The immersive show RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature will be presented from February 13 to March 10, 2024, in the studios des 7 doigts de la main, a welcoming and intimate venue where spectators will get to see the acrobats and the master’s work from up close.

RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature crowns the festivities relating to the hundredth birthday of Jean Paul Riopelle. This extraordinary production will offer the public a journey to the heart of Riopelle’s work and the nature that always inspired him.

Thanks to 360° video projection, infrared motion capture and sound spatialization technologies, the studios des 7 doigts de la main will be transformed into a true immersive image box making it possible to evoke Riopelle’s enormous atelierand the magnificent landscapes he frequented, and to present monumental works. The audience will also have a chance to admire original works by the artist in the entrance hall.

Lasting 70 minutes, the show is built around emblematic achievements from the different artistic periods of Riopelle’s life, which will also allow spectators to discover some less well-known works. Starting from the artist’s introspective gaze on the eve of the creation of Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, the flights of the owl and the wild goose take us on a splendid odyssey through Riopelle’s profuse creative universe.

Presented in collaboration with TOHU, RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature is a creation of the co-founder and artistic director of Les 7 doigts de la main, Samuel Tétreault, who has given us among others the shows Bosch Dreams,inspired by the painter Hieronymus Bosch; Vice & Vertu,staged at SAT for the 375th anniversary of Montreal, part of the Festival Montréal Complètement Cirque; and Carry Me Home, the world’s very first multi-reality circus performance.

“My first contact with the work of Jean Paul Riopelle goes back to October 1993 and the vernissage ofHommage à Rosa Luxemburg at my father’s gallery. I was nineteen years old and at the time I was a student at the National Circus School. I remember the excitement of the event, the rare presence of Riopelle, and the monumental fresco that made a considerable impression on me. The creation of RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature in a way is a return to my roots, an extraordinary opportunity to combine my passions for celebrating the life, the work and the creative genius of an artistic giant from Québec who ranks with the greatest.” – Samuel Tétreault, cofounder and Artistic Director, Les 7 doigts de la main

RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature is a universal ode to creativity and rugged beauty that will inspire both novices and fans of the circus and visual arts. The show is an invitation to explore one’s own imagination by forging deeper ties with nature.

The Jean-Paul Riopelle Foundation is lending its invaluable support to this ambitious production. “Jean Paul Riopelle’s centenary celebrations were made possible thanks to a constellation of artistic disciplines coming together across Quebec, Canada and the world to pay tribute to one of our greatest visual artists of all time. Combining circus and visual arts, this new production promises to dazzle audiences while celebrating the artistic legacy and creative genius of Riopelle, who was himself a great fan of circus arts. The Riopelle Foundation is therefore proud to join forces with Les 7 doigts de la main’s wonderful team as co-producer of this unique event.” – Manon Gauthier, Executive Director of the Riopelle Foundation and General Commissioner of the artist’s centenary celebrations

RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature is carried by five talented circus artists: Claire Hopson, Saali Kuata, Arthur Morel, Guillaume Paquin and Camille Tremblay.
The work of certain designers dear to Les 7 Doigts will be recognized: Olivier Landreville for set design (Pub Royal, Le Murmure du Coquelicot, Cadence, En Panne), Colin Gagné for musical direction (Mon île mon coeur, Passagers, Réversible, Vice & Vertu), and Camille Thibault Bédard for costume design (Triptyque, Vice & Vertu, Passagers).
Playwright and author Marie-Christine Lê-Huu along with mirari studios (creation and production of multimedia content) and Supply + Demand (multimedia device integration) will join the creation team to guarantee an unforgettable experience.

Les 7 doigts de la main is currently planning a national and international tour for this spectacular show.

With a capacity of 125 spectators, the image box that comes to life in the Les 7 Doigts’ studios will offer an intimate and unique opportunity to plunge into this immersive world. Tickets for RIOPELLE Grandeur Nature will go on sale today at 10 a.m. on the 7doigts.com and tohu.ca websites.

Photos Claire Hopson and Guillaume Paquin : Damian Siqueiros.