Conceptual artist Mich\u00e8le Provost is a long-time devotee of appropriation, using borrowed imagery and citations from the global art world to expose its hierarchical underpinnings. For example, (ABSTrACTS\/R\u00e9SuM\u00c9S)<\/em> (2011) dissects the disjointed relationship between art writing\u2019s opacity and the artwork under discussion. Her series Selling Out <\/em>(2008) exposes the cult of personality within the art market, by presenting collector cards of famous artists (from Rembrandt to Cindy Sherman) or toy action figures based on their work, such as Jeff Koon\u2019s stainless steel Rabbit<\/em> (1986). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With her most recent installation,Everything must go \/ Liquidation totale<\/em> (2018), Provost takes things a step further, problematizing the art world\u2019s bureaucratic response to appropriation art. The work consists of a liquidation sale of home decor items created by the artist that cite the legacy of one of Canada\u2019s most iconic artists: Jean-Paul Riopelle. Focusing on the power dynamic between the Estate of Jean- Paul Riopelle, SODRAC (Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada), and the Ottawa Art Gallery, the installation performatively records Provost\u2019s experience navigating these bureaucratic layers. An important condition of this \u201cfinal sale\u201d stems from a request made by Riopelle\u2019s Estate: the host gallery must not use Riopelle\u2019s name or image in relation to the show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objects such as curtains, desk, and couch are \u201cbranded\u201d with designs based on Riopelle\u2019s iconic painting Pavane<\/em> (1954). Other items reference his publicly known personal habits, such as smoking Gauloises Caporal cigarettes and collecting Bugatti cars. A multi-volume graphic novel tells the story of Riopelle\u2019s life through texts appropriated from Canadian and French art history books. Provost\u2019s creative strategy is to \u201cliquidate\u201d her work by covering Riopelle\u2019s name and image on each item with 70 % off stickers (and other interventions). She wittily uses this act of erasure to expose these consumer items to further critique, with the installation becoming a case study on the power of celebrity. Folding nicely into her overall critique of the art world, the installation features the inevitable contrast between Riopelle\u2019s fame and Provost\u2019s status as a lesser-known artist, while highlighting the complexities of presenting appropriation art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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