After being presented in Frankfurt, Tunis and Sharjah and in the United Arab Emirates in the fall of 2021, the exhibition Un coeur nomade, produced by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, made its debut in New York yesterday, at the occasion of an opening in the presence of the one who inspired it, Dany Laferrière of the French Academy. Presented until June 17, 2022 in the entrance of the delegates of the UN headquarters, A nomadic heart is an invitation to all United Nations personnel and visitors to this prestigious venue to take an interest in the universe of this world-famous Canadian writer celebrated throughout the Francophonie.
A nomadic heart retraces, in words and images, the life of Dany Laferrière, from his childhood in Haiti to his entry into the French Academy in Paris. The exhibition was inaugurated on the Promenade des Artistes in the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal in August 2020. It was produced by the Partnership to highlight the 35-year career of the writer and signed by the curator and creative director Felix Dagenais. The exhibition stems from and uses the images of the writer’s three graphic novels: Exile is worth the journey, Towards other shores and Autoportrait de Paris avec Chat, published by Éditions du Boréal.
The export of the exhibition was carried out by Quartier des spectacles international, a new organization affiliated with the Partnership whose mission is to enliven public spaces with sound, light and participatory installations that mark the imagination. True showcases for local creators, these installations contribute to Montréal’s cultural influence abroad. New York audiences have already had the chance to discover some iconic works produced by the Partnership such as Loop, Prismatica and Impulsion, presented since 2019 in the Garment District.
The presentation of the exhibition at UN headquarters was organized in collaboration with the Quebec Delegation in New York, the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York, as well as with financial support from Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.
“At every crossroads in our lives, we should try to do what we have never done before. For me, it was writing by hand and drawing like a child,” Dany Laferrière.
“It is with great pride that we celebrate the inauguration, right in the heart of the UN premises in New York, of the magnificent exhibition A Nomadic Heart. This is a tribute to one of our greatest writers, Dany Laferrière. Culture embodies our values, brings us together as humans and is a wonderful tool to strengthen our relationships all over the planet. Moreover, we can certainly affirm that cultural diplomacy is essential to the development of our international relations, and contributes to the influence of our society as a whole. Thank you Dany for all of your work and for what it embodies here and elsewhere,” declared Ms. Martine Hébert, Québec’s Delegate General in New York.
“This exhibition on the life of Dany Laferrière, this rich and singular human journey, takes on its full meaning under the sign of the United Nations. We are very proud to be able to share this one with people from all over the world and to celebrate our culture and the talent of one of our greatest authors. This project is part of a fruitful and long-standing relationship with the city of New York and I would like to thank the Quebec Delegation in New York, the Canada Council for the Arts, Global Affairs Canada, the Ambassador of Canada to the States, Mr. Bob Rae for their support, as well as Mr. Laferrière for his great generosity and unwavering commitment to this project,” added Monique Simard, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Quartier des Spectacles and Quartier des international shows.
CREDITS
Curator and creative director: Félix Dagenais Graphic design and scenography: Design by Judith Portier Inc. Composition and sound design: Javier Asencio Production: Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
The tribute to celebrate Dany Laferrière’s 35 years of writing is an original idea by Anne Plamondon.
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