BGL

The Quebec City-based art collective BGL is known for installations that take over gallery and public spaces. Described as “cheeky, critical and explosive,” their works use humour and outrageousness to attract attention to social and political issues. Earlier installations have featured a taxidermied moose on a turnstile, and a Mercedes automobile on a faux lawn. They have created startling installations outdoors by combining interior materials with the natural world. The three artists, Jasmin Bilodeau, Sébastien Giguère and Nicolas Laverdière, began making a name for themselves after their 1996 graduation from Université Laval. They have shown at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Mercer Union and Koffler Gallery, Toronto, the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, the Royal Museum of Ontario, Toronto, the Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris, and the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver. The group has also shown internationally in Argentina, Cuba, France, Luxembourg, Mexico and Poland. They participated in the Havana and Montreal Biennials, were nominated for the Sobey Art Award and had a solo exhibition at Diaz Contemporary, Toronto. As a collective, BGL has received numerous grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, and a Victor-Martyn-Lynch-Staunton Award.