Nationality Canadian Name Sylvie Belanger | Role Artist Education York University | |
Born 1951 Le Gardeur, Quebec Books Sylvie Belanger: Citer Le Lieu : [exhibition], Southern Alberta Art Gallery, [October 17-November 25, 1992]. Known for Installation art, Video art | ||
Verre Stephen Pon
Sylvie Bélanger (born in 1951 in Le Gardeur, Québec, Canada) is an interdisciplinary artist using sound, video, photography and installation. Bélanger received an MFA from York University, a BFA from Concordia University and a Baccalauréat in Philosophy of Religion from Université de Montréal. She lives and works in Toronto and is an Associate Professor of Visual Studies at SUNY Buffalo. Before joining SUNY Buffalo, she taught at The University of Windsor, San Francisco Art Institute, University of Toronto/Sheridan College and Concordia University. Bélanger was the recipient of the Stauffer Prize, Each year the Canada Council designates up to three Canadian artists who have been awarded an individual arts grant, one in each of the fields of music, visual arts and literature, as winners of the Joseph S. Stauffer Prizes. Bélanger has received numerous professional grants from The Nuala Dresher Fellowship, the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the External Affairs of Canada.
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Work
Bélanger has exhibited her multimedia installations across Canada, USA, France, Germany, Spain, England, the Netherlands, Japan, Thailand, Philippines and China. Her works are in collections of Gemeente Museum, The Netherlands, Za Moca Foundation, Tokyo, Japan, Oakville Galleries, Canada, Windsor Art Gallery, Canada, Musée du Québec, Canada, Galeria Oliva Arauna, Spain, The Canada Council for the Arts Art Bank, MacDonald Stewart Art Center, Canada, Woodlawn Arts Foundation, Toronto, Canada and York University, Canada.
In 2002 Bélanger was commissioned to create public art for the Bessarion subway station in Toronto. The work is a series of friezes of hands, feet and backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The feet images appear on the concourse level while the heads appear on the platform level. The hand images appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue side entrance/exit and the concourse.
In 2007, Bélanger was the Big Orbit Gallery summer artist in residence. During her residency she created the Multimedia installation Des fleurs pour décorer, which was inspired by the artists' loft. Through this framework, ideas of gentrification, leisure, interior design and art history are woven through the condominium as a new concept of urban living. Des fleurs pour décorer was simultaneously part of the Beyond/In Western New York 2007 Exhibition and installed at Big Orbit Gallery as a solo exhibition.
Bélanger is represented by Birch Libralato Gallery, Toronto, Canada.