Mathieu Beauséjour, Elizabeth II, 2008.

In these representations, sovereigns are taken decontextualized, as on coins. Symbols of power, these monarchs are oblivious to life’s transience. From George III to Elizabeth II, they have ruled over Canada, and Quebec, since the conquest. The subject takes on political overtones that are enhanced by the fact that the ornaments reveal a secret: certain coins, where the crown contains a fleur-de-lis, have never circulated either in Quebec or Canada. Social peace oblige. With their breath-taking intensity and a melancholy that leaves speechless, these images reach far beyond the political. From the fixity of their one-dimensional world, they take on a life of their own and turn towards the horizon.

Mathieu Beauséjour is represented by Centre Clark in Montreal and the Eponyme Gallery in Bordeaux.

www.mathieubeausejour.org
www.clarkplaza.org
www.eponymegalerie.com