Francis O’Shaughnessy
Biography
Francis O’Shaughnessy lives and works in Montreal (Canada). He holds a doctorate in Artistic Studies and Practices from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Since 2002, he has produced more than 130 performances in 25 countries. He has presented various conferences, guided artists at the college and university levels and led theoretical-practical workshops on art. Since 2007, he has curated 20 major events. His research questions the performative haiku, an artistic approach that advocates a strong return to love as an extension of the self.
About the artwork
Composed of three narrative segments, L’amour que nous avons pour le temps (The Love we Have for Time) is a performative work that resonates with the current pandemic context. All the segments are connected by a slow wandering of several participants, like a performative refrain. The first segment mixes the positive and the negative with opera music as a soundtrack. The second evokes surprise with unexpected elements. Finally, the last segment appeals to the artist’s imagination. L’amour que nous avons pour le temps is a group performance in which Francis O’Shaughnessy performs alongside Janna Elizbarova, Fabio Lima, Océane Girard, Gabriel Labonté-Pelletier, Aïda Yonis Eugene, Maxime Côté, Zachary Santagata.
All three segments explore “being”, as well as uncertainty, hesitation and drifting. Moreover, by presenting a haiku on a card, Francis O’Shaughnessy operates a shift from literature to performative art. Forged as a performative haiku, the work opts for a living visual poetry.
Artworks by the artist
