By popular demand

>> Guy Turcot's photographs capture workers' struggles in Quebec

by SHOLEM KRISHTALKA

Political art is a hard thing to do successfully; the line between being political and being didactic is thin and many end up stamping all over it. There are some artists who make it their life's work, and consistently make excellent work--Leon Golub springs to mind. We can add a new name to that roster: Guy Turcot.

Turcot, currently showing at the Ecomusée du fier monde in an exhibit entitled L'Histoire des Luttes Populaires, is a photographer who documents popular struggles: strikes, rallies and protests. Although the works are from the '70s and are intermingled with a few archival photographs, the exhibit is not meant to be a history lesson. Rather, says Turcot, "It is a way to interpret history cyclically, as opposed to in a linear way." The show is an homage to those who have resisted. "It is a way to say to those who resist, not to fight for domination, but to fight for your cause--the most important thing is not to forget why you're fighting."

Turcot is a documentary photographer and in that lies the strength of the show. There is nothing abstract or conceptual about these works, they are simply visual statements and recordings of events. Turcot offers what his eye and lens have captured and he lets the power of the events speak for themselves.

He is not passive, however, and these are not simple snapshots of rallies. Turcot's artistic sensibilities are clearly visible. He captures a vivid sense of the humanity of his subjects. It is present in the flashing eyes and the contorted mouths of the students in "Manifestation d'étudiants contre la loi 63." These moments have some irony to them as well; in "Manifestations contre la loi 63 devant le parlement du Québec," we are shown a wall of cops in riot gear, billy clubs out, three of them captured by Turcot sharing a private joke. There's something strangely sinister about watching armed cops in uproarious laughter.

At 2050 Amherst, until Jan. 7. An artist's talk with Turcot takes place Nov. 8, 7pm