Sabrina Ratté
Active-Sites
21 October - 2 December, 2023
PLATFORM centre is excited to present Active-sites, Sabrina Ratté’s (QC) first solo exhibition in Western Canada, in our Main Gallery. This exhibition brings together three bodies of works that explore the relationships between nature and technology, landscape and architecture and reality vs. virtuality.
EXHIBITION| 21 October - 2 December, 2023
OPENING RECEPTION| 21 October, 7PM - 9PM
ACTIVE RESEARCH LECTURE| 21 October, 6PM @ PLATFORM centre presented in partnership with New Media Manitoba
SCREENING| 23 November, 7PM @ Dave Barber Cinematheque presented in partnership with the Winnipeg Film Group
Drawing connections between her recent works that explore the convergence of technology and biology, the interplay between materiality and virtuality, and the speculative evolution of our environment. In this thematic context, Floralia; (2021), Objets-monde; (2022), and Inflorescences; (2023) delve into the intricacies of the Anthropocene concept. Deeply influenced by the realms of science fiction, philosophy, and the theoretical writings of influential thinkers such as Donna Haraway, Michel Serres, and Henri Bergson, Ratté’s; Active-sites; portrays a world devoid of humans, where forgotten remnants continue to evolve and forge new relationships with the ecosystem.
Through a fusion of aesthetic, poetic, and philosophical lenses, her work emphasizes intuition,reflection, and emotional connection as a means of engaging with these issues. Ratté’s conceptualization of the digital image as an adaptable medium inspires her to sculpt with electronic signals and paint with light. Using an array of technical tools, such as 3D scans, analog video synthesizers, and 3D animation, her formal approach serves as the foundation for the creation of intricate ecosystems that manifest across various platforms, from interactive installations to series of videos and digital prints, reflecting the diversity of her practice.
BIOGRAPHY
Sabrina Ratté, a Canadian artist based in Montreal, explores the diverse forms of digital imagery. Her artistic practice encompasses a wide array of mediums, including analog video, 3D animation, photography, printmaking, sculpture, virtual reality, and installation. By continuously incorporating new techniques into her work, she delves into recurring themes that include the influence of architecture and the digital environment on our perception of the world, our relationship with the virtual aspects of existence, and the convergence of technology and nature.
Her work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Laforet Museum in Tokyo, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the PHI Center in Montreal, the Chronus Art Center in Shanghai, and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. She has presented solo exhibitions at Gaîté Lyrique in Paris and Arsenal Contemporary Art in Montreal and New York. Notably, her work is part of the collection at the Montreal Contemporary Art Museum. Ratté was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award in Canada in 2019 and went on to receive the award in 2020.
Image credit: Commissioned by the New Now Festival