Jacob Wren, interdisciplinary performer and writer, has always been interested in the idea of contemporary nomadism and the rebellion against pervasive sedentarism. Raphaelle de Groot, a pioneer montreal visual artist, is about to leave everything behind and settle in Brazil with her family in an attempt to radically rethink her lifestyle. On the night before her departure, they organize a garage sale during which she will be able to let go of her belongings, to free herself before leaving towards new territories. A reflection on the concept of wandering and of territorial affiliation. 

Text: Jacob Wren and Raphaëlle de Groot
Cast: Jacob Wren and Raphaëlle de Groot

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE – Jacob Wren
As co-artistic director of Montreal-based interdisciplinary group PME-ART he has co-created the performances: En français comme en anglais, it's easy to criticize (1998), Unrehearsed Beauty / Le Génie des autres (2002), La famille se crée en copulant (2005), the ongoing HOSPITALITÉ / HOSPITALITY series (including: 1: The Title Is Constantly Changing (2007), 2: Gradually This Overview (2010),3: Individualism Was A Mistake (2008) and 5: The DJ Who Gave Too Much Information (2011)) and their current project Every Song I’ve Ever Written (2013). PME-ART was nominated for the 27th Conseil des arts de Montréal Grand Prix in the category of New Artistic Practices.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE  – Raphaëlle de Groot
Since 1997, Raphaëlle de Groot has accumulated rich collaborative experiences in Canada and abroad such as with Dare-dare (Montreal), Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella, Italia), Optica (Montreal), Leeds City Art Gallery (England), Centre d’art contemporain Le Quartier (Quimper, France), Southern Alberta Art Gallery (Lethbridge) and 3e Impérial (Granby). In 2006, she displayed En exercice at the Galerie de l’UQAM, a major solo exhibit accompanied by an important research monograph. Her work was shown during the first Quebec Triennale at the Contemporary arts museum of Montreal in 2008. It has also been noticed during the Festival cultural de Mayo à Guadalajara (Mexico) in 2012 and at the 55^th Venice Biennale, where she showed a performance piece under the curation of Louise Déry.

(…) Une performance engageante qui tourne autour de la musique, de pochettes d’albums et d’histoires qu’on nous raconte, le tout fait avec charme, enthousiasme et humour (…) PME-ART nous donne une célébration profondément humaine du Pop-Art, démontrant comment la musique peut accompagner notre vie.
(NRZ-Culture – Thomas Hag, 2011)

Part dance, part social critique, part heady fucking around… PME interrogates the idea of performance itself. But it never fails to be that performance, and a damn good one […] God Bless Canada.
(The Village Voice – Brian Parks, 2001, about En français comme en anglais, it’s easy to criticize)

PME-ART's genial, intimate Hospitality 3: Individualism Was a Mistake breaks down spectacle to ask some big questions. PME-ART courts both the avant-garde and populism, serving up material in an open and loose fashion, underscoring intimacy and pushing aside seduction.
(HOUR – Philip Szporer, 2008)

Websites:
http://www.pme-art.ca/
http://www.radicalcut.blogspot.ca/
http://www.raphaelledegroot.net/