{"id":226,"date":"2026-09-02T13:27:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/projets\/thousands-of-roses\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T13:27:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:27:03","slug":"thousands-of-roses","status":"publish","type":"projet","link":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/projects\/thousands-of-roses\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of\u00a0Roses (Des\u00a0milliers de\u00a0roses)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of\u00a0Roses<\/em> is\u00a0a\u00a0multidisciplinary project that explores memory, disappearance and\u00a0what remains after absence. Through\u00a0an\u00a0installation, mosaics and\u00a0paintings, I\u00a0examine memory, absence and\u00a0the\u00a0traces left by\u00a0the\u00a0thousands of\u00a0older people who\u00a0died during the\u00a0pandemic. The\u00a0rose, fragmented matter and\u00a0the\u00a0landscapes evoked by\u00a0painting become so\u00a0many metaphors for\u00a0lives, memories and\u00a0fragments of\u00a0stories. Between\u00a0tribute and\u00a0meditation, the\u00a0project questions our\u00a0relationship to\u00a0loss and\u00a0memory, while bringing forward a\u00a0reflection on\u00a0what, despite disappearance, continues to\u00a0live in\u00a0us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0installation Requiem for\u00a0Thousands of\u00a0Roses<\/em> refers to\u00a0the\u00a0requiem, a\u00a0prayer or\u00a0work dedicated to\u00a0the\u00a0dead. The\u00a0word, from the\u00a0Latin requies<\/em>, means \u201crest\u201d and\u00a0evokes the\u00a0rest granted to\u00a0the\u00a0dead as\u00a0well as\u00a0their memory. Here,\u00a0the\u00a0requiem takes a\u00a0visual and\u00a0symbolic form. Each\u00a0dried rose represents a\u00a0person who\u00a0has\u00a0died. Gathered\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0thousands behind the\u00a0bars of\u00a0a\u00a0cage, the\u00a0roses become the\u00a0silent traces of\u00a0a\u00a0multitude of\u00a0lives. The\u00a0veil enveloping the\u00a0installation evokes mourning, while the\u00a0cage refers to\u00a0the\u00a0confinement experienced by\u00a0many older people and\u00a0to\u00a0their vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, Requiem for\u00a0Thousands of\u00a0Roses<\/em> is\u00a0both a\u00a0tribute and\u00a0a\u00a0meditation on\u00a0disappearance, isolation and\u00a0the\u00a0fragility of\u00a0life. The\u00a0roses, once alive and\u00a0now\u00a0withered, become the\u00a0silent witnesses of\u00a0those who\u00a0are\u00a0gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\"Requiem
Requiem for\u00a0Thousands of\u00a0Roses (Requiem pour des\u00a0milliers de\u00a0roses)<\/em>, 2022 \u2014 installation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Installation
Installation view \u2014 Thousands of\u00a0Roses (Des\u00a0milliers de\u00a0roses)<\/em>, 2022, Galerie Jean-Letarte, Boucherville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0mosaics stem from a\u00a0reflection on\u00a0the\u00a0thousands of\u00a0elderly people lost during the\u00a0pandemic. Behind\u00a0the\u00a0numbers are\u00a0singular lives, stories, memories, bonds and\u00a0objects that accompanied these people over time. The\u00a0fragmentation inherent to\u00a0mosaic becomes here a\u00a0metaphor for\u00a0memory. Fragments\u00a0of\u00a0glass, porcelain, lace, pearls or\u00a0found objects are\u00a0assembled, juxtaposed and\u00a0transformed to\u00a0bring intimate worlds into being. Each\u00a0fragment carries a\u00a0trace, real or\u00a0imagined, of\u00a0a\u00a0story that is\u00a0no\u00a0longer accessible. The\u00a0works thus evoke the\u00a0memories that persist after the\u00a0loss of\u00a0a\u00a0loved one. For\u00a0when a\u00a0person passes away, part of\u00a0their story disappears with them, but\u00a0certain fragments of\u00a0that life continue to\u00a0dwell in\u00a0those who\u00a0remain: an\u00a0image, an\u00a0object, a\u00a0sensation, a\u00a0gesture, an\u00a0encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\u00a0this work, assembling fragments becomes a\u00a0gesture of\u00a0memory and\u00a0repair. What\u00a0was\u00a0scattered finds a\u00a0new\u00a0form. Each\u00a0mosaic becomes a\u00a0quiet tribute to\u00a0fragile and\u00a0precious lives, and\u00a0also a\u00a0reflection on\u00a0what we\u00a0keep of\u00a0others and\u00a0on\u00a0what, through them, continues to\u00a0live in\u00a0us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\"Melancholy
Melancholy Red\u00a0River (Rivi\u00e8re rouge m\u00e9lancolique)<\/em>, 2022 \u2014 glass, driftwood, gold leaf \u2014 31W \u00d7 31H cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Memories
Memories of\u00a0My\u00a0Father (Souvenirs de\u00a0mon\u00a0p\u00e8re)<\/em>, 2022 \u2014 glass, fishing spoons \u2014 31W \u00d7 31H cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 1 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 1)<\/em>, 2020 \u2014 ceramic, porcelain, glass, driftwood, lace \u2014 31W \u00d7 31H cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 2 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 2)<\/em>, 2020 \u2014 ceramic, porcelain, glass
31W \u00d7 31H cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 3 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 3)<\/em>, 2021 \u2014 marble, glass, gold leaf, lace, shell, beads \u2014 15H \u00d7 15W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 4 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 4)<\/em>, 2021 \u2014 ceramic, glass, cameo, gold leaf \u2014 15H \u00d7 15W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 5 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 5)<\/em>, 2021 \u2014 marble, pearls, gold leaf \u2014 15H \u00d7 15W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Rejoicings
Rejoicings \u2013 6 (R\u00e9jouissances \u2013 6)<\/em>, 2021 \u2014 ceramic, glass, marble, porcelain, shells, lace, pearls, gold leaf \u2014 15H \u00d7 15W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In\u00a0these paintings, memory is\u00a0built from fragments. Forms,\u00a0textures and\u00a0traces of\u00a0colour emerge, overlap and\u00a0sometimes fade, like memories whose image changes over time. Matter\u00a0becomes a\u00a0place of\u00a0passage between the\u00a0real and\u00a0the\u00a0imagined. The\u00a0compositions evoke inner landscapes, familiar or\u00a0dreamed places, but\u00a0also states of\u00a0presence and\u00a0absence. What\u00a0appears is\u00a0never entirely defined: spaces are\u00a0built in\u00a0the\u00a0in-between, letting surface what persists when memory slips away. Through\u00a0this tension between appearance and\u00a0erasure, these works question how\u00a0memory preserves, transforms and\u00a0reinvents what has\u00a0been lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\"Lace,
Lace (Dentelle)<\/em>, 2022 \u2014 bobbin lace, acrylic on\u00a0canvas \u2014 20H \u00d7 20W cm\u00a0\u2014 Bobbin lace made by\u00a0Suzanne Richard, lacemaker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Lace
Lace 1-4 (Dentelles 1-4)<\/em>, 2022 \u2014 bobbin lace, acrylic on\u00a0canvas \u2014 20H \u00d7 20W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n
\"Reminiscence
Reminiscence \u2013 1 (R\u00e9miniscence \u2013 1)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Reminiscence
Reminiscence \u2013 2 (R\u00e9miniscence \u2013 2)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Reminiscence
Reminiscence \u2013 3 (R\u00e9miniscence \u2013 3)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Unfinished
Unfinished Symphony (Symphonie inachev\u00e9e)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n
\"An
An\u00a0Evening in\u00a0May\u00a0(Un\u00a0soir de\u00a0mai)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Sacred
Sacred Forest (For\u00eat sacr\u00e9e)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\"Secret
Secret Path (Sentier secret)<\/em>, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Acrylic \u2014 51H \u00d7 51W cm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Confinement
Confinement and\u00a0Hope (Confinement et\u00a0esp\u00e9rance)<\/em>, 2020 \u2014 acrylic \u2014 51H \u00d7 102W cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photos: Jean-Micha\u00ebl Seminaro<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e9r\u00e9nissime<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e9r\u00e9nissime<\/em> was\u00a0created during the\u00a0pandemic, when the\u00a0mask had\u00a0become at\u00a0once an\u00a0object of\u00a0protection, of\u00a0isolation and\u00a0of\u00a0transformation in\u00a0how\u00a0we\u00a0relate to\u00a0one\u00a0another. Inspired\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0Venice Carnival mask, the\u00a0work brings two\u00a0distant realities into dialogue: the\u00a0mask that once concealed identity so\u00a0that one\u00a0could be\u00a0revealed differently, and\u00a0the\u00a0one\u00a0that, during the\u00a0pandemic, covered the\u00a0face for\u00a0protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This meeting of\u00a0the\u00a0Venetian mask and\u00a0the\u00a0face mask evokes a\u00a0period when faces faded behind the\u00a0same object, blurring bearings and\u00a0identities. Within\u00a0Thousands of\u00a0Roses<\/em>, S\u00e9r\u00e9nissime<\/em> thus takes on\u00a0a\u00a0particular dimension: it\u00a0reminds us\u00a0that behind every masked face, every absence and\u00a0every number there is\u00a0a\u00a0person, a\u00a0story, a\u00a0singular life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created for\u00a0the\u00a0virtual exhibition Flying Masks<\/em>, the\u00a0work was\u00a0shown at\u00a0the\u00a0University of\u00a0Fine Art, Buenos Aires, at\u00a0the\u00a0Maison de\u00a0la\u00a0mosa\u00efque contemporaine in\u00a0Paray-le-Monial, France, and\u00a0then as\u00a0part of\u00a0Portraits of\u00a0Resilience<\/em> at\u00a0the\u00a0Art\u00a0Gallery of\u00a0Ontario in\u00a0Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"S\u00e9r\u00e9nissime,
S\u00e9r\u00e9nissime<\/em>, 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Liliane Keeler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An\u00a0installation, mosaics and\u00a0paintings on\u00a0memory, absence and\u00a0what remains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":207,"template":"","meta":{"lk_annee":"2022","lk_medium":"","lk_lieu":"","lk_video":"","lk_cadrage":""},"class_list":["post-226","projet","type-projet","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projet\/226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projet"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/projet"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilianekeeler.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}