When we peeked into the glass storefront of the MEME Gallery near Central Square, a trio of folks was focused on the orange-capped figure intently stroking the wall with a colored pen. Bostonist was warmly greeted by the group and artist.
Perhaps every visitor receives an introduction—or maybe FlexiB (also known as Felix LeBlanc), the Quebecois who was invited for seven days of creation and destruction, wanted a break—because he was quite ready to explain the premise of the exhibit to us.
We did our research, so LeBlanc didn't have to tell us that every day of the week is a new drawing adventure, each based on a submission received especially for this experiment. The submissions are the inspiration for each day for seven hours of drawing over a week.
However far across the gallery walls he travels, the work is sanded off at the end of the day. The next day, LeBlanc begins anew, drawing over the ghosts of the past. (Some ghosts remain more visible than others.)
Shortly after introductions, LeBlanc showed us the original drawings that are the basis for his final product. Some were easy to spot: the satanic ice cream cone turned upside down, or the skull and crossbones from another submission. Others were more elusive.
Just as the previous drawing disappears behind the current display, the original pieces also disappear into the collective work of art. Some elements from the original drawings are reinterpreted in the new work—for example, abstract painting that included something like iron-curled hair, are transformed into something like golden tubes of spaghetti.
LeBlanc admits that he's inspired by nearly everything he sees, so it's difficult for him to tell us what the future may hold. He says, "I'm always doing research for the next project." It seems every experience can be an influence to him.
When trying to extract some theory about the ephemeral aspects of art, LeBlanc becomes circumspect as he talks (in his French-Canadian way) about, "See[ing] things—see[ing] different people, every day... You hear songs, then they pass and they're gone."
There is something to be said for LeBlanc's lack of attachment to his creations. He draws something almost every morning, scans it, uploads it to his blog, and then in his mind it's gone—just like taking a belt-sander to a wall. It's an echo in one's mind, unless you save the jpeg file.
The idea doesn't bother LeBlanc. His reaction is less one of concern than stoic acceptance. It's a matter of fact that he uploads a hi-res image to be shared, like bands putting their songs on the web for free.
Feel free to discuss while in the gallery, but you might end up feeling like the exhibit is another way of presenting the artistic experience as an intersection between the observer and the object. Of his art, LeBlanc says, "Everyone sits in their little garden or little castle, and I'm trying to explode that"—perhaps by showing how our little castles intersect in remarkable ways.
If you don't swing by Central Square today, which is the last day to see the drawing of disappearance, get on the mailing list for MEME. There is so much happening in the neighborhood, it deserved an active and exciting art space that frequently hosts various creations like Jesse Kaminsky's Bubbleraft 2.
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