Untitled Labour

2022
TONG ZHOU LAFRANCE

This poster was part of the exhibition Mémoire de l’avenir (2022): an urban poster exhibition representing the works of established and emerging artists. 

This project was born from a desire to create connections between different generations of Quebec artists.

The exhibition, curated by Caroline Douville, was made up of 3 pairs, each comprising an emerging artist and an established artist. These encounters allow us to immerse ourselves in Quebec art, in our everyday lives, and to reflect on the progression of certain themes in today's artistic imagination.             

From July to September 2022, these posters were exhibited in the streets of Montréal · Tiohtià:ke on Publicité Sauvage’s palisades

Tong Zhou Lafrance's work comes from a series called Untitled Labour. Through “photo-weaving”, they deconstruct and reconstruct images from their adoption file. This file is made up of a set of souvenir photos collected by their parents during their stay in China for adoption. Tong Zhou wonders about their identity, more specifically about the processes surrounding adoption. The title of the series questions the opacity surrounding this practice, and especially the fact that it can be considered a taboo and potentially profitable activity. We can observe the juxtaposition between two souvenir photos, one at the top and the other at the bottom. The dark and intriguing aesthetic that emerges is a reflection of the questioning that surrounds their research. At the time of their adoption, Tong Zhou's parents were invited to visit various tourist spots; here, it was about a craft workshop.

Poster dimensions: 24 × 36”. Paper: matte, 189 g/m², acid-free.
Delivery delay in Canada: 6-9 days