Fun with furniture

by Sholem Krishtalka

François Massé is known in Quebec art circles as a an African art collector and specialist. With his current show, Ouvrages et Emboitures, at Galerie Simon Blais, Massé ventures a little further east, into India. In this show, he combines pieces of 18th-century Indian furniture (culled from Rajasthan, Udaipur, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh) with his own additions, creating new works. This is what those in the biz call "recontextualization."

Wherever your allegiances to postmodern criticism may lie, this show is undoubtedly beautiful. Massé never alters the original designs of the Indian pieces in the creation of his furniture. He simply juxtaposes the astounding ornateness and sculptural qualities of the Indian works with his own simple, starkly beautiful geometricism. Of course, Massé's diligent technical skill doesn't hurt the works, either. Neither do the ephemeral accompanying drawings by Carol Bernier. In fact, everything about this show is in perfect complement. At 4521 Clark, #100, until March 3. Info: 849-1165 or www.simonblais.com.

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