News > 2012 > EN MASSE creates a public work of art – live!

EN MASSE creates a public work of art – live!

         

September 12, 2012

From September 17 to 21, EN MASSE will be creating a public work of art, live, in the south lobby on floor 3 of the Decelles building at HEC Montréal. The group brings together emerging Montreal artists in the realms of graffiti, comics, design and fine arts. After producing more than 60 murals in 13 cities, in collaboration with nearly 300 artists, EN MASSE will be bringing about ten young artists to HEC Montréal to create a huge mural. You can even watch online as the piece takes shape, at hec.ca/enmasse/en.

The mural will be in black and white, like all EN MASSE creations, and will cover three large vertical surfaces, for a total of 68 m². It will be located in a very busy lobby, a major gathering place for our students.

EN MASSE was chosen to create this public work of art back in February by a jury, following an invitational competition among young Quebec-based artists who create mainly pictorial works.

Founded in 2009, EN MASSE has already taken part in a number of cultural events and produced many murals. Some of their best-known work was produced in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Cirque du Soleil, Sid Lee, Nuit blanche à Montréal, Piknic Électronik, Espace GO/MU and the Osheaga festival.

And now it is HEC Montréal's turn to invite EN MASSE to leave a lasting imprint at a busy public crossroads, where it is sure to be seen and appreciated by the many students and other passers-by.

 

Interaction, education, innovation

For EN MASSE co-founder Jason Botkin, the meeting of these two cultures is sure to be very interesting: “EN MASSE is all about teamwork, education, establishing social networks and, most importantly, the creation of new, collective visions of what societies can become. Through our artwork we try to bring artists and the public together, giving them a chance to interact with one another. We're excited to create this mural with a group of artists, forming a world full of imagined people, objects and elements, which will serve to illustrate the core values of HEC Montréal and its students, such as leadership, innovation and a global perspective.”

The jury was impressed by EN MASSE’s values of solidarity, collaboration and education. “The creative approach taken by EN MASSE very clearly expresses the themes that we wanted to communicate through this competition: innovation, light, motion and openness. We are training a new generation of managers. They are part of the new generation of artists, and they have already succeeded in very clearly making their mark. This is a great meeting between students and artists. And finally, we are pleased to offer EN MASSE a new showcase here, in Montreal, and we will be watching their progress on the international scene with great interest,” says Loretta Cianci, Director, Campus Development at HEC Montréal.

This public work of art represents the finishing touch to the recent renovation work on the Decelles building at HEC Montréal, and, in particular, to the floors where most of the classrooms are located. Note that although this piece is inspired by the Quebec government’s policy to integrate art with architecture, it is in fact an initiative of HEC Montréal and was not commissioned under that policy.

The jury was made up of five people from HEC Montréal and two from outside: