An exhibition to see Hochelaga with the eyes of the heart

What a beautiful and touching exhibition that Hochelaga – Changing Montreal, presented at the McCord Stewart Museum starting Friday! 

Photographer and director Joannie Lafrenière offers a stroll through her adopted neighborhood, Hochelaga, where she has lived for more than 18 years. The route is dotted with his photos and videos, but also with texts by the poet Benoit Bordeleau. Everything is presented under a very original scenography by Pierre-Étienne Locas.

Artist Joannie Lafrenière. Photo credit: Roger Aziz

During the visit, we make several intimate encounters with people from the neighborhood with whom the artist has forged real ties over the years.  

There is Renaud, the bike repairman; Michel, the barber; Diane, the former waitress; Pierre-André, the florist; Claude, the former soldier; and Madame Grandchamp, a woman contacted during the pandemic through a program to break the isolation of the elderly.

All these people represent the neighborhood in their own way and all have stories to tell. Through her lens, Joannie Lafrenière highlights them and gives them a voice.  

Throughout the exhibition, we feel the deep affection that the artist has for the neighborhood. Joannie Lafrenière casts a look imbued with humanity and tenderness, depicting its light and its shadows. An approach without a trace of misery, made with the heart to touch the heart.

Hochelaga – Changing Montreal, at the McCord Stewart Museum from March 31 to September 10.