has participated in major public events. These include City Shapes at the Vancouver World Fair in 1986. She also participated in the Symposium de la jeune peinture au Canada in 1987. Her works are part of several collections. These include the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Musée de Sherbrooke.
Les Cariatides invites you to contemplate. Consider the interplay of positive and negative space. Think about the visible and invisible burdens we carry. It’s a garden. It is a sculpture. It is a thought-provoking experience.