Creating a strong work that establishes a true dialogue with the building’s architecture is fundamental to Yechel Gagnon’s approach. She establishes a dialogue with the site in its entirety—its geography and its mission—at the same time as it respects the community that will use the site. By taking these distinctive characteristics into account, Gagnon aims to create a specific piece that will be expressed in the language of her own artistic practice, while integrating harmoniously with both its environment and with her work as a whole. 

It was important for her to create a work that echoed the water, the river—not just because the building is a marine terminal, but mainly because the identity of the city of Sorel-Tracy is closely linked to the St. Lawrence and Richelieu rivers.

The work titled Affluents consists of fluid forms that fit together to give a sense of unity and movement and to create an extended unfolding of mountains and waves. This piece is like a window that opens up onto a landscape… an imaginary landscape… a multifaceted landscape that reflects the nautical world facing the building. The way the forms are arranged and their sculptural look produce a perspective effect that gives the illusion of wide-open spaces. The imagery the work summons up lies somewhere between abstraction and figuration, and thus makes it emblematic of a place that wishes to maintain a balance between the individual and the community. Designed to freely allow many different interpretations, it will let all those who pass through the Sorel-Tracy Marine Terminal form their own relationship with the work, a relationship that will invariably evolve over time.

Affluents is made up of various veneers of wood tinted different colours (blue, turquoise, green, red) layered with natural wood (walnut, ebony, kingwood, padauk), as well as gold, copper and aluminum leaf. The different colours of the wood and the natural veneers used connect inside with the outside and generate a dialogue with the vista seen through the curtain walls. This sculptural mural unfurls along the wall so as to evoke the movement within the architectural geometry. The harmonious dialogue creates a dynamic accent in the space. In this way, architecture and artwork enhance and amplify each other.

Description & location

Artwork by Yechel Gagnon

Affluents, 2019

Plywood, tinted and natural veneers with gold, copper, aluminum leaves and stainless steel

387" x 95" x 24" / 983 x 241 x 61 cm

Art and Architecture Integration Policy

Sorel-Tracy Marine Terminal

Architects Gagnon Letellier Cyr Ricard Mathieu & Associates

About Yechel Gagnon

Yechel Gagnon holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree (Studio Arts) from Concordia University and an AOCAD with Honours in Drawing and Painting from the Ontario College of Art and Design. Her works are exhibited in galleries, artist-run centres and museums across Canada, the United States, France and China. Her public artworks and exhibitions have attracted frequent reviews by noted critics and curators. Commissions of public artworks have been awarded to her by Bishop’s University, Licorne Theatre, Jean-de-Brebeuf College and the University of Montreal, among others. She is recipient of numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the Conseil des arts de Longueuil. Gagnon’s works are represented in public, corporate and private collections. Collections include the National Art Museum of China (Beijing), 4 World Trade Center (New York),  Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax), City of Montreal, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt Collection (Toronto), Gotlands Konsmuseum (Sweden), Nordstrom (Canada & US), Saks Fifth Avenue and the headquarters of the Cozen O’Connor Law Firm (Philadelphia). Yechel Gagnon is represented by Newzones in Calgary and Cynthia Reeves in New Hampshire.