The north wind is blowing in Boston, and bringing some surprises from Quebec City: eight works of public art presented by EXMURO for the first edition of WINTERACTIVE, sponsored by the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District. Now through April 14, local residents, and visitors to Boston’s business district are in for some winter excitement. Don your winter hats and warm clothes for a true Canadian winter experience with this circuit of 16 public artworks.
A non-profit organization, EXMURO Arts Publics’ mission is to produce contemporary art projects in public space. Through these various projects, it aims to enrich the urban experience by sparking moments of encounter, sharing, and reflection.
Take a look at some of the installations below:
Untitled #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, 2021
Mark Jenkins (Washington, D.C., United States)
A series of characters scattered in the alleys and corners of the Downtown Boston district engage in playful activities. Cast at human scale and in ordinary clothes, these disarmingly realistic trompe-l’oeil sculptures have passersby doing double-takes to make sure they aren’t real people in alarming positions. Through the strong reactions they provoke, Jenkins’ installations invite us to reflect on our norms for acceptable behavior in public space and on the blurring boundaries between what is fake and what is real.
Myth and Evidence, 2017
Mathieu Valade (Chicoutimi, QC, Canada)
A light emanating from the interior of a frosted glass display case hints at the silhouette of a legendary creature: a unicorn. The translucent surface blurs the reading of its realistic-looking forms. Both exposed and concealed, elusive and imprisoned, the evanescent presence of the magical being exudes a certain magnetism.
Endgame (Nagg & Nell), 2019
Max Streicher (Toronto, ON, Canada)
The scene seems absurd: two inflatable clown heads stuck between building walls. Compounding the strangeness, the figure of the clown—an object of mirth—takes a turn for the disturbing, depending on our point of view and our level of sensitivity.
Territories 2.0, 2021
Olivier Roberge (Deschambault, QC, Canada)
A mysterious metallic cube, from which glows a starry firmament, has landed unexpectedly in the city. Anyone who ventures inside will discover a true narrative microcosm: a diorama carefully designed to both captivate and induce apprehension. It is a miniature landscape depicting a natural environment that has been abundantly transformed by human intervention and climate change.
Photography by Annielly Camargo, courtesy of the Downtown Boston BID.
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