Timelines

Arsenal Contemporary New York is pleased to present Timelines, a solo exhibition featuring new works by artist Myriam Dion in collaboration with Blouin Division Gallery, Montreal. The exhibition will run from Friday, November 1, through Saturday, December 14, 2024.

Myriam Dion creates breathtakingly intricate works of cut and hand-colored paper, imbuing them with formal intelligence and historical significance. By repurposing old newspapers, she reinvests the waning medium with pathos and respect, while also infusing it with social commentary and striking beauty. These large-scale works—some mural-sized and even three-dimensional—not only honor the heritage of women's craft but also stand as exceptional and ambitious examples of the art form.

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, printed paper has served as a staple material for vernacular artisans. Whether through collage, paper mâché, folding, or decorated scrapbooks, newspapers transformed by craft have become a staple of community centers, flea markets, and tag sales worldwide.

With her delicately perforated drawings, Dion pays homage to the ancient tradition of women's needlework, reimagining it through a different medium. Using actual newspapers as her canvas, she fragments their texts while preserving historically notable passages, creating a palimpsest-like effect. Some works celebrate specific women, such as Canadian aviator Marion Cassidy and American entrepreneur Gloria Vanderbilt.

The theme of Timelines is the evolution of women's rights throughout the 20th century, especially in the United States—suffrage, labor rights, and other early milestones. These themes are expressed through headlines in a dated language as evocative as the homespun crafts that Dion elevates. By exploiting the metaphoric potential of ephemera, she underscores the vulnerability of these rights while offering a timely reminder of their importance.

"The beautification process I apply to the newspaper pages is intended to shift the viewer's focus from their usual informative function, instead inspiring contemplation," Myriam Dion explains.

The artist will be present at the opening reception on Friday, November 1, from 6 to 8 p.m.

About Myriam Dion

Myriam Dion (b. 1989 in Montreal, Québec) lives and works in Montreal where she is represented by Blouin-Division Gallery. She holds an MFA from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Dion's work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ); the London Museum in London, Ontario; the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Alberta; Museum Rijswijk in the Netherlands; and the Sharjah Art Museum in the UAE. Dion has received numerous grants, notably from the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Post-Residency Award of the Banff Centre. She has been acquired by several public and corporate collections, including Global Affairs Canada, MNBAQ, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM), Loto-Québec, TD Bank, Scotia Bank, and private collections in Canada and in the United States.

Created in 2020 out of the merger of Galerie Division (founded in 2010) and Galerie René Blouin (founded in 1986), Blouin Division is one of the most important commercial galleries in Canada. With the mission of promoting the careers of critical Canadian contemporary artists and disseminating their work to an international audience, the gallery works with 46 artists and showcases their talent in its locations in Montreal and Toronto, as well as in New York City through its association with Arsenal Contemporary Art, in addition to participating in multiple international fairs every year.