Evanston Art Center Presents “Olivier Bodart: Risk Areas”

Evanston Art Center 2022 Exhibition

Olivier Bodart: Risk Areas

EXHIBITION DATES: April 9 – May 8, 2022
OPENING RECEPTION: Sunday, April 10 from 1–4pm
GALLERY HOURS: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9am–4pm

EVANSTON ART CENTER ANNOUNCES A NEW EXHIBITION, RISK AREAS, FEATURING WORK BY OLIVIER BODART

The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is proud to present a new exhibition, Risk Areas, featuring work by Olivier Bodart.

The catalyst to this project is the novel Zones à risques (Éditions Inculte, 2021), by author and visual artist Olivier Bodart. It’s a fictional story comprised of factual natural disasters which occurred around the United States. In the story, Mat, the main character, works as a natural disaster investigator for FEMA. For various reasons, Mat has trouble to go to the disaster sites in person. In order to complete his work reports, he decides to create miniature disaster scenes in shadow boxes and do macro photography to obtain images needed for his fake reports (of which he passes off to the agency as authentic). Just before completing the final part of the novel, Bodart decided to step into the shoes of the main character, and actualize the shadow box scenes and images which produced the project “Risk Areas”. Unlike the character in the book, he traveled to the four factual disaster sites and collected materials for the project. The undertaking resulted in the creation of 52 shadow boxes and 104 images that is a stand alone visual art exhibition.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Olivier Bodart is a French visual artist and author (novel Zones à risques, 2021) living in North America since 2012. His artworks and novels address issues around climate and environment along with the impact they have on individuals and communities.

Olivier Bodart: Risk Areas will be on display in the Evanston Art Center’s Second Floor Gallery + Atrium from April 9 – May 8, 2022, with an opening reception on Sunday, April 10 from 1-4pm. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public. This project is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and EAC’s general membership.

Evanston Art Center, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences. The Art Center offers extensive and innovative instruction in broad areas of artistic endeavor through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities, and community outreach initiatives.

Evanston Art Center is located at 1717 Central Street, Evanston, IL. Evanston Art Center Gallery Hours: Monday– Friday, 9am–6pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9am–4pm. First and second floor gallery spaces are accessible. Limited free parking is available.

Due to COVID-19 protocol, when arriving at the EAC during our Gallery Hours, all visitors are required to wear a face mask and provide proof of vaccination upon entry. Please adhere to 6′ social distancing requirements when in the gallery space.

For more information, please visit us online at www.evanstonartcenter.org or contact Paula Danoff at 847.475.5300 or pdanoff@evanstonartcenter.org. Visit the Evanston Art Center on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EvanstonArtCenter/, follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/evartcenter, or on Instagram: @EvanstonArtCenter.

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