Marc Walter transforms Galerie Montcalm into an immersive forest

Tashi Farmilo

Paris-born artist Marc Walter, who has made Wakefield his home for more than 30 years, is in the process of assembling a monumental land art installation that will completely reinvent the space of Galerie Montcalm. His upcoming exhibition, Dialogue avec la Nature, will run from August 23 to October 5, inviting visitors into a sensory journey at the intersection of art and nature.

“I want to make the architecture disappear through a single monumental intervention,” Walter explained. “I want to transform the gallery so completely that visitors forget where they are, that they no longer perceive it as an exhibition hall, but feel transported into an entirely organic world of curves and rediscovered sensations.”

Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), Walter is covering the entire gallery with interwoven branches, reshaping the contours, atmosphere, and perception of the space. “My proposal offers an immersion into a completely redesigned environment, where a monumental chamber will invite visitors to discover multiple organic wonders,” he said.

Rather than dispersing works throughout the venue, Walter’s approach invests the whole of Galerie Montcalm, replacing its walls and edges with a flowing, natural form meant to evoke the therapeutic, meditative qualities of the forest.

The exhibition officially opens on August 23, the vernissage will be held on September 12, at 7 pm in the Agora of the Maison du Citoyen, 25 Laurier Street, Gatineau. Admission is free.