REVIVAL

Andrea Chenier

When nineteen-year-old Andrea Chenier left her small Ontarian hometown of Hawkesbury to pursue Studio Arts and Art History at Concordia University, she was determined to pay tribute to queer identities in her artwork. Chenier is self-taught, and initially, her practice involved the use of water colours and gouache. More recently, however, she has begun working primarily with oil paint.

Chenier’s move to Montreal was accompanied by an embracing of the artist’s queer identity, and a chance to finally place herself within the queer arts community. Since her arrival in Montreal, she has become more eager than ever before to portray the queer spectrum in her paintings. “It feels good to finally show that side of myself after not showing it for so long,” she said.

Her work Revival was born from these goals. Originally produced for an assignment with a “visual poetry” theme, the twenty-by-sixty-inch oil painting depicts the possibility of hope in connections between queer people. Whether that hope lies in undertones of romantic love, friendship, or just passing connections, Revival explores and provokes feelings of belonging and comfort. Two figures embrace, finding safety and joy in one another. One of the figures represents an allegorical depiction of spring, unencumbered and illuminated, wearing a spring dress and a serene expression. The other person wears wrinkly clothing, their face hidden from view.

In Revival, Chenier links the concept of hope to springtime. Her experience of moving from Hawkesbury to Montreal felt similar to a change of season—a light at the end of a dark tunnel, one where she could find solace and comfort among her own. Spring represents an opening and an untethering, a move into the sun—a similar process that a queer person may experience in moving from a small town to a city like Montreal.

Through her choice of colours, styles, and pose used, Revival spotlights the ongoing struggle for queer liberation and self-preservation throughout history, a story in which the presence of hope is necessary and vital. This trajectory has allowed artists like Chenier to seek refuge in representing their authentic selves—something that remains impossible for many around the world. Ultimately, it is hope that lies at the forefront of Revival; a message that queer love must be represented, never be taken for granted and whose power must be celebrated.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

FERNANDA ALVAREZ LARRAIN

COVER ARTIST

MARGRETHE NIELSEN

PHOTO PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHER

JANE EYRE JORDANS