TOI MOI NOUS: A group exhibition featuring J. CARINO, GABRIELA REYNA, DIANA RUBAN, TSCHIEGG, TUAN VU, AND EMILY WISE

"you are so achingly beautiful

that i fantasize about obliterating myself;

perhaps,

if i gave enough of myself

there would be more of you"

Kellie Marwaha

Simard Bilodeau presents Toi Moi Nous, a group show featuring artists from all across the world: J. Carino, Gabriela Reyna, Diana Ruban, Tschiegg, Tuan Vu, and Emily Wise.

What draws these works together, though birthed from all different backgrounds, is their binding themes of intimacy and vulnerability. Intimacy can be gentle, meek, unstoppable, bottomless. To be human is to seek it; in fact, we are hardwired for it. We unconsciously mirror the minute facial expressions of those we are face to face with. Our vocabularies and personal lexicons evolve constantly to match those of our cohort. Brain waves and body cycles quite literally sync up with the people we are close with; all humans, on levels we are not aware of, become deeply intimate. Even across species this is true–birdsong is a balm for our moods and a cat's purr helps to heal us. This exhibition represents the conscious acknowledgment, expression, and celebration of these connections. 

Part of how we become close with others is by looking for common ground--looking for ourselves in another. It is an extension of a lifelong intimacy we form with our own being. Our inward glances, our cherished alone time, the self care we grant ourselves. Though each work in this series is being shared with an audience, there is a personal process each artist has engaged with that is solely theirs–a part of themselves they have developed and nurtured. What we see is but a glimpse into the hours spent in one's own company, asking and answering questions in solitude; what kinds of closeness do we desire, and what are we willing to reveal to gain them? We connect pieces of ourself to each painting and in doing so, connect to people we may never know. Our openness and theirs mingle in the universe these artists breathe into life.