Jon Rafman
New Age Demanded (Prince Arthur)
2019
© Jon Rafman
crédit photo: Jinny Montpetit
Presentation of the artwork
The work New Age Demanded (Prince Arthur) is inspired by a poem by Ezra Pound, “Hugh Selwin Mauberly”; it is part of a reflection that the artist Jon Rafman began in his series New Age Demanded, which explores the dichotomies engendered by our dependence on the internet in our daily life.To produce this work composed of two granite sculptures, Rafman used a new methodology: although carved into the marble – as is traditional for this art form – the sculptures were designed in part with software, and a robot assisted in the carving. The use of a contemporary technological method to sculpt is an innovation.
Associated events
The work was integrated in the context of the redevelopment of Rue Prince-Arthur Est, identified as a legacy project by the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough for the 375th anniversary of Montréal.
Rue Prince-Arthur Est, between Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Avenue Laval, was the first pedestrian street in Montréal. Its redevelopment highlights this legendary street in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. The spatial organization of the street now offers a welcoming, multifunctional pedestrian space that is compatible with its commercial vocation.
Jon Rafman
Jon Rafman (born 1981) lives and works in Montréal. He holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been presented at the New Museum (New York), the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), the Saatchi Gallery (London), the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (Toronto). His work has been reviewed in publications such as Art in America, Artforum, Modern Painters, Frieze, and the New York Times. He was nominated for the 2014 Sobey Art Award and has received awards from the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board. In 2014, he was nominated for the prestigious Future Generation Art Prize.
