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JF Bouchard

@jfbouchard1

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TURN OR BURN - Upcoming museum exhibition at PHI (Oct. 27th, 17h30 - Until March 2027)
+ Our film La Retaguardia enters awards season!
Links in bio

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At this date 3 years ago, I was in the midst of installing my first video installation to be shown in New York City. The exhibition was selected as a "must-see" exhibition by Artforum. taken in New York, New York by @jfbouchard1

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5 months ago

Installation view: excerpt from In Guns We Trust book. Shot-up pick-up truck on a bed of 5000 bullets.⁠
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From the exhibition In Guns We Trust about military-grade gun culture in the USA at @arsenalcontemporary in NYC and Montreal. ⁠
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#contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #contemporary_art #contemporaryarts #photographyart #artbook #photographybook #artshow #photoart #photographybook #photobook #artbook⁣ #nikonnofilter#nikonfr #nikoneurope #nikonasia⠀⁠
#artinstallation by @jfbouchard1

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6 years ago

There’s something special about visiting a country for work—meeting people, exchanging ideas, and seeing your project take shape in a completely new context. It’s a much richer experience than visiting as a tourist.

Being in Korea last week for the opening of The New Cubans was exactly that. After exhibitions in Montreal (Blouin Division), Cuba, and Paris, it’s incredibly meaningful to see the work connect here—and exciting to look ahead to Mexico City this fall.

Endless thanks to curator @jaehyun_seok and coordinator @su2_photography for their generosity and dedication. So grateful for the warm welcome and thoughtful conversations... Not to mention the best Korean BBQ ever! by @jfbouchard1

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a year ago

PHI présente 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰̧𝗼𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 (@jfbouchard1) en conversation avec le commissaire 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘁 (@wthtwrd).

À l’occasion de sa première exposition d’envergure muséale, 𝘍𝘰𝘪 𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘶, Jean-François Bouchard discutera de sa pratique et des œuvres créées spécifiquement pour cette nouvelle exposition. S’appuyant sur ses rencontres avec un groupe de prédicateurs évangéliques de rue aux États-Unis, ce nouveau corpus explore les intersections entre croyance, performance et politique dans l’espace public.

🗓 Mercredi 11 novembre 2026
🕡 Portes: 18h30 | Conversation: 19h
📍 407, rue Saint-Pierre, Espace 1
🎟 Gratuit · Réservation requise

🗨️ La conversation se déroulera en français, suivie d’une période de questions-réponses en français et en anglais.

Réservez votre place → Lien en bio

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PHI presents 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰̧𝗼𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 (@jfbouchard1) in conversation with curator 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘁 (@wthtwrd).

On the occasion of his first museum-scale exhibition, 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯, Jean-François Bouchard will discuss his artistic practice and the works created specifically for this new exhibition. Drawing on his encounters with a group of evangelical street preachers in the United States, this new body of work explores the intersections of belief, performance, and politics in public space.

🗓 Wednesday, November 11, 2026
🕡 Doors: 6:30 PM | Conversation: 7 PM
📍 407 Saint-Pierre Street, Espace 1
🎟 Free · Reservation required

🗨️ The conversation will take place in French, with a Q&A session in both French and English.

Book your spot → Link in bio

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PHI tient à remercier le Conseil des arts du Canada (@conseilartscan) pour son soutien à l’événement.

PHI would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts (@canada.council) for its support of the event.

Photo: @jfbouchard1 by @jfbouchard1

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4 days ago

💙 Some lovely words about La Retaguardia 💙

A big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch the film and share their thoughts. You can still watch it on The New York Times’ Op-Docs platform. Link in bio. by @jfbouchard1

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4 days ago

Very happy to have a project room at @arsenalcontemporary in New York, as part of "A Selection From Collection Majudia", @collectionmajudia celebrating Arsenal’s 15th anniversary. The exhibition includes works by Mickalene Thomas, Claire Tabouret, Tala Madani, Robert Nava, fellow Canadian Chloe Wise, and many others. Great company to be in, I would say! Thank you @claudiaisabelletrahan + @pierre_trahan @marcdanielmayer

My room brings together The New Cubans and La Retaguardia (The Ones Who Stay). The New Cubans is a body of work developed over several years in Havana, around young Cubans and the many subcultures that have emerged and evolved there despite the the harsh realities on the island.

La Retaguardia came out of that same period and was filmed while I was working on The New Cubans. Olivier Côté @o.molives lives and I followed four young Cuban artists who decided to stay, at a moment when so many others were leaving the country.

La Retaguardia was released by The New York Times Op-Docs earlier this year and is now in the race for the 99th Academy Awards.

On view through November 21 at Arsenal Contemporary Art, 21 Cortlandt Alley, New York. by @jfbouchard1

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10 days ago

Big day!

I’m very moved to announce "Turn or Burn / Foi ou feu", my first major museum exhibition, at PHI. This institution — and its amazing team — has always been a source of inspiration to me… and to many others in Montréal. @phi.officiel

The project begins with street evangelism in the United States — the “street preachers” — but is really about something much broader: the growing presence of moral absolutism in our societies and the links between faith, performance, image & power.

This exhibition also marks an evolution in my work. I’ve often used video, but this time I’m incorporating immersive installations and several other media. Photography is still present, but it has graciously agreed not to play the leading role. ; )

After two years of exhibiting in Cuba, Korea, France, the United States and Mexico — which adds up to a fair amount of luggage — I’m truly happy to be back presenting my work in Montréal.

I can’t wait to share it all with you.

Curator: Daniel Fiset. @wthtwrd

PS > The exhibition opens to the public on October 28. The opening reception is planned for October 27… Details to come. by @jfbouchard1

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a month ago

Hello, new studio.
After three years in my current space, I now need more room for projects that involve more model-making, fabrication, assembly… and probably quite a bit of trial and error.
A studio is more than just a place where artworks are produced. It is a space for research and experimentation, where ideas take shape, shift in scale, and gradually become real.
It won’t stay this clean for long. ;) by @jfbouchard1

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a month ago

We’re thrilled to share that Jean Francois Bouchard’s @jfbouchard1 film La Retaguardia (The Ones Who Stay), co-directed with Olivier Cote @o.molives, has been acquired and released by The New York Times @nytimes as part of its Op-Docs series, a platform internationally recognized for showcasing some of the most compelling and Academy Award-winning / Emmy-winning short documentary films from around the world.

Released by powerHouse in 2024, Bouchard’s book The New Cubans illuminates the previously underreported youth culture of contemporary Cuba. Together, The New Cubans and La Retaguardia form an evolving portrait of a generation navigating uncertainty, reinvention, and the changing realities of Cuba’s growing crisis.

Head to our link in bio to learn more about the film.

#newyorktimes #jeanfrancoisbouchard #thenewcubans #laretaguardia #theoneswhostay #powerhousebooks #newyorkcity #montreal #independentpublishers #cuba taken in powerHouse Arena by @jfbouchard1

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3 months ago

Last week, our film was on the front page of The New York Times. In these difficult times in Cuba, we think it is important to reflect on the concrete impacts of geopolitics on the lives of real people. Many of you asked us whether it was possible to watch the film without being a paying NYT subscriber, and the answer is: yes, for 1 month. Please check the link in bio to watch. @nytimes by @jfbouchard1

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3 months ago

My co-director Olivier, and I are beyond thrilled to share that La Retaguardia (The Ones Who Stay) has been selected by The New York Times' Op-Docs program, one of the world's leading platforms for short documentary films. @nytimes @nytopinion
@o.molives

The film grew out of our time in Havana while working on The New Cubans, my long-term photographic project on contemporary Cuban youth culture. We arrived intending to tell one story, but another gradually emerged. As Cuba's economic crisis deepened and migration accelerated, people around us were saying goodbye to friends, partners, siblings, and parents. What stayed with us was not only the scale of the exodus, but the experience of those left behind.

The short documentary follows four young Cuban artists living through one of the largest waves of emigration in the country's history. Rather than focusing on those who leave, the film turns its attention to those who remain. At a moment when shortages, blackouts, and economic pressures intensify and continue to reshape daily life in Cuba, the questions at the heart of the film feel more relevant than ever.

This film would not exist without the trust and friendship of the people who welcomed us into their lives. We are deeply grateful to them and to The New York Times for helping bring their stories to a wider audience.

Infinite thanks to our Cuban collaborators:
Devon Ruiz @devonruizzz
Israel Martín Rodríguez @riot_cubensi
Ronald O. Rodríguez Alfonso @elephanto.rap
Tomás Agüero @je_suis_tommy by @jfbouchard1

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3 months ago

My heart aches for all my collaborators in Cuba. The situation was already difficult in 2023 when I made this image. Since then, it has become unbearable, and the younger generation is being decimated by migration and the impossibility of leading a normal life on the island. by @jfbouchard1

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4 months ago