Rober Racine

Mirror-Pages / Exhibition

1980-1994
Rober Racine's "Mirror-Pages / Exhibition" is part of an encyclopedic project concerned with rendering visible the entire French language. The most complete expression of this idea is his proposal for a park of the French language, as yet unrealized. "Mirror-Pages / Exhibition" is drawn from Racine's work with pages of the Petit Robert dictionary, from which he has cut out words, leaving only the definitions. Here he makes an exhibition of the word "exposition" (exhibition) by selecting and framing all the pages of the dictionary bearing the many cross-references to "exposition". By mounting the cut pages on framed mirrors, Racine captures our reflections and includes them as part of what we see. In doing so, he recognizes the role of the viewer or reader as part of the production of meaning, as a necessary element in the creation and exhibition of art.
Artist
Title
Mirror-Pages / Exhibition
Date
1980-1994
Medium
Drawing
Materials
ink, gouache, graphite, metallic paint, and coloured pencil on 23 pages from the Petit Robert dictionary, mounted on mirrors and framed
Dimensions
23.4 x 14.7 cm each
Nationality
Canadian
Credit line
Purchased 1994
Rights
© Rober Racine
Accession number
37596.1-23