French Kiss (obliteration)

French Kiss is a video tryptic that reinterprets the fairy tale The Princess and the Frog. In this work, the artist depicts the psychological impact of her move from Quebec to Ontario and how it made her consider her French Canadian identity. These stop-motion performances for the camera use the characters of the princess and the frog to represent some of the psychological dynamics experienced because of this displacement.

French Kiss (obliteration) is about the chaos generated from these reflections. After working with the symbols of the princess and the frog for some time, the artist became frustrated by how they rendered the cultural roles fixed. This piece brings the dissolution of characters and symbols by damaging them with whipped cream and sugar. The viscous substance coats the bodies and brings about the decay of the work. It also hides parts of their bodies, echoing the urge to make oneself disappear when we don’t fit in.