ALLIANCES TERRESTRES | Outdoor exhibition
29 August 2026
7 September 2026
Étienne Plante
Ce feu qui nous chauffe l’intérieur
Visual art
Saturday 29 August 2026, at 5 PM
DesPrés | Pré culturel — 57 Principale Street North, Sutton (Quebec)
The performance project following the creative residency offers a moment of gathering where the public, guided by the artist’s presence, is invited to witness the birth of the flame and the ignition of the terracotta hearth. This gesture, thousands of years old and deeply rooted in human history, reactivates a fundamental ritual: that of gathering around the fire.
The hearth, built during the residency, only finds its full existence when inhabited by the flame. This shared moment aims to bring forth a sense of unity, solidarity, and collective strength. It is an invitation to gather around this transformative, almost alchemical element that has always accompanied human societies.
Biography
Étienne Plante is a visual artist who lives and works in Sherbrooke (Kchi Nikitawtegwak). He explores and updates traditional manufacturing processes to counter the loss of craftsmanship to industry. His academic background in mechanical engineering contrasts with his path as a self-taught artist. He has since completed training in performance art with Sylvie Tourangeau and participates in several creative projects combining sculpture and performing arts. Étienne was a finalist for the 2023 Art + Environment Prize from the Conseil de la Culture de l’Estrie.
Approach
Working through sculpture and performance, I am interested in the transmission of craftsmanship as a means of reactivating ancestral techniques in the face of industrialization and the standardization of practices. My work is born in fire, that alchemical element that allows for a change in the state of matter and the body. It is through the exploration of foundry techniques that I express a singular and archaic artistic gesture. I seek to honor raw material, to exacerbate the organic character of textures and forms, and to value error or lack as an important part of the work. My practice attempts to question our relationship with matter and time in the face of industrial alienation.
