Dominique Valade
Les dos blancs
1990
Presentation of the artwork
The artwork, situated in Parc Caron, “is presented as a private space, reflecting the general image of the park.” The sculptural grouping’s various elements are arranged on a platform. A vertical metal sheet, into which a silhouette has been cut, provides access to the platform, on which are placed a series of aluminum and granite slabs and rocks of various sizes. Two rocks, larger and painted white, suggest “silhouettes of people bent over.”The artwork refers to the history of Ville Saint-Laurent. The white rocks evoke, according to the artist, “the first inhabitants of Saint-Laurent leaning over their hoes and dressed in sheepskin.” At the other end of the platform, responding to the presence of an orchard near the site, a sheet of metal has been cut out to portray the silhouette of a fruit picker perched on a ladder.
Associated events
The work was created during Sculpture: Séduction 90, an event that took place in 16 Montréal Urban Community parks from 15 June to 30 September 1990. Organized by the Conseil de la sculpture du Québec, its goal was to present “a permanent itinerary of large-format sculptures integrated with the environment of municipal parks.” 
© Dominique Valade, 2007
Crédit photo: Guy l'Heureux, 2015
Dominique Valade
Dominique Valade holds a master’s degree in visual arts and a doctorate in art studies and practices from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has participated in a number of large-scale public events, including City Shapes, at the Vancouver World Fair in 1986, and the Symposium de la jeune peinture au Canada, at the Centre d’art de Baie-Saint-Paul in 1987. Valade is known for her painting and sculpture practices, and her artworks are in the collections of the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent, the Musée de Sherbrooke, the Galerie de l’UQAM, and the Edmonton Art Gallery.
Presentation of the artwork
The artwork, situated in Parc Caron, “is presented as a private space, reflecting the general image of the park.” The sculptural grouping’s various elements are arranged on a platform. A vertical metal sheet, into which a silhouette has been cut, provides access to the platform, on which are placed a series of aluminum and granite slabs and rocks of various sizes. Two rocks, larger and painted white, suggest “silhouettes of people bent over.”The artwork refers to the history of Ville Saint-Laurent. The white rocks evoke, according to the artist, “the first inhabitants of Saint-Laurent leaning over their hoes and dressed in sheepskin.” At the other end of the platform, responding to the presence of an orchard near the site, a sheet of metal has been cut out to portray the silhouette of a fruit picker perched on a ladder.
Associated events
The work was created during Sculpture: Séduction 90, an event that took place in 16 Montréal Urban Community parks from 15 June to 30 September 1990. Organized by the Conseil de la sculpture du Québec, its goal was to present “a permanent itinerary of large-format sculptures integrated with the environment of municipal parks.”
Dominique Valade
Dominique Valade holds a master’s degree in visual arts and a doctorate in art studies and practices from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has participated in a number of large-scale public events, including City Shapes, at the Vancouver World Fair in 1986, and the Symposium de la jeune peinture au Canada, at the Centre d’art de Baie-Saint-Paul in 1987. Valade is known for her painting and sculpture practices, and her artworks are in the collections of the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent, the Musée de Sherbrooke, the Galerie de l’UQAM, and the Edmonton Art Gallery.
